Elvis was inspired to add Hound Dog to his live set list after seeing Freddie Bell perform it live in Las Vegas. Leiber & Stroller wrote Hound Dog for Big Momma Thornton. I’ve seen some web sites that says Elvis stole the song from Thornton and was the one who made millions off it. Thornton has said she only made $500 off the original record. Elvis making millions off Hound Dog is the only true part of that thought process. Thornton’s record label and management would be the ones to blame if Thorton’s claim is true. I’m not certain about what Thornton made money wise, however, it was common for black artist to get ripped off on performance royalties by record companies. Many lead artists went to record records under “for hire” agreements like studio musicians and were promised more money if the record took off.
