During
Elvis Presley’s singing, recording, and performing career, one that stretched parts of three decades, there were countless stories that he didn’t particularly like Black people, especially if they were not in music. He did like many well-known Black singers, especially, according to some music historians, if he could copy and use their vocal and musical stylistics to further his own career.
The late
Myrna Smith, who was a member of the Black singing group “The Sweet Inspirations” refuted claims that Presley was a racist. Smith, who with Cissy Houston (mother of the late Whitney Houston), Sylvia Shernwell, and Estelle Brown, formed “The Sweet Inspirations,” which provided background vocals for Presley, also known as “The King,” at concert performances and for recording sessions from 1969 to 1977.