Baz Luhrmann’s new film, Elvis, opens Friday. A lot of attention goes to relative newcomer Austin Butler playing Elvis Presley, and Hollywood mainstay Tom Hanks portraying Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

But music fans will also recognize Yola and Gary Clark Jr. portraying artists critical in shaping and influencing Elvis’s sound.

Yola is cast in the role of pioneering rock guitarist and singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe. “She's one of the principal creators of rock and roll music,” Yola says. “No one had ever played like that before.”

Thinking back on her audition, Yola describes a pretty relaxed session with Nashville producer Dave Cobb, during which she was asked to simply sing some Rosetta Tharpe songs. Unsurprisingly, the Bristol, England-born, Nashville-based singer nailed the part. The performances in the film, however, gave her a chance to stretch musically. “It was terrifying,” Yola says with a laugh. “I play acoustic guitar. I play rhythm, okay? Not lead, and crucially, I don't simultaneously, like, shred and sing … if I'm singing, I'm playing rhythm. And so I had to learn how to play melody, and sing melody that was counter that melody, because [Tharpe] just did that all the time like it was nothing, you know? And so, yeah, that was terrifying and a lot of work. But, you know, I landed every plane.” 

Butler, who is receiving critical praise for his performance as Elvis, shared his own praise for Yola. “Not only is her performance so incredible, she has one of the most powerful voices I've ever heard,” Butler says. “And between takes, she would give me vocal coaching.

“She's wonderful,” Butler continues. “We had a really good time, and she crushed that role.”

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For his part, Gary Clark Jr. plays Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, a blues musician who recorded the song “That’s All Right” in 1946, which Elvis would then go on to record in 1954. Although Crudup is credited as a songwriter on the printed labels of Presley’s records, the bluesman never received royalties from Presley’s sales or airplay. Crudup died in 1974 at the age of 68. 

Clark sees his role in the film as a chance to give Crudup at least some of his due. “A lot of the stories that happened to, unfortunately, to Black artists in those times, they would put out a hit or two and get a little bit of notoriety but wouldn't really get paid or be credited,” Clark says. “And I think for some light to be shone on him in this day and age is just important for his imprint, and what he did, and for what he pioneered to not be lost. … Just a little bit of light, as much as we can give these guys, I think is important. So, I'm all here for that.”

Although Clark acknowledges Presley’s influence as an artist and cultural icon, he stresses the true origins of the music Presley brought to the masses. “If you do your research, if you read the credits, the songwriters, you can go back and figure out where all this stuff came from,” Clark explains. “You can hear it in the tempo. You can hear it in the swing. If you understand what American music is based on, you understand that Black musicians in the South and from blues, folk and gospel music created American rock and roll.”

Butler describes himself as a longtime fan of Gary Clark Jr., and was particularly excited when Clark was cast in the film. Between takes, Clark even gave Butler some guitar lessons on blues scales. “That was one of my fondest memories on the film,” Butler says.

In addition to performances by Clark and Yola, the film’s soundtrack also includes music recorded by Jack White, Doja Cat, Swae Lee and Diplo, Denzel Curry, Kacey Musgraves, Jazmine Sullivan, and others.

Elvis gets its U.S. theatrical release on Friday, June 24.

External Links

Elvis - official site

Yola - official site

Gary Clark Jr. - official site