Back in Memphis and other places, blacks and other whites weren't doing nearly as well making money from this music. Here's a recent picture of him. In the beginning, Lewis wandered into a Memphis club and heard someone singing Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On . Lewis and his friends figured out another way to become successful. Their recording companies simply paid off disc jockeys to get their records played.
Bribery is a felony.
Payola is discussed in some detail in the radio chapter in your textbook. I Want to Hold Your Hand. We're now in the early 60s and the major event in the recording industry of that decade. Let's take a look at next thing to set the recording industry on its ear. First to talk in this is a singer named Ben E. King who gained fame with a group called The Drifters.