Gene Simmons recently joined the ‘Greatest Music of All Time’ podcast, where he opened up about the complex relationship between Black and White music. The KISS bassist tackled the age-old conversation around White musicians allegedly ‘stealing’ or borrowing from Black artists.
They Didn’t Care, The Bassist Says
“I was gonna tell you the Fats Domino story, where Fats Domino and Pat Boone were on the same level,” he began. “Fats is playing in a club. ‘Ain’t That A Shame’ was a big hit that he wrote and recorded, but it was covered by Pat Boone, and Pat Boone did everything, all the Black music of the day.” Simmons continued, explaining how Boone’s version of the song, stripped of the soul that made Domino’s original stand out, ended up selling millions.
Then, the bassist shared a key moment. An interviewer once asked Fats Domino, in front of Pat Boone, if he felt slighted that Boone’s version had overshadowed his. Fats, without missing a beat, simply said, “You see this diamond ring here? I’ve got Mr. Boone to thank for that.” Simmons noted, “They didn’t care.”
He Supports The Interaction Between The Two
Simmons went on to argue that while outsiders might claim Black culture and music were stolen, the reality was more nuanced. He explained, “So, people on the outside can say what they will, but if your music wasn’t ripped off, stolen like poor Little Richard, who I knew when he was alive.The publishers—you know, everybody stole all their money. They barely got paid at all. But musically what happened is, for the first time in history, really, that young white people, teenagers, were drawn to this music, and then, sort of made it their own in ways.”
“You can certainly sit on the sidelines and go, ‘Eh! You borrowed our culture, you borrowed our music. You stole it.’ It’s a case to be made for that.”
Black And Jewish Artists Improved American Music
Simmons has spoken before about the influence of Black music on his own life, noting the importance of solidarity between the Jewish and Black communities in the music industry.
The bassist mentioned, in an interview with American Songwriter in 2021, how Jewish musicians played a pivotal role in introducing Black music to White audiences. He pointed to figures like Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who helped popularize songs like ‘Hound Dog’ and ‘Fever,’ originally performed by Big Mama Thornton and Little Willie John, respectively.
His statement continued, “The original guys I heard that impacted my life basically was Black music, and then after that, Jackie Wilson and, you know, all those guys. The white guys were okay and they appealed to the chicks and everything. But the real stuff was Black music. That made your bottom, your groin shake and move in ways that white music didn’t. Even [‘Let’s Twist Again’ singer] Chubby Checker.”
With a nod to the future, Simmons is getting ready for a solo tour, kicking off on April 3 in Anaheim, California. The dates will continue across the U.S. until the end of May.
