"Heartbreak Hotel" was a rewrite by Mae Axton, (Hoyt's mother)
based on an old blues done by Cisco Houston called "Hard Rock Hotel".
I've heard that Elvis was a folk song fan. Jerry Leiber and Mike
Stoller were folk song fans, mostly blues. When I played music
with Guy Carawan, we sang "Houndog Bay At The Moon" written by an
Oklahoma english professor. Mike used to play for UCLA fraternities
and I know he heard us sing that song. I often wondered if that's where
they go the idea for "You Ain't Nothin' But A Hound Dog" they wrote for
Big Mama Thornton. I think Elvis was close to folk roots and his influence Big Boy Croodup would indicate this.