(Sorry, I was the Guest that posted at 10:02 AM)

Indeed, black and white had happily mixed in Jazz circles, but this was a more limited, somehow intellectually elite form, not generally associated with "ordinary folk" -- or do I see this wrongly? And although Jazz was played in the Southern states, was the mixing not confined to the Northern ones?

The idea that the mixing of "races" (I prefer to use the term human beings) was somehow evil was still prevalent throughout the early years of Rock'n'Roll, as is evidenced by the numerous horror stories of mixed concert parties travelling around the country and meeting opposition and confrontation, especially in the South. Nevertheless, I still believe that Sam's vision and Elvis's execution helped open the way to much more liberal attitudes in the field of popular music.