Mississippi Humanities Council

  • Interpreting Our History & Culture
  • Fostering Civil Conversations
  • Enriching Communities

The Hillbilly Cat: The Local Roots and National Impact of Elvis Presley’s Music

Using documentary footage and recordings from the mid-1950s, Northeast Mississippi Community College history instructor Carla Falkner of Tupelo examines the role Southern culture played in the emergence of rock and roll through the music of Elvis Presley and how that music impacted popular American culture and values.

Speakers Expertise:

Carla Falkner has more than 30 years of experience as a Mississippi educator. She joined the Northeast Mississippi Community College faculty in 1989 after teaching high school social studies in Batesville and New Site. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Falkner serves as the Chair of the Division of Social, Behavioral, and Applied Sciences and is active on the NEMCC Cultural Arts Committee.

Speaker