"He refused to sing the song with Big Mama" >>> I don't know anything about 'refusing to sing the song with Big Mama'. In 1952, when she recorded Hound Dog, Elvis was still in high school. He didn't record anything until 1954. In 1956 when he recorded it , I have never read of Big Mama wanting to sing it with Elvis, whether in the studio, a tv show, or in a concert. What is your source? I have been an Elvis fan for most of my life, and also have studied the history of Rock and Pop , reading lots of books. I have never heard of this 'singing together'. Please provide more information on that.

Big Mama had her success with the song in 1952. Other blues and country artists recorded the song, including Freddie Bell, and had their chart success. Money and song writing credit goes to Leiber and Stoller. Their music company made sure of that. Elvis' recorded Freddie Bell's version. Elvis gave credit in words here and there during this career about his respect and admiration for the talents of black music that had influenced him. (In 1969 he called Fats Domino the King of Rock n Roll) Singers do not ensure that songwriters get paid for their songs. The recording executives and music rights companies do. Singers sing songs and do not have to 'pay' the previous singers for singing the song. The singers do not own the songs, the writers do. So Big Mama got her money for selling her records, of her version of the song, and the writers Leiber and Stoller got paid for writing the song, no matter who recorded it and sold the records. Elvis didn't steal anything. Let's take that a step further, by example. Dolly Parton wrote and recorded I Will Always Love You. Even tho Whitney Houston had a even bigger hit with the song than Dolly, you can bet Dolly made sure she was paid as a 'song writer' , not as a singer. Anyone can record that song, and it will be Dolly who gets paid, not Whitney (or her estate). It is Dolly's song.
So Elvis recorded a Lieber and Stoller song, not a Big Mama song. L & S got paid. Big Mama is acknowledged as recording it first and performing a fantastic version. Elvis did a different version, even different lyrics and he didn't have to 'pay' anyone except L&S. He didn't steal anything from Big Mama.