Elvis And Parker In A New Light
Peter Guralnick revisits Elvis and Colonel Tom Parker through their bond rather than the usual myths. Drawing on unpublished correspondence, he builds a nuanced portrait of loyalty, ambition and decline, while showing how both men helped invent the modern superstar.
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The Colonel And The King
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Elvis And Parker In A New Light
Peter Guralnick revisits Elvis and Colonel Tom Parker through their bond rather than the usual myths. Drawing on unpublished correspondence, he builds a nuanced portrait of loyalty, ambition and decline, while showing how both men helped invent the modern superstar.
- Book Synopsis
-
Ideal for readers who:
- Read music history with as much attention to relationships as to fame.
- Are fascinated by Elvis, Colonel Tom Parker and the making of modern stardom.
- Would be drawn to archives, letters and the hidden emotional texture behind the legend.
- Prefer richly told non-fiction that complicates familiar icons.
In early 1955, Colonel Tom Parker (the manager of the number-one country music star of the day) heard that an unknown teenager from Memphis had just drawn a crowd of more than 800 people to a Texas schoolhouse and headed south to investigate.
Within a matter of days, Parker was sending out telegrams and letters to promoters and booking agents: 'We have a new boy that is absolutely going to be one of the biggest things in the business in a very short time. His name is ELVIS PRESLEY.'
The close personal bond between Elvis and the Colonel is something that has never been fully portrayed before. It was a relationship founded on mutual admiration and support.
From the outset, the Colonel defended Elvis fiercely and indefatigably against RCA executives, Elvis' own booking agents and movie moguls.
But in their final years together, the story grew darker, as the Colonel found himself unable to protect Elvis from himself - or to control growing problems of his own.
Featuring troves of previously unpublished correspondence from the Colonel's own archives, revelatory for both their insights and their emotional depth, The Colonel and the King provides a groundbreaking dual portrait of the relationship between the iconic artist and his legendary manager and a unique perspective on not one but two American originals.
A tale of the birth of the modern-day superstar (an invention almost entirely of Parker's making) by the most acclaimed music writer of his generation, it presents these two misunderstood icons as they've never been seen before: with all of their brilliance, humour and flaws on full display.
- About The Author
- Peter Guralnick is one of popular culture's greatest biographers and his 2-volume biography of Elvis is widely regarded as definitive. Visit the website for more www.peterguralnick.com, join on Facebook at www.facebook.com/peterguralnickofficial and follow on Twitter at https://twitter.com/PeterGuralnick.
- Product Details
-
- ISBN
- 9781399635295
- Format
- Hardback
- Publisher
- White Rabbit, (14 August 2025)
- Number of Pages
- 752
- Weight
- 920 grams
- Language
- English
- Dimensions
- 158 x 238 x 50 mm
- Categories: