The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley, and the Partnership That Rocked the World
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Book Overview TIME's 100 Must Read Books of 2025 Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2025 Variety's Best Music Books of 2025 Rolling Stone's Best Music B...
TIME's 100 Must Read Books of 2025 Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2025 Variety's Best Music Books of 2025 Rolling Stone's Best Music Books of 2025
"Outlandish, tension-filled and brimming with a mystery that lingers long after the last page has been turned."--The Wall Street Journal
From the award-winning biographer of Elvis Presley, a groundbreaking dual portrait of the relationship between the iconic artist and his legendary manager--drawing on a wealth of the Colonel's never-before-seen correspondence to reveal that this oft-reviled figure was in fact a confidant, friend, and architect of his client's success
In early 1955, Colonel Tom Parker--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 eight hundred people to a Texas schoolhouse, and headed south to investigate. Within 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." Later that year, after signing with RCA, the young man sent a telegram of his own: "Dear Colonel, Words can never tell you how my folks and I appreciate what you did for me.... I love you like a father."
The close personal bond between Elvis and the Colonel 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's 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 control growing problems of his own.
Featuring troves of previously unpublished correspondence, revelatory for both its insights and emotional depth, The Colonel and the King provides a unique perspective on not one but two American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 Peter Guralnick, 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, humor, and flaws on full display.
Book Details Format: Hardcover | Pages: 624 | Language: English | Publisher: LITTLE BROWN & CO | ISBN: 0316399442
FormatHardcover
Pages624
LanguageEnglish
ISBN0316399442
EAN9780316399449
PublisherLITTLE BROWN & CO
Publication Date2025-08-05
AccessoriesNo Accessory
ConditionNew
Product TypeHARD COVER BOOKS
Weight1.95 Pounds
Length9.36 Inches
Width6.36 Inches
Height1.86 Inches
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