The Colonel and the King by Peter Guralnick
Revealed by: White Rabbit
Launch date: 14th August 2025
Thirty years in the past, Peter Guralnick printed what might be the definitive Elvis biography, in two volumes: Final Practice to Memphis and Careless Love. Now he has adopted these up with an equally detailed guide about Presley’s infamous supervisor, with a perspective that can shock most readers.
Point out the identify Colonel Tom Parker to most individuals with a passing curiosity in pop historical past, and they’re going to inform you precisely what they consider Elvis’s supervisor. And it received’t be fairly. However, based on Guralnick, there may be one other aspect to the story. This time, he tells it from Parker’s standpoint.
His two Elvis biographies are a compelling learn: Final Practice to Memphis on Presley’s thrillingly unstoppable rise to fame, Careless Love on his horrifyingly unstoppable descent into self-destruction. This new guide doesn’t have the identical narrative drive, however for Elvis completists, it fills out the gaps within the story with some shocking insights.
Guralnick’s analysis is predicated on an intensive assortment of letters (reproduced partially 2 of the guide) and different gadgets from the Elvis Archives, in addition to interviews with Parker’s widow and lots of pals and colleagues. Most have solely good phrases for him, expressing love, loyalty and respect.
The guide is scrupulously honest: non-judgmental when presenting the proof, clear when proof is lacking. In a prologue, Guralnick acknowledges his difficulties in coping with his topic (who gave him introductions, however no interviews) in addition to Parker’s “manifold contradictions”.
There may be, in fact, the mysterious again story. Born in Holland as Andreas van Kujik into a big, largely sad household, our protagonist was all the time making an attempt to flee. As a younger man, he ran away to America, the place the story – or tales, lots of them contradictory – will get difficult. What we do know is that he reinvented himself as American-born Tom Parker, and didn’t look again. (“Colonel” is an honorary, civic title and have become the identify everybody knew him by.)
We all know that the younger Tom Parker learnt his promotional expertise in carnivals, then went into the music enterprise. His power, creativity and a focus to element turned legendary amongst his friends: this was somebody who knew what he was doing and did it properly. For him, enterprise – and particularly, enterprise offers – was enjoyable. Typically, a part of that enjoyable was taking part in video games with the opposite social gathering (he may outwit most individuals), however by all accounts, he was by no means lower than sincere.
When he found the younger Elvis Presley, he knew he was the correct individual to assist the younger star maximise his expertise and drive. He was right. Not less than, for some time. Their relationship seems to be a real partnership, based mostly on complementary expertise, shocking private similarities, and mutual belief and love. And, in fact, it led to unprecedented and massively profitable success.
When issues begin to crumble, there may be fault on either side. Colonel has a playing behavior, exacerbated by time spent in Las Vegas after Elvis begins his legendary residencies there. Elvis has a behavior of spending cash with out considering: lots of Parker’s new money-making schemes are a response to Vernon Presley’s panicked pleas about how his son pays future tax payments.
There are errors and miscalculations, there may be profession stagnation, and there are profession triumphs. There are dangerous influences and miscommunication, and there’s a falling-out: “Elvis and Colonel fired one another within the early morning hours of September 3, 1973, simply after Elvis’ closing present in Las Vegas.” The separation doesn’t final, however the issues stay unresolved, and each males go into decline.
4 years later, Elvis is useless; Colonel outlives him by twenty years. Within the early Nineteen Eighties, he fights his sacking from the Presley Property by Lisa Marie Presley’s court-appointed authorized guardian. Over time, he rebuilds his relationship with Priscilla Presley and the Property, continues to defend himself the place he feels misunderstood, and even goes public about his Dutch nationality. In 1990, he sells the contents of his dwelling to the Property, the place it turns into a part of the Elvis Archive. Which is what made this guide attainable.
The result’s what Guralnick modestly calls “an introduction to the life and profession” of his topic. It’s a fairly hefty introduction: over 300 pages of narrative and virtually as a lot once more for the letters. The ensuing quantity replaces the acquainted caricature with a rounded image of an actual individual – one who’s as flawed and sophisticated as the person that he managed.
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The Colonel and the King is on the market in any respect good guide shops.
Phrases by Penny Kiley. You possibly can learn her Louder than Warfare critiques at her writer profile, and her archive music journalism on Substack.
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