Elvis and the Colonel

Fülszöveg

DIRK VELLENGA
WITH MICK FARREN
Who was "the man behind Elvis"?
Who was the man who took a soft-spoken Tennessee teenager and made him one of the biggest stars of the twendeth century? The man who controlled Elvis's life so completely that he chose the date, site, and guest list for Elvis and Priscilla's wedding?
He called himself Colonel Tom Parker and claimed to be a West Virginia native, but few know that he was born Andreas van Kuijk in Breda, Holland. Few know because Parker kept his real identity a closely held secret. As investigative reporter Dirk Vellenga uncovers in this shocking look into the life of the man who managed Elvis, van Kuijk was an enigmatic, unscrupulous character, a brilliant promoter and less-than-brilliant manager who was responsible for a series of poor career decisions that may well have stifled and underutilized one of rock 'n' roll's greatest talents.
As Vellenga's research uncovers, van Kuijk at the age of nineteen slipped into the U.S.... Tovább

Fülszöveg

DIRK VELLENGA
WITH MICK FARREN
Who was "the man behind Elvis"?
Who was the man who took a soft-spoken Tennessee teenager and made him one of the biggest stars of the twendeth century? The man who controlled Elvis's life so completely that he chose the date, site, and guest list for Elvis and Priscilla's wedding?
He called himself Colonel Tom Parker and claimed to be a West Virginia native, but few know that he was born Andreas van Kuijk in Breda, Holland. Few know because Parker kept his real identity a closely held secret. As investigative reporter Dirk Vellenga uncovers in this shocking look into the life of the man who managed Elvis, van Kuijk was an enigmatic, unscrupulous character, a brilliant promoter and less-than-brilliant manager who was responsible for a series of poor career decisions that may well have stifled and underutilized one of rock 'n' roll's greatest talents.
As Vellenga's research uncovers, van Kuijk at the age of nineteen slipped into the U.S. illegally, had a short career in the army, and then joined a Southern carnival as a promoter and "advance man." After drifung about in a series of jobs—including dogcatcher for a small Florida city— Parker became a promoter for such country music acts as singers Eddy Arnold and {continued on back flap)
(continuedfrom front flap)
Hank Snow. A tip from an associate led the Colonel to hear Elvis perform in 1955, and he was soon—after ruthlessly cutting out Elvis's then-manager and Parker's own partner—the sole manager of Elvis Presley until Presley's death.
It was the Colonel's decision to transform the hip-gyrating, rock 'n' roll Elvis of the fifties into the mainstream B-grade movie actor of the sixties and the glitzy, white-suited Vegas attraction of the seventies. It was the Colonel who controlled Elvis's professional life so completely that he was able to make deal after deal that served his own personal and financial ends over Elvis's without fear of discovery. Only after Elvis's death did the Colonel's financial abuses and misdeeds finally come to light. Only then was it possible for Elvis's ex-wife, Priscilla, and daughter, Lisa, to loosen the Colonel's twenty-year hold over "the king of rock 'n' roll."
Including never-before-published photos, a discography, and a comprehensive listing of Elvis's live appearances, Elvis and the Colonel provides the latest look into the intriguing story behind the spectacular rise and tragic decline of Elvis Presley.
Dirk Vellenga, a native of Holland, works as a journalist in the city of Breda, Holland, specializing in rock music, television, film, and literature. It was through his investigations that the full story of Colonel Tom Parker's Dutch origins first came to light.
Mick Farren is a freelance journalist who writes extensively in the field of rock and contemporary music. He lives in New York City.
Jacket design copyright © by Mike Stroniberg Cover photo: Pictorial Press/Star File.
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