Elvis: Still Taking Care of Business

Author: Sonny West
Publisher: Triumph Books (IL)
ISBN: 9781600781490
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Elvis: Still Taking Care of Business is arguably the most authentic, no-holds-barred depiction of the greatest entertainer who ever lived. This is the book that the estate doesn't want you to read--it's a balanced, respectful, and insightful look by a true Presley insider and carter member of the infamous Memphis Mafia. Sonny West, Presley's close friend and bodyguard for nearly two decades, provides a firsthand account of the King's lavish spending sprees and many charitable acts, as well as the many affairs Presley conducted with his costars. Among all of Elvis Presley's close associates, no one tells stories that are more entertaining than Sonny West--he can mesmerize audiences for hours with his Elvis tidbits.

When Elvis Died

Author: Neal Gregory
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780886876630
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 324

Book Description
Now available in trade paperback for the first time, and published to coincide with the 15th anniversary of his death, a thoroughly researched and thought-provoking look at the death of Elvis, the media's reaction, and the unexpected hysteria and hoopla that followed. "Finally, a good book on the death of Elvis Presley".--Greil Marcus, Rolling Stone.

Elvis: My Best Man

Author: George Klein
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0307452751
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 322

Book Description
The touching story of thirty years of friendship between George Klein and the King that “offers an insider’s view of Presley the man as opposed to Presley the singer, actor, and icon” (Associated Press). “You capture the essence of Elvis not only in dialogue, but also in giving the reader a sense of his personality, humor, and his spirit of play.”—Priscilla Presley When George Klein was an eighth grader at Humes High, he couldn’t have known how important the new kid with the guitar—the boy named Elvis—would later become in his life. But from the first time GK (as he was nicknamed by Elvis) heard this kid sing, he knew that Elvis Presley was someone extraordinary. During Elvis’s rise to fame and throughout the wild swirl of his remarkable life, Klein was a steady presence and one of Elvis’s closest and most loyal friends until his untimely death in 1977. In Elvis: My Best Man, a heartfelt, entertaining, and long-awaited contribution to our understanding of Elvis Presley and the early days of rock ’n’ roll, George Klein writes with great affection for the friend he knew about who the King of Rock ’n’ Roll really was and how he acted when the stage lights were off. This fascinating chronicle of boundary-breaking and music-making through one of the most intriguing and dynamic stretches of American history overflows with insights and anecdotes from someone who was in the middle of it all. From the good times at Graceland to hanging out with Hollywood stars to butting heads with Elvis’s iron-handed manager, Colonel Tom Parker, to making sure that Elvis’s legacy is fittingly honored, GK was a true friend of the King and a trailblazer in the music industry in his own right.

Careless Love

Author: Peter Guralnick
Publisher: Little, Brown
ISBN: 0316206725
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 677

Book Description
Hailed as "a masterwork" by the Wall Street Journal, Careless Loveis the full, true, and mesmerizing story of Elvis Presley's last two decades, in the long-awaited second volume of Peter Guralnick's masterful two-part biography. Winner of the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award Last Train to Memphis, the first part of Guralnick's two-volume life of Elvis Presley, was acclaimed by the New York Times as "a triumph of biographical art." This concluding volume recounts the second half of Elvis' life in rich and previously unimagined detail, and confirms Guralnick's status as one of the great biographers of our time. Beginning with Presley's army service in Germany in 1958 and ending with his death in Memphis in 1977, Careless Love chronicles the unravelling of the dream that once shone so brightly, homing in on the complex playing-out of Elvis' relationship with his Machiavellian manager, Colonel Tom Parker. It's a breathtaking revelatory drama that for the first time places the events of a too-often mistold tale in a fresh, believable, and understandable context. Elvis' changes during these years form a tragic mystery that Careless Love unlocks for the first time. This is the quintessential American story, encompassing elements of race, class, wealth, sex, music, religion, and personal transformation. Written with grace, sensitivity, and passion, Careless Love is a unique contribution to our understanding of American popular culture and the nature of success, giving us true insight at last into one of the most misunderstood public figures of our times.

If I Can Dream

Author: Larry Geller
Publisher: Avon Books
ISBN: 9780380710423
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 346

Book Description
A long-time confidante of Elvis Presley reveals intimate details of the legendary performer's dreams and disillusionments, showing his disintegration due to drugs and the harm he inflicted on himself

Leaves of Elvis' Garden

Author: Larry Geller
Publisher: Bell Rock Publishing
ISBN: 9780976435006
Category : First philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Here is the mesmerizing story of Elvis Presley's deepest beliefs. Beautifully written by his close confidant, this work contains photographs, quotes, and passages from Elvis' favorite spiritual masters, including Paramahansa Yogananda, Krishamurti, Kahlil Gibran, Rumi, and others.

Elvis: Still Taking Care of Business

Author: Sonny West
Publisher: Triumph Books (IL)
ISBN: 9781572439399
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 384

Book Description
West, Presley's close friend and bodyguard for nearly two decades, provides several stories and anecdotes that are in print for the first time and includes many never-before-seen photos from his personal collection.

Me and a Guy Named Elvis

Author: Jerry Schilling
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9781592402311
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 396

Book Description
"On a lazy summer Sunday in Memphis in 1954, twelve-year-old Jerry Schilling wandered into a pickup football game in a local park, little realizing that his life was about to change forever. The quarterback that day was a charismatic seventeen-year-old whose first recording, "That's All Right", had debuted earlier that week and was burning up the local airwaves - Elvis Presley." "Elvis and Jerry would strike up a friendship that would grow over the many weekly football games that followed, even as Elvis became the world's biggest star. Jerry soon became a regular at Elvis's raucous all-night parties at Graceland, and after he graduated from college in 1964, Elvis asked him to join his "Memphis Mafia" entourage in Hollywood. Over the next thirteen years Jerry would work for Elvis in various capacities - from bodyguard to photo double to personal trainer to co-executive producer on a karate film. But more than anything else he was Elvis's close friend and confident. Jerry had rooms in Elvis's Bel Air mansion and at Graceland, and became the envoy between Elvis and Colonel Parker when Elvis was performing in Las Vegas. Elvis trusted Jerry with protecting his life when he received death threats, he had Jerry drive him and Priscilla to the hospital the day Lisa Marie was born, and he asked Jerry to accompany him on his famous "lost weekend" trip to meet President Nixon at the White House." "Me and a Guy Named Elvis looks at Elvis from the unique perspective of a close friend, presenting the man rather than the icon. The Elvis Presley Jerry Schilling knew was fiercely intelligent and passionate about his art, a loving and generous man at home with his family and friends, and a fiery and determined spiritual seeker who became a master of martial arts and a self-taught student of philosophy. Jerry reveals Elvis as a relentless prankster and fun-loving man who never truly grew up. He does not shy away from the darker side of Elvis's life, and offers an account of the career frustrations that led to Elvis's abuse of prescription medications that precipitated his early, tragic death."--BOOK JACKET.

Once Upon a Time

Author: Jonnita Brewer Barrett
Publisher: Brewbar Publishing
ISBN: 9780985805609
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 236

Book Description
Singer Anita Wood was Elvis' steady girlfriend from 1957-1962. This heartfelt memoir by Anita's daughter covers many key moments Elvis and Anita shared together, plus traces Anita's journey in show business.

Good Rockin' Tonight

Author: Joe Esposito
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 9781501158728
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
After nearly two decades as Elvis Presley’s right-hand-man, Joe Esposito gives readers an honest and vivid memoir filled with stories and answers as he recalls the wondrous and exciting life of the King. Joe Esposito first met Elvis Presley in the Army in Germany where they would play football together and travel to Paris for the Holidays. When their days as soldiers were done and Presley moved on to a life on the road and a star in Hollywood, he brought Esposito with him as his road manager. For the first time, Elvis’s closest confidant, best friend, and the unofficial don of the infamous Memphis Mafia is pulling the curtain back on his time with Elvis in order to set the record straight and tell readers what life with the King was really like. This fond and honest memoir shares the good and the bad of life on the road with Elvis, from the concerts to the parties and all the women in between. Complete with sixteen pages of rare photographs, Good Rockin’ Tonight answers the unanswered questions about the life of Elvis Presley, from his long years in Hollywood to his tragic descent into drugs and all of the relationships he made along the way.