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.

Me and a Guy Named Elvis

Author: Jerry Schilling
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1592403050
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 381

Book Description
On a lazy Sunday in 1954, twelve-year-old Jerry Schilling wandered into a Memphis touch football game, only to discover that his team was quarterbacked by a nineteen-year-old Elvis Presley, the local teenager whose first record, "That’s All Right," had just debuted on Memphis radio. The two became fast friends, even as Elvis turned into the world’s biggest star. In 1964, Elvis invited Jerry to work for him as part of his "Memphis Mafia," and Jerry soon found himself living with Elvis full-time in a Bel Air mansion and, later, in his own room at Graceland. Over the next thirteen years Jerry would work for Elvis in various capacities — from bodyguard to photo double to co-executive producer on a karate film. But more than anything else he was Elvis’s close friend and confidant: Elvis trusted Jerry with protecting his life when he received death threats, he asked Jerry to drive him and Priscilla to the hospital the day Lisa Marie was born and to accompany him during the famous "lost weekend" when he traveled to meet President Nixon at the White House. Me and a Guy Named Elvis looks at Presley from a friend’s perspective, offering readers the man rather than the icon — including insights into the creative frustrations that lead to Elvis’s abuse of prescription medicine and his tragic death. Jerry offers never-before-told stories about life inside Elvis’s inner circle and an emotional recounting of the great times, hard times, and unique times he and Elvis shared. These vivid memories will be priceless to Elvis’s millions of fans, and the compelling story will fascinate an even wider audience.

Elvis

Author: George Klein
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0753539500
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 332

Book Description
In this gorgeously illustrated book, Japanese ikebana expert Yuji Ueno shares his novel ideas on how to create simple yet elegant arrangements from readily available flowers, branches, vines, grasses and twigs. He artfully combines these in simple vases and quirky recycled containers to suit the occasion and mood. All the containers and plant materials are easily obtained, and readers are encouraged to use whatever is around them rather than going out to buy exotic or expensive items.

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.

Elvis and Ginger

Author: Ginger Alden
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0425266346
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 401

Book Description
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Elvis Presley’s fiancée and last love tells her story and sets the record straight in this deeply personal memoir that reveals what really happened in the final years of the King of Rock n' Roll. Elvis Presley and Graceland were fixtures in Ginger Alden’s life; after all, she was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. But she had no idea that she would play a part in that enduring legacy. For more than three decades Ginger has held the truth of their relationship close to her heart. Now she shares her unique story… In her own words, Ginger details their whirlwind romance—from first kiss to his stunning proposal of marriage. And for the very first time, she talks about the devastating end of it all and the fifty thousand mourners and reporters who descended on Graceland in 1977, exposing Ginger to the reality of living in the spotlight of a short yet immortal life. Above it all, Ginger rescues Elvis from the hearsay, rumors, and tabloid speculations of his final year by shedding a frank yet personal light on a very public legend. From a unique and intimate perspective, she reveals the man—complicated, romantic, fallible, and human—behind the myth, a superstar worshipped by millions and loved by Ginger Alden. INCLUDES PHOTOS

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.

Elvis

Author: Jerry Osborne
Publisher: Gramercy
ISBN: 9780517227954
Category : Rock musicians
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
"Maybe someday I will write a book..." – Elvis Presley In his lifetime, Elvis never did get the chance to pen his story—but he told it through his hundreds of interviews and letters to friends, family, and fans. this book consists of the words Elvis himself spoke and wrote, from his early career through his rise to superstardom, accompanied by rare and previously unseen photographs.

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

Elvis Presley

Author: Connie Plantz
Publisher: Enslow Publishing
ISBN: 9780766021037
Category : Rock musicians
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
The King still rules! Blending blues and country, gospel and pop, Elvis Presley sang and gyrated his way into superstardom. In this vivid, fast-flowing portrait, readers will meet the shy teen behind the sassy performer, the celebrity who sparked swoons around the world, the overworked actor and his fatal dance with prescription drugs. More than twenty-five years after Elvis's death, people of all ages still delight in his music. Author Connie Plantz introduces new fans to the man behind the Elvis mystique. Book jacket.

Last Train To Memphis

Author: Peter Guralnick
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 0349144451
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 751

Book Description
Written with grace, humour, and affection, Last Train to Memphis has been hailed as the definitive biography of Elvis Presley 'Elvis steps from the pages. You can feel him breathe' BOB DYLAN 'Wonderful' RODDY DOYLE 'Soars above all other accounts of Elvis' Guardian 'A triumph of biographical art... profound and moving' New York Times Last Train to Memphis is arguably the first serious biography that refuses to dwell on the myth of Elvis. Aiming instead to portray in vivid, dramatic terms the life and career of this outstanding artistic and cultural phenomenon, it draws together a plethora of documentary and interview material to create a superbly coherent and plausible narrative. The first of two volumes, covering Presley's rise to prominence up to his departure for Germany in 1958, Last Train to Memphis is undoubtedly the benchmark by which other biographies of him are judged.