Elvis and the Colonel [FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING]

Vellenga, Dirk; Farren, Mick

Verlag: Delacorte Press, New York, 1988

Beschreibung

Fine unread condition black boards, silver gray cloth spine, and gold spine lettering contained in an as new condition non price-clipped color photographic dust jacket. Includes Author Dedication; Preliminary Page Old Colonial Wisdom Quote; Acknowledgments; Elvis and the Colonel - The Nuts and Bolts; and Index. Illustrated with a section of black-and-white photographic plates. A previous owner small stamped name and address is contained twice on the blank first free front endpaper, three times on the half title page, twice on the title page, three times on the blank rear endpaper, and once on the last Index page. All pages are otherwise in as new condition and the spine/binding is in exceedingly tight and square unread condition (see photographs). "Revealed for the first time - the true and shocking story of the man behind the king." - from the jacket front. "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 twentieth 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 drifting 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 Hank Snow. A tip from a nassociate led the Colonel to hear Elvis perfrom 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 Ellvis'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." - from the inner front and rear jacket flaps. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 008177

Bibliografische Details

Titel: Elvis and the Colonel [FIRST EDITION, FIRST ...

Verlag: Delacorte Press, New York

Erscheinungsdatum: 1988

Einband: Hardcover

Illustrator: Stromberg, Mike (jacket design)

Zustand: Fine

Zustand des Schutzumschlags: As New

Auflage: 1st Edition