Elvis Presley Colonel Tom Parker: Das verrückte Leben des exzentrischen Managers von Elvis Presley

(Hannibal) German, 320 pages, some b/w illustrations.

Power, greed and rock'n'roll: the life of the legendary Elvis manager Who knows if the world would ever have heard of Elvis Presley if it hadn't been for him: Colonel Tom Parker, one of the most unscrupulous and secretive managers ever in the rock business. He made Elvis a star, exploited his protégé mercilessly at the same time and finally endangered his own work through his gambling addiction and his half-shady business contacts. Elvis' career is unthinkable without him - which is why Warner Bros. decided to use James L. Dickerson's biography as the basis for Baz Luhrmann's feature film Elvis, in which Parker is embodied by Tom Hanks.

Parker was a colourful figure even as a young man. Born in the Netherlands in 1909, he immigrated to the USA illegally in 1929 and feared deportation for the rest of his life. In the years that followed, he learned the entertainment trade as a helper with the travelling theatres that toured the American provinces with their curiosity programme. From 1938 onwards, he managed singers and musicians until he achieved his bravura feat in 1955: he discovered the young Elvis Presley and was able to convince his naïve protégé and his family to leave all decisions about his career to him. James L. Dickerson did extensive research for his biography and is quite harsh with Parker, but always remains fair.

Colonel Tom Parker paints a captivating portrait of a ruthless man of power who used his manipulative genius to open up new avenues in marketing artists and was the first to make a brand out of his star. Because Parker was always at Elvis' side and controlled his every move, this book also reveals many new details about the life of Elvis Presley - a must for fans of the 'King' who want to see their star from a new perspective.