EPISODE 34ELVIS A-Z BOOK CHAT-THE CURIOUS LIFE OF ELVIS' ECCENTRIC MANAGER-COLONEL TOM PARKER

THIS IS THE BOOK WARNER BROS. PURCHASED FOR BAZ LUHRMANN'S "ELVIS" MOVIE STARRING TOM HANKS AS 'THE COLONEL.Based on unprecedented, original research and interviews with insiders, this authoritative biography of Colonel Tom Parker (1909-1997), Elvis Presley’s lifelong manager, includes new revelations and insights into the music industry’s most notorious and mysterious manager. Investigative journalist and music writer James L. Dickerson looks at topics such as Parker’s illegal entry into the United States, his work as a carny with Royal American Shows, and his management of country singer Eddy Arnold, his partnership with Hank Snow, and how he manipulated Elvis Presley and his family to seize control of the singer’s career.“This jaw-dropping biography . . . is a model of research, assembled with crafty objectivity and humor.”—Hal Kanter, director of the Elvis film Loving YouThe book examines Parker’s greed, his indebtedness to behind-the-scenes players in Las Vegas, his gambling addiction, and his fear of deportation played a role in ruining Elvis’s career. Because Colonel Parker was always there with Elvis, gazing ominously over his shoulder, the book presents behind-the-scenes glimpses of the entertainer’s career that you will read nowhere else.“An incendiary, powerful investigative account . . . An explanation, finally, of the twisted, corrupt relationship between Elvis and Colonel Parker.”—Joe Eszterhas, screenwriter of Basic Instinct “Dickerson is tough but fair with his slippery subject . . . This is a well-presented biography of Colonel Tom Parker (1909-1997), who, through gall and cunning, created the ultimate celebrity icon. Recommended.”