In early 1955 Colonel Tom Parker - the manager of the number-one country musician of the day -
heard that an unknown teenager from Memphis had just drawn a crowd of more than 800 people to a
Texas schoolhouse and headed south to investigate. Within days Parker was sending out
telegrams and letters to promoters and booking agents about the man who would become a global
icon and legend: Elvis Presley. The close personal bond between Elvis and the Colonel proved
impossible for outside observers to understand - not during their lifetimes and not in the
decades since. It was a long-standing deeply committed relationship founded on mutual
admiration and support. From the outset the Colonel defended Elvis fiercely and indefatigably
against RCA executives Elvis' own booking agents and movie moguls. But in their final years
together the story grew darker and the relationship strained as the Colonel found himself
unable to protect Elvis from himself - or to control growing problems of his own. Featuring
troves of never-before-seen correspondence from the Colonel's own archives revelatory both for
their insights and - particularly with respect to Elvis - their emotional depth The Colonel
and the King provides a groundbreaking dual portrait of the relationship between the iconic
artist and his legendary manager and a unique perspective on not one but two American
originals. A tale of the birth of the modern-day superstar (an invention almost entirely of
Parker's making) by the most acclaimed music writer of his generation it presents these two
misunderstood icons as they've never been seen before: with all of their brilliance humour
and flaws on full display.
