Puffery of Elvis and His Puffer
Peter Guralnick, The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley, and the Partnership That Rocked the World (New York: Little, Brown and Company, August 1, 2025). Softcover: $38: 624pp. ISBN: 978-0-316399-44-9.
***
“…Dual portrait of the relationship between the iconic artist and his legendary manager—drawing on a wealth of the Colonel’s never-before-seen correspondence to reveal that this oft-reviled figure was in fact a confidant, friend, and architect of his client’s success. In early 1955, Colonel Tom Parker—manager of the number-one country music star of the day—heard that an unknown teenager from Memphis had just drawn a crowd of more than eight hundred people to a Texas schoolhouse, and headed south to investigate.” In my research exaggerations such as that 800 kids attended a concert tend to be faked by marketers to convince kids to attend an unknown entity. This detail is mentioned in chapter “Eight: The Beginning of It All”. The claim is that the manager’s “old pal… a DJ… named Ernest Hackworth” who went by the pseudonym “Uncle Dudley” reported that one of the kids he was promoting “had drawn more than eight hundred people to a little schoolhouse”. And apparently “two months earlier… another old colleague, Oscar Davis” had also told the Colonel about this kid, while being employed by the Colonel in promoting another singer’s tour, and had happened to see “this Presley boy in Memphis” before going “to see him perform at some little club where the kid had really gotten the audience worked up.” Since all of these guys were affiliated with the Colonel, this seems to be a purely fictional narrative designed to create a backstory of success that explains why the Colonel chose this particular “boy” over the thousands of other acts he and his team could have seen at little schoolhouse or clubs during these years. Presley was 20 in 1955… not a “boy”. Presley and his first producer at Sun Records where he made his first record a year earlier in 1954 were paying promoters, and probably paid the Colonel and his team to puff or promote him, and that’s how the Colonel would have decided to work with Elvis. Elvis was paying Sun Records to record him starting in 1953. He probably used his mother’s money for these recordings, as he argued he was making the recordings as a birthday gift to her. He then used this recording to start performing, and to book a regular gig, and had a television appearance, making him into a regional star on his own steam. The Colonel would have signed up to receive an easy percentage on money Presley had figured out how to make on his own. Since this basic element is misrepresented, this is not a trustworthy source.
“Within days, Parker was sending out telegrams and letters to promoters and booking agents: ‘We have a new boy that is absolutely going to be one of the biggest things in the business in a very short time. His name is ELVIS PRESLEY.’ Later that year, after signing with RCA, the young man sent a telegram of his own: ‘Dear Colonel, Words can never tell you how my folks and I appreciate what you did for me…. I love you like a father.’ The close personal bond between Elvis and the Colonel has never been fully portrayed before. It was a relationship founded on mutual admiration and support.” The pufferies Elvis and the Colonel wrote down were a required part of industry-relations. An artist must puff their agent as instrumental and overpay them to receive top-bookings. And the Colonel’s only job was overstating Elvis’ achievements. Thus, it is strange that these pufferies are used here as proof-of-actual-mutual-admiration. “From the outset, the Colonel defended Elvis fiercely and indefatigably against RCA executives, Elvis’s own booking agents, and movie moguls. But in their final years together, the story grew darker, as the Colonel found himself unable to protect Elvis from himself or control growing problems of his own. Featuring troves of previously unpublished correspondence, revelatory for both its insights and emotional depth,” it “provides 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 Peter Guralnick, 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, humor, and flaws on full display.”
I tried searching for what parts of this narrative have been “unpublished”, but could not find this reference. Mentions of “correspondence” occur when the author explains his own personal letters with the Colonel in the 1980s and 90s. There are many first-person reflections that are light on details about just what this musician knows about the Colonel that might be new. I do not recommend this book. It is a puffery of pop-music-selling, and not a useful historical analysis.
--Pennsylvania Literary Journal: https://anaphoraliterary.com/journals/plj/plj-excerpts/book-reviews-summer-2025/

3.5 Stars

I've read many, many books about Elvis over the decades. I vaguely remember reading this author's two volumes on Elvis Presley, "Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley" and "Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley" and finishing them- but not being wowed by them. I feel a bit guilty saying that, because they are chock full of information, yet somewhat of a dry read in its delivery. I had the same experience reading this take, which is a laser focus on the relationship of Elvis Presley and his manager "The Colonel". If you like reading in minute detail about all manner of business dealings in the entertainment industry over the decades, this is the book for you. The first slice of the book is in biography form tracking the origins of "The Colonel" - real name Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk - who was born in the Netherlands in 1909 and entered the US illegally. Upon Elvis's death, he continued to manage his legacy with father Vernon Presley's assent. This area was particularly intriguing, the way The Colonel had a pinpoint, steely focus that never wavered while conducting this business in the wake of such epic tragedy.

The second slice of the book consists of actual business letters written to Elvis, Vernon, and many others in the business realm. It is clear that The Colonel was a robust letter writer, covering exquisite business details, doused in a bit of wry humor and forthrightness. I was particularly interested in reading one about Elvis possibly starring in "A Star is Born" with Barbra Streisand- a movie I absolutely loved from the late seventies - where The Colonel hammered out financial details in a negotiation for Elvis's involvement with this movie.

While I have incredible respect for this author's gargantuan effort in presenting a full-bodied representation of this iconic manager, to me personally it was a bit dry reading as I hate reading about business details and financial numbers. I gravitate towards the more personal stories about Elvis such as with his former wife Priscilla, but she was a mere footnote in this book. As I said before, this is geared towards people who love reading about a clever business mind, how to make contracts, and market a client to the hilt.

Thank you to the publisher Little, Brown and Company who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

One of my older brothers was a big Elvis fan; I distinctly remember hearing on the radio when Presley died. I was born the same day as Elvis’ Aloha from Hawaii concert; my siblings and I would play the album from the concert and lip sync to the music. So, yes, I was always familiar of Presley’s music, and I’d heard stories over the years about Colonel Tom Parker, and most of it was bad.

This new book, The Colonel and the King, sheds light on the Colonel, who was famously guarded during his lifetime. The author was able to go over the Parker’s personal effects including Elvis’ recording contracts and merchandising deals.

The Colonel and the King is a deep dive into the cultural history of the phenomenon that was Elvis Presley and his relationship with his lifelong manager, Tom Parker. There were intricate dynamics to their relationship that most people didn’t understand but become clearer with this book.

The Colonel had a shady, mysterious past. Born in the Netherlands, he made his way to the United States and worked in a variety of entertainment fields until he came upon Elvis Presley. He believed long before others that Elvis was a once in a lifetime talent, and only he knew how to capitalize on Presley’s talent. He literally changed how the music business was conducted with his creative contracts regarding the music and merchandising for Presley.

This was a very interesting book that sheds light on the Colonel and his machinations with Presley’s career.

My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an advance copy of a man who was a power behind the throne of The King, a man who was blamed for much, hid much, and yet in the end loved what he did, and the person he gave so much.

America has a complicated history with fame. One allows the famous a lot of latitude in their actions. If something is wrong, well its the people the famous keep around, it could never be the star, it has to be that hanger-on. Elvis Aron Presley was The King, E. and many nicknames to friends, and curse words to parents and moral authorities. Elvis changed music, how it was sold, how it was presented, and who it should be marketed to. This can all be attributed to the man who saw the potential in Elvis, and did so much to make that potential come true. Colonel Tom Parker was a big man, with a gift for messing up words, an understanding of what needed to be done for his clients, and and the work ethic to get things done be it setting up lights, advertising a show, or making record breaking deals with RCA. Parker was a complicated man, a man dismissed for using Elvis, for cheating him, and even worse for lying about his past. However what comes clear after reading this book, the Colonel took his power seriously and did the best to let his man be the King he was. The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley, and the Partnership that Rocked the World by Peter Guralnick is a look at an a American original, one who who lived the American dream, made American wealth, and changed America forever.

Colonel Thomas Andrew Parker told everyone he was born in West Virginia, which wasn't really a lie, as that is where the persona, even the Avatar one could say was created. Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk the man who became the Colonel was born in the Netherlands in 1909. Andreas was a man who was never close with his family and struck out on his own at a very young age. Growing bored Andreas decided to come to America stowing away twice after being caught the first time, learning English and hitting the road. The performing life hit him when working with the circus, learning not only the performing end, but the advertising, and how to run a show. By now Andreas was calling himself Tom Parker, was married, a veteran of the military, and slowly getting into the talent business. Parker was promoting a few large country show when he began to hear stories about a kid blasting people out of their seats, causing a ruckus. Parker slowly ingrained himself with the Presley camp, becoming friends with his family, promoting bigger and bigger shows, and getting him off of Sun Records, onto RCA, which gave him one of the highest deals at the time. After a slow start Elvis Presley, soon became a phenomenon and Parker, now a Colonel through the grace of a friendly governor, was right there with him.

One of my big regrets is not reading the Peter Guralnick's biographies on Elvis, though I can see them staring at me from my shelf. I have read others by Guralnick, his Sam Phillips book is especially good. So in many ways I had a preconception of what the Colonel was to Presley. I thought the worse of him. A man who drove the love of music out of Elvis, making only money, and limiting Elvis into not wanting to travel the world, as Parker was not an American citizen. I was so wrong. This book is so illuminating about a I want to say friendship, but I will use relationship that really did change music. Parker did everything he could for Elvis, making deals that no one had thought of, setting up concerts few had thought of, and working twenty-four/seven for Presley. Parker comes across as not a money crazed music man, but as a man who loved to deal, to see what he could get, and make people he cared about happy. And a lot of money. This book was not only fascinating, it was hard to put down, due both to the writing and the subject matter. One of the best music books I have read in a while, and I have been reading a lot of music books.

Presley fans will learn a lot. Music historians will learn a lot, especially about the deals that Parker made, and how the business changed because of Parker. A really fascinating book, that makes me even feel worse about still not getting to those Elvis biographies.

The life of Elvis Presley has been covered in myriad ways. The public is, in general terms, aware of the close cadre of people that surrounded him. This book I found to be quite interesting as it digs deeper into the Colonel Parker and Elvis connection by first beginning with Parker's life and then dovetailing nicely into the collaboration with Presley. It is a much fuller representation of Elvis' career. It is also written in a way that is easy to understand yet provides much information. Finally, the historical perspective creates a sense of nostalgia for that era.