Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.37 (743 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0316332259 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 576 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-08-19 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Thomas Labe said And he blindly let Tom Parker steer him (fueled only by Parker's greed) through so many bad career decisions. I've always been fascinated by Elvis. How he went from cutting lawns and truck driving to a teenage idol (all thanks to Colonel Tom Parker). He epitomized something very new in the 1950s - that a star is not born, a star is made through the media/publicity complex. And he blindly let Tom Parker steer him (fueled only by Parker's greed) through so many bad career decisions, from all the B movies to the tacky Las Vegas shows. And like so many others (Michael Jackson, for example) Elvis died in a hailstorm of drugs prescribed by his own personal physician. Guralnick's book is the most t. A detailed, deep and revealing portrait Barry Sparks Author Peter Guralnick says he wrote "Last Train to Memphis" because he "wanted to rescue Elvis Presley from the dreary bondage of myth." In this nearly 500-page book, the first of two volumes, Guralnick provides a detailed, deep and revealing portrait of Elvis, one of the greatest entertainers of all-time.This first volume goes from Elvis' childhood to September 1958, when his mother Gladys dies. He had been drafted into the Army seven months earlier.Elvis grew up being different, lonely and with no real friends. He was shy, quiet, sensitive and easily embarrassed. Kids often made f. melina zora said Unvelling Elvis. Musical innovation is full of danger to the state, for when modes of music change, the laws of the state always change with them. (Plato, The Republic)I only caught something of the aftermath of Elvis' music as I was a child in the seventies, but recently I became intrigued with people like Elvis, Johnny Cash, and the Beatles who rose from poverty and obscurity to unfathomable stardom. What were the circumstances at the time that sprouted such abundance of talent, innovation and catalytic changes in music? I decided to begin by exploring the ascent of the King. Peter Guralnick' portr
. There's no mention of sequins, drugs, or peanut butter in this understated biography of the teenaged Elvis, a serious and worthy attempt to answer the question, "Who was this guy before he was an icon, the voice of a generation, the King?" The essential clarity and honesty of Guralnick's prose clearly limns the eager, malleable boy whose immense talent changed the course of American music
Written with grace, humor, and affection, Last Train to Memphis has been hailed as the definitive biography of Elvis Presley. There was scarcely a cloud in sight through this period until, in 1958, he was drafted into the army and his mother died shortly thereafter. It shows us the loneliness, the trustfulness, the voracious appetite for experience, and above all the unshakable, almost mystical faith that Elvis had in himself and his music. Based on hundreds of interviews and nearly a decade of research, it traces the evolution not just of the man but of the music and of the culture he left utterly transformed, creating a completely fresh portrait of Elvis and his world.This volume tracks the first twenty-four years of Elvis' life, covering his childhood, the stunning first recordings at Sun Records ("That's All Right," "Mystery Train"), and the early RCA hits ("Heartbreak Hotel," "Hound Dog," "Don't Be Cruel"). The book closes on that somber and poignant note.Last Train to Memphis takes us deep inside Elvis' life, exploring his lifelong passion for music of every sort (from blue