As the third volume in Peter Guralnick’s triptych covering the life and times of Elvis Presley, THE COLONEL AND THE KING arrives bearing weighty expectations. His previous bios about Elvis, LAST TRAIN TO MEMPHIS and CARELESS LOVE, were award-winning tomes that were hailed by music historians and top-shelf review media alike --- in droves.

But unlike those earlier bestsellers, center stage in this latest installment is occupied not by the King himself, but rather by his formidable manager --- the self-knighted “Colonel” Tom Parker, who joined forces with Elvis in 1955, when Elvis was still only a regional attraction in the South. Parker would stay with Elvis for the remainder of his storied career, right up until the tragic day that Elvis died, and kept representing many of the interests of the Presley estate for years afterward.

THE COLONEL AND THE KING also deviates from the first two books in having an unusual structure. The first half is a conventional biography covering Colonel’s (we are told that he eschewed the “The” deliberately) highly colorful and vastly mysterious early life as a highly illegal teenage immigrant from Holland who finally reached America as a stowaway in the late 1920s after an earlier failed attempt.

All of the key notes are covered in Guralnick’s trademark meticulous fashion, including Tom Parker’s (his nom de plume upon arriving in the US) years as a promoter for circuses and carnivals throughout the South; his entrance into the armed services, where he was stationed in Hawaii; and his fateful entry into the country music business, where he soon began a 10-year run as the manager of Eddy Arnold, one of the major stars of early C&W in the ’40s and ’50s, followed by his star-building term with the charismatic Hank Snow.

"A lifelong Elvis fan...at first I did not think that I would have the interest to read 600 pages about the life and business dealings of Colonel Tom Parker. But Peter Guralnick proved me wrong, a hundred times over. I am very glad to have learned that lesson."

Then, in 1955, came the dawning of Parker's courtship of Elvis Presley, who was a raw 20-year-old from Memphis with charisma to burn and the frantic local crowds to prove it. It was a relationship that would run deep and true for the next 20 years, though the last several hit some serious shoals and frequently seemed on the verge of foundering. 

But the even more interesting second half of the book consists entirely of correspondence from Parker’s vast archive of his decades of negotiations on behalf of Elvis --- with RCA record executives, concert promoters, television and film moguls, record distributors, Las Vegas hotel management, and everyone else who ever had the ability to employ or market the King’s artistry. Guralnick reveals that he was given unfettered access to this enormous archive by the Presley estate. So all thanks to them for making this probing study possible. 

In a rather surprising note, Guralnick reveals that during the ’80s, he even suggested to Parker --- with whom he often corresponded --- that Parker should avail himself of this treasure trove to produce his own book. Obviously that project never came to pass, but it must be said that Guralnick’s commentary on each letter and telegram that is presented herein are invaluable for providing full context and analysis --- a task that the aged Colonel would not have been able to perform at this level (or, most likely, at all).

In any event, there are high points to this formidable ocean of collected correspondence, as well as a few downsides. 

With literally thousands of missives from which to select for this volume, Guralnick presents many gems. Some that are especially striking are Colonel Parker’s endless renegotiations with the execs at RCA, who acquired Elvis from Sam Phillips’ Sun Records late in 1955 for what then was the lofty sum of $35,000 (which, in the hindsight of 70 years, now seems laughable).

The way that Colonel constantly prevailed over that mighty corporation provides more than a few laughs, along with profound admiration. He even managed to hypnotize RCA into giving Elvis a guaranteed advance and royalty raise in the midst of a 40% sales decline over the past few years. Abracadabra!

In fact, one of the most surprising elements revealed in this correspondence is how utterly checked out Elvis was on both his recording and filmmaking work for a period of almost two-and-a-half years during the mid-’60s while he immersed himself in his spiritual studies. This doubtless led to a negative effect on his artistic output in every realm --- and the public noticed.

Just as impressive was Colonel’s more delicate manipulations of the film executives at the major studios who contracted to make Elvis’ first four films, prior to him leaving for the Army at the end of 1957. Playing them off against each other, he managed to extract ever more favorable terms for his client, who by now was one of the premier attractions in all of show business. 

While Elvis’ years in the armed services were not necessarily filled with drama, we are provided with so many fascinating details of how Colonel kept alive the Elvis industry --- and even grew it in his absence! --- while laying plans for his 1960 return to action. Of particular interest to me were the dozens of letters involving negotiations for Elvis’ big comeback special on NBC in 1968, an artistic triumph that launched the King into the third vastly successful phase of his career just when he had appeared to be washed up. 

Just as revelatory are the exchanges between Parker and both Elvis and his father, Vernon, that enumerate the many ways in which Elvis was recklessly spending more than he was earning, which led to at least one frightening exchange with the IRS. 

The drawback to the second half of THE COLONEL AND THE KING is that nearly a quarter of the privileged communiques involve minutiae that doesn’t really pay off. It sometimes seems that every single licensing agreement and contract renegotiation for a period of over 20 years is represented here. While the vast majority of these letters are informative and, in many cases, even revelatory, there is some amount of dross that eventually weighs even the most voracious reader. Without enumerating any of them here, several dozen exchanges could have been given a haircut without any loss to history. 

It also must be said that Colonel’s personal life does not exactly reach the level of The Agony and the Ecstasy. Of course, it has to be represented here, maybe just not as fully. The man was a business genius, but in living his life, there was little on his mind except benefiting Elvis further. 

That said, THE COLONEL AND THE KING is a wonderful example of the author’s narrative skill and research wizardry. A lifelong Elvis fan (I was a child of the ’50s), at first I did not think that I would have the interest to read 600 pages about the life and business dealings of Colonel Tom Parker. But Peter Guralnick proved me wrong, a hundred times over. I am very glad to have learned that lesson.