Elvis: By Those Who Knew Him Best

by RoseClayton (Author), Dick Heard (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2003

  $3.47

  Elvis died on 16 August 1977. He was just 42 years of age and had been the first global superstar of the rock'n'roll era: the King. An eager world followed his every appearance, flocked to his movies and bought his records in the millions. But what was he like as a colleague, as a friend, as a brother, as a lover? Imagine Elvis's relatives, friends, musical colleagues and business associates gathering to remember him and swap stories about him. In this close-up and intimate oral biography, that's just what nearly one hundred and fifty of them do, many of them speaking for the first time.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2002

  $3.47

  Imagine Elvis's relatives, friends, musical colleagues and business associates - many speaking up for the first time gathering to remember him and swap stories about him. In this close-up and intimate oral biography, that's just what nearly 150 of them do. Dick Heard and Elvis's friend Rose Clayton convey an insider's knowledge of the main protagonists in Elvis's story, a presence at major events in his life and shared experience of his immediate environment. Early bandmates recall Elvis's days of $50 gigs, while musicians like Faron Young and Johnny Cash reveal how tough it was just a year later to follow him on stage at the Louisiana Hayride. Girlfriends share cherished memories of moments alone with him; and his closest friends take us inside the gates of Graceland. We watch Elvis battling stage fright at the Ed Sullivan show, learn of his loneliness as an Army recruit and witness his heart-breaking grief when his adored mother died. Each chapter begins with an introduction that provides a backdrop for the colourful stories that follow. These personal accounts, highlighted by photographs, paint a unique portrait of the modest, courteous country boy turned superstar entertainer, who even today, 17 years after his death, remains the King to countless fans.