For decades, Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager, has been vilified as a money-grabbing huckster. But a new biography, The Colonel and the King, by Peter Guralnick, presents compelling evidence that Parker was actually devoted to the star.
Born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk in the Netherlands in 1909, Parker came to America illegally in the 1920s and rewrote his own history, claiming he was born in West Virginia. He worked carnivals before managing musical acts, and his Damascene moment came when he saw Presley on the Louisiana Hayride in 1955, understanding instantly he would be a new type of star.
Parker officially took over Presley's management in March 1956 and represented a new breed of manager who prized art over commerce. He rarely offered advice on staging or song choices, believing Presley was his own sole creative arbitrator. 'Elvis was his artist. He embraced the music because he embraced the artist,' Guralnick said.
Guralnick, who had total access to Parker's tens of thousands of letters, memos and telegrams, said Parker was 'brilliant and funny' and 'always five steps ahead'. He worked 16-18 hours a day, seven days a week, for Elvis. His devotion was total.
The negative view of Parker developed after Presley's death in 1977. Guralnick's biography aims to give Parker 'his rightful place in history', neither excusing nor condemning him.
