Comment by Laura Mikels on February 20, 2013 at 7:17am

Should have been overjoyed that my nephew was born, however I was to upset that Elvis just died that day.  A few years later another boy was born in our family on Elvis's birthday, I thought it was some sort of sign, but it wasn't.

Comment by Galen Barnett on February 21, 2013 at 5:00pm

I got to meet Elvis when i was a kid while at the Las Vegas Hilton

Comment by Dana Vandiver on February 21, 2013 at 8:14pm

I never got to meet him or see him live, but I did play play guitar for an Elvis impersonator a few times. Does that count?

Comment by Carrie Dowling on March 14, 2013 at 7:05pm

Hi All!  If you were to pick the one definitive biography on Elvis, which one would you read?  I'm thinking about getting one, but there are so many out there!  Thanks!

Comment by Dr. DeBoze on March 15, 2013 at 12:20pm

Peter Guralnick wrote two volumes of Elvis biography that are absolutely essential reading for any Elvis fan. The King's life was so big that one book couldn't handle it.

"Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley" is the first (and the more interesting, I believe)

"Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley" is the second. Both are absolutely mandatory reading for any true Elvis fan.

There's another book, by Albert Goldman, called simply, "Elvis" that is a fun read for it's "tabloid" approach. Not as scholarly as the Guralnick books but, as I said, fun to read.

Then there is a paperback called "Elvis: What Happened?" that was written by Red West, Sonny West, and Dave Hebler in an "as told to" format to Steve Dunleavy (the notorious NY Post scandal-monger). I read this book when it first hit the stands a few months before Elvis' death. Many people believe that it led to Elvis' death in that it was a devastating portrait "behind the scenes" and the revelations put forth in the book were an attempt by these very close friends of the King to slap him in the face and force him to confront his completely out-of-control drug addictions. We'll never know how much of an effect the book had on Elvis but it's easy to speculate how much of a devastating blow it must have been for him to realize that his tightly controlled "Public Image" was forever damaged and soiled by the stories that these close friends told. The book may be hard to find but I highly, highly recommend searching it out. I distinctly remember being shocked by what we all know now to be Elvis' sad,sad existence during the final years of his life.

Long Live The King!!!

 

Comment by Carrie Dowling on March 16, 2013 at 1:49pm

Hi Dr. DeBoze!  I read "Elvis What Happened?"  too. I was looking for a more scholarly book, so thank you for suggesting the others.  On to Amazon.com to order!

Comment by Dana Vandiver on March 18, 2013 at 8:06pm

I second what Dr. D said -- both Guralnick books are essential reading.

I also have one in my Elvis Library called "The Elvis Encyclopedia: The Complete and Definitive Reference Book on the King of Rock & Roll" by David E. Stanley (Elvis' stepbrother) with Frank Coffey. It's a fun book, with lots of day-to-day entries, almost like a diary.

Comment