The Colonel and the King

“In the history of rock ’n’ roll, there may be no behind-the-scenes figure more vilified and less understood than Colonel Tom Parker….If anyone could challenge that view, or at least put the story of Parker, who died in 1997, into proper context, it is the music historian Peter Guralnick.…In music circles, a new entry in Guralnick’s Presley chronicles is practically the equivalent of an update to Robert Caro’s series on Lyndon Johnson.”—New York Times

“The enigmatic, Svengali Colonel Tom Parker left behind countless mysteries and unanswered questions after his death in 1997. If there’s one writer uniquely poised to unpack those mysteries and questions, it’s Grammy-winning music writer Peter Guralnick, whose biographies of Presley, Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love, are universally regarded as the definitive biographies of the King.”—Variety

"With The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley, and the Partnership that Rocked the World, veteran pop-music scholar Peter Guralnick, Elvis’ most ardent and compassionate biographer, makes the case that Parker was hardly the monster he’s commonly been made out to be...Guralnick shows us that loving Elvis also means loving Parker, no matter how grudgingly. They walked together, as far as they could. It means something that we’re still hearing the footsteps.”—Time Magazine

"The story of an immigrant scrapper who became a kingmaker with his unerring instinct for the main chance....The Colonel and the King debunks some of the most stubborn myths about Parker."—Los Angeles Times

“Peter Guralnick shows a Parker far more complex and creative than commonly understood….A revisionist view of Parker from someone else might make readers shake their heads. From Guralnick, it promises to open their eyes.”—Boston Globe

"Guralnick’s two-volume biography of Presley — Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love — is an indispensable modern classic. The focus in [The Colonel and the King] is on Parker’s side of the relationship, a story that has rarely been told. And when it has been, the tellers have tended to cast Parker as the villain in Presley’s story — a Machiavellian figure always pushing Elvis further from his gifts. The Colonel and The King is a tirelessly researched counterargument.”—Washington Post

“[A] nuanced portrait of a highly moral operator…Parker died in 1997 and took some of his secrets with him to the grave, but Guralnick’s book offers the most rounded, complex and myth-dispelling understanding of him we are ever likely to get.”—The Guardian

“What if we got it wrong about Colonel Tom Parker? That’s the provocative question raised by music historian Peter Guralnick’s latest book, The Colonel and the King. In keeping with the characteristic level of detail that the faithful have come to expect from Guralnick's previous Presley biographies, nearly half the book is turned over to Parker’s illuminating letters.”—USA Today

“A grandmaster of American letters…Peter Guralnick remains unique among his generation of music writers…The character he reveals is far more complex, and more sympathetic, than the Machiavellian plotter of matinee biopics.”—Irish Times

“Meticulously detailed, impeccably researched… Guralnick uses every brush in the studio to paint a complex, understanding, portrait of a man who—love him or hate him—helped change American pop history… A beautifully explosive mix: part David McCullough-style biography, with meticulously researched detail, and part Gregory Maguire’s Wicked—a reimagining that gives the so-called villain her own voice.”—Boston.com

“A surprisingly human portrait of the man behind the brash showman’s façade…Guralnick has delivered a beautifully written and broadly sympathetic portrait of a complex, secretive individual whose loyalty to his sole charge was absolute, and who established the template for many an aspiring rock manager to follow.”—MOJO

“An intriguing perspective on the music business when rock was first making its mark, and a special treat for Presley fans. A fascinating look at a truly unique personality and his direction of Elvis’ career.”—Kirkus Reviews

"A much-needed, myth-busting biography of Colonel Tom Parker (1909–97), Elvis’s longtime manager...Guralnick offers a compelling narrative for anyone interested in rock-and-roll. He dispels the image of Parker as a money-hungry leech by convincingly casting him as a hard-working, honest manager who cared deeply for his client."—Library Journal

“The Colonel and the King is a fascinating scroll through the letters and the mind of Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker…you are in good hands when Guralnick writes about Presley. There is no one better versed on the topic. It’s one heck of a story.”—Chattanooga Times Free Press

“Guralnick’s two-volume biography of Presley…is an indispensable modern classic. The focus in the new book is on Parker’s side of the relationship, a story that has rarely been told. And when it has been, the tellers have tended to cast Parker as the villain in Presley’s story — a Machiavellian figure always pushing Elvis further from his gifts. The Colonel and The King is a tirelessly researched counterargument.”—The Washington Post

“There’s probably only one person alive who could tease out the complicated truth…Guralnick’s view of Parker is both clear-eyed and sympathetic, but best of all, it’s persuasive. You come away thinking differently about a person you thought you’d already nailed down. And isn’t that what a biographer is for?”—TIME

“The King of Rock and Roll and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, were an undeniable force. Together, they conquered the entertainment world with determination, talent, and a mutual respect for each other’s strengths. The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley, and the Partnership That Rocked the World by Peter Guralnick delves into their complicated relationship."—Parade.com

“Illuminating…captivating…a thorough work of demystification.”—The Globe and Mail