‘The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley, and the Partnership That Rocked the Word,’ Peter Guralnick

In nearly every telling of the Elvis Presley story, Colonel Tom Parker is the villain who controlled his life and career, denied him crucial opportunities, forced him into bad movies, and ultimately robbed him blind. This was even true to some degree in Peter Guralnick’s twin Elvis biographies, Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love. But after gaining access to unseen papers from throughout Parker’s lifetime, a much different story materialized for Guralnick. It’s the tale of an immigrant with an incredible eye for talent, strong business sense, and an impulsive client who made plenty of bad choices all on his own. This won’t be the final book about Elvis, but it should serve as the last word on Parker.  —A.G.