Elvis and the Colonel [Paperback]

Dirk Vallenga (Author), Mick Farren (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Elvis Presley and Colonel Tom Parker were associated in the public mind like Laurel and Hardy, although a more accurate pairing would have been Svengali and Trilby, as the authors demonstrate. Intriguingly, the colonel, who projected an image as American as apple pie, was foreign - born (in 1909): a Dutchman named Andreas van Kuijk, he served in the U.S. peacetime army but never became a citizen. He entered the U.S. illegally and as a young man worked in carnivals, where he learned to be a con man par excellence, according to the authors. It was his talent as an operator that led him to become the personal manager of Eddy Arnold, then Hank Snow and finally Elvis. While the authors do not attempt a psychobiography, they argue forcefully that Parker's carnival background made him a conniving money-grubber who eventually destroyed Presley's career. The singer himself does not emerge here as a hero, but he does seem more to be pitied than censured. Vellenga is a Dutch journalist; Farren, an American, is a freelance writer.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This book focuses on Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, suggesting that his greed and ruthlessness led to the ruin of Presley's career and perhaps caused his death. In 1955 Parker signed the first of many, increasingly manipulative contracts with Presleycontracts that eventually gave Parker a greater share of the Presley empire than the King himself. Presley was treated like a money-making machine, kept isolated from friends, and well supplied with drugs. Although based on interviews, the book offers little actual documentation to back up its thesis. But the narrative is well written and convincing. About a third of the book is an appendix of concert and recording dates and a discography. A real eye-opener for Presley fans. Tim LaBorie, Drexel Univ. Lib., Philadelphia
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (February 22, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0586205950
• ISBN-13: 978-0586205952
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,138,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great biography about Colonel Tom Parker's life with Elvis, March 20, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Oklahoma City, Okla) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elvis and the Colonel (Mass Market Paperback)

You get a pretty good idea of what Tom Parker's life was like, because Vellenga interviewed so many people that knew Parker & Elvis.

I was very curious because I manage an Elvis Tribute Band, of how they worked together and I learned alot from their mistakes. I don't think the author liked the Colonel too much but you can tell he put alot of research into it & I'm glad he wrote the book.

You also get alot of insight into show business.

Before I read the book I thought the Colonel was maybe someone special or a superb businessman to have been so successful, but after reading it, it showed me he wasn't all that great of a manager, not keeping Elvis's best interests at heart. One example of this is he made songwriters share their profits with him thus eliminating alot of very good songwriters. "Suspicious Minds" was an exception to this. Elvis could have had alot more great songs if the Colonel hadn't been so greedy.

But their were some good things he did too, the concerts & especially Aloha from Hawaii, which was videotaped & similcast. I also liked the documentary movie "That's the Way it is" about Elvis & the NBC Special.

I think there was some kind of karmic bond between the Colonel & Elvis. Elvis said it best, "We're caught in a trap, I can't walk out, because I love you too much, baby."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent biography of the Colonel, February 1, 2003

By 

Roy F. Johnson (Columbia, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elvis And The Colonel (Hardcover)

To the degree possible, the author has reconstructed the life of Colonel Tom Parker, probably the most notorious personal manager in show business history. Beginning with his childhood in Holland, the factors that shaped the Colonel's character are unfolded in a plausible, well presented manner - no easy task on a man who could suddenly disappear without leaving a forwarding address.

A listing of Elvis's recording sessions from 1954 through 1977 is provided at the end of the book. An index is also provided.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Lot of Questions Get Answered, January 8, 2008

By 

Loves the View "Louise" (Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Elvis and the Colonel (Paperback)

Col. Parker was a mystery, at least to me. How was it that that old geezer was the manager of the hottest Rock and Roll star of the century? It was pretty clear that he was a Svengali to Elvis, but how did he do it?

This short book answers those questions. The authors show how Parker grew from a carnival hustler to a successful country music promoter. Parker lacked any sentiment about people. He just up and left his family in Holland. He treated his staff and Elvis with disdain. He had no qualms about self dealing. In this he shows the marks of childhood adaptation to abuse, for which the authors present some evidence. He had one "wife" (may not have been legally married) whom he met before Elvis, and whom he saw little, but with whom he stayed with thoughout his life.

When he saw Elvis, he saw gold. He used his then business partner, Eddie Arnold, to help lure Elvis, and then cut him out. As he grew and Elvis grew, he cleverly cut Elvis out as well. The authors note how Parker's fast dealing style carnival aesthetic effected Elvis, holding back his art and his career.

While the book is not footnoted, it is convincing. The author's minimize Elvis's role in allowing this to happen. I would have liked more analysis on symbiotics of the Parker-Presley relationship and it's effect on Elvis's style. For instance, in the end, the authors say Parker had the gold suit that Elvis hated wearing. I didn't know Elvis hated that (famous) suit... It's a real carnival type thing. How much of the Elvis signature style was Parker and how much Presley?