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Elvis: My Best Man: Radio Days, Rock 'n' Roll Nights, and My Lifelong Friendship with Elvis Presley
 
 
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Elvis: My Best Man: Radio Days, Rock 'n' Roll Nights, and My Lifelong Friendship with Elvis Presley [Hardcover]

George Klein (Author), Chuck Crisafulli (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)


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Book Description

January 5, 2010
When George Klein was an eighth grader at Humes High, he couldn’t have known how important the new kid with the guitar—the boy named Elvis—would later become in his life. But from the first time GK (as he was nicknamed by Elvis) heard this kid sing, he knew that Elvis Presley was someone extraordinary. During Elvis’s rise to fame and throughout the wild swirl of his remarkable life, Klein was a steady presence and one of Elvis’s closest and most loyal friends until his untimely death in 1977.

In Elvis: My Best Man, a heartfelt, entertaining, and long-awaited contribution to our understanding of Elvis Presley and the early days of rock ’n’ roll, George Klein writes with great affection for the friend he knew—about who the King of Rock ’n’ Roll really was and how he acted when the stage lights were off. This fascinating chronicle of boundary-breaking and music-making through one of the most intriguing and dynamic stretches of American history overflows with insights and anecdotes from someone who was in the middle of it all. From the good times at Graceland to hanging out with Hollywood stars to butting heads with Elvis’s iron-handed manager, Colonel Tom Parker, to making sure that Elvis’s legacy is fittingly honored, GK was a true friend of the King and a trailblazer in the music industry in his own right.


Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Klein’s paean is awfully sincere but, in its folksy naiveté, oddly fetching. Maybe it’s the bio the King would have most wanted. Klein, who met Elvis in eighth grade, has been in the music business most of his life. He hosted early rock shows on Memphis radio and TV, was close at hand during Elvis’ early career, and remained a member of the inner circle to the end. Since then, he has hosted various Elvis-related radio shows and produced an Elvis documentary, and been interviewed by the likes of Larry King, Oprah, and Geraldo Rivera. He recalls a 1955 colloquy in which he suggested Elvis had already risen to such heights that he was “competition” for “Webb Pierce and Ferlin Husky and Hank Snow.” Tellingly, Presley “shook his head and let out a little snort of a laugh. ‘No, George, I’m shooting for Bill Haley,’” he replied. Soon enough, Elvis was at the top of the pop as well as the country charts, and Bill Haley was looking for a new hook. --Mike Tribby

Review

“George, bravo! I learned some new things about you and your life, especially the earlier years. I feel you capture the essence of Elvis not only in dialogue,
but also in giving the reader a sense of his personality, humor, and his spirit of play. . . . I know that Elvis would be proud that you’ve remained his loyal and lifelong friend.” —Priscilla Presley

“George was with Elvis from the beginning. He personally knows the story.” —Dick Clark

“George Klein is something else. Through the years, George has been right there. He’s got the great stories and he’s always talked about Elvis and presented him with great dignity.” —Tom Petty

“GK was there from the beginning, and there ’til the end. This book is fact.” —Jerry Lee Lewis

“GK was one of the most important friends and confidants of Elvis Presley. This book captures all the excitement of the birth of rock ’n’ roll, and reminds us of the very significant roles that Elvis and GK played as rock ’n’ roll pioneers.” —Jerry Schilling

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Crown Archetype; 1 edition (January 5, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0307452743
  • ISBN-13: 978-0307452740
  • Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.2 x 9.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #398,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

48 Reviews
5 star:
 (33)
4 star:
 (10)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (4)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (48 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars best friend, February 10, 2010
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Elvis: My Best Man: Radio Days, Rock 'n' Roll Nights, and My Lifelong Friendship with Elvis Presley (Hardcover)
This, by far, is the best book I have read on Elvis. George Klein reveals a softer and more generous side of Elvis than other books. He emphasises Elvis was just a mere mortal human being and made mistakes just like everyone else has in their lifetime. I believe Elvis spent his life searching for the answer "of why the Lord picked him" to be such a superstar. He never forgot his family, where he came from and he truly had to be shocked to see how far he came. His daughter, Lisa Marie, can be very proud of her Father and forget the horrible stories out there about him. He truly was a very remarkable human being and there will never be anyone even close to what Elvis was to this world. Because of him, many people have been fortunate to have enjoyed many hours of pleasure from that beautiful voice of his. He may not have liked the title King, but he was the King when it came to his music and always will be.
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Entertaining, January 19, 2010
This review is from: Elvis: My Best Man: Radio Days, Rock 'n' Roll Nights, and My Lifelong Friendship with Elvis Presley (Hardcover)
I found that I couldn't put this book down. Its nice to see another's view on Elvis's life, also mixes is a nice amount of what GK was doing and how it intertwined with Elvis.
Reading this book really makes me wished I could have met Elvis, he seemed like a genuinely good person to be around. I highly recommend this book to any fan of Elvis or of Rock n Roll in general.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Elvis, February 21, 2010
By 
Marin (Sequim, Wa. USA) - See all my reviews
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I really enjoyed this book. In parts of it I could not put it down and read late into the night. Other parts when GK talked about himself alot I skipped over to get back to the Elvis story. I gave this book a five star because I loved the way GK brought out Elvis' kind and giving heart.
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