Book description
A monumental oral biography filled with raucous joy, aching loss and
terrible poignancy, Elvis Aaron Presley is the first book to capture the
King the man and the phenomenon in his full complexity. Through
revealing interviews with three of Elvis's closest friends, who were
also his protectors and rescuers, Nash achieves the first true mapping
of Elvis's psyche. Billy Smith Elvis's first cousin and the person he
reputedly loved most after his own mother , Marty Lacker best man at
his wedding and foreman of the 'Memphis Mafia', the handpicked group of
gatekeepers and confidants and Lamar Fike touring crew member who
accompanied Elvis to the army were with Elvis from his teens to his
final days and provide unique access to the greatest of all legends. The
revelations sweep through every aspect of Elvis's life, from the
childhood seeds of his drug dependency, through his fear for his
mother's life and his plan to change his identity, to his bizarre
self-mutilation. No one who reads this symphonic blending of three
proud, ribald, sad and ultimately wistful voices can fail to be
profoundly moved.
Alanna Nash is a feature writer for the New York Times and Entertainment
Weekly, who has written five books including The Colonel. She lives in
Louisville, Kentucky.
