Colonel Tom Parker: the Curious Life of
Elvis Presley’s Eccentric Manager
by James L. Dickerson
[2001,
AMG RATING: 8
The greatest
mystery surrounding Elvis Presley isn’t whether or not he actually died in
1977, but what was the nature of Elvis’ relationship with his secretive
manager, the man known as Colonel Tom Parker. For one who was so often in the
public eye, and whose decisions drove Elvis’ career—and so affected millions of
Elvis’ fans—there are few definitively known facts about Parker. How did Parker
convince Elvis to pay him a reported 50 percent commission? Why didn’t he let
Elvis tour
Many of the facts and allegations about Parker have appeared elsewhere. James Dickerson brings to the subject a knowledge of Memphis history, organized crime, and the racial politics of America’s South. He speculates on some of the biggest mysteries surrounding Elvis and the Colonel, and supports several of his theories well. Elsewhere, conjecture on Parker’s ethnic heritage, for instance, goes nowhere. And at times, the normally reasonable Dickerson’s conjecture—such as suggesting that Parker failed his Army physical due to his “homosexual reaction” to other naked men—is both unsupported and ludicrous.
Dickerson is at his best when demonstrating how Parker’s “dark destructive … impulses” impeded Elvis’ career. The fact that the most tantalizing questions about Parker are probably unanswerable doesn’t make it any less exasperating when the author poses them. And when the author himself admits that a fact as basic as his subject’s true identity may never be known, it doesn’t augur well for a definitive biography. Dickerson does provide some interesting perspective; just don’t expect {-Colonel Tom Parker} to dispel all the mysteries of an enigmatic subject.—James A. Gardner, All Media Guide
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