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Interview with Peter Guralnick
Henry Carrigan did a short interview with Peter Guralnick for Publisher's Weekly on his new book 'The King and the Colonel'. In this upcoming book, the biographer draws from archival material to paint a fresh portrait of Elvis Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
PG: This book has really been 30 years in the making, ever since my wife and I got access to the Elvis archives, where I discovered this vast collection of Colonel Tom Parker’s letters and other materials.
Almost as soon as I saw the letters, I saw that the Colonel who revealed himself in them was so bright, so funny, so resourceful, and absolutely dedicated to the interests of his artist, as he referred to his client, and the connection between them. I felt like he’s gotten such a raw deal from history, and that’s increased exponentially in recent years. Once I had this exposure to the Colonel’s letters, I wanted, as much as anything, to restore him to his true place in history.
PW: What were his strengths and weaknesses as a manager?
PG: His greatest strength was that he was for his artists—he was 110% dedicated to the interest of his artists, was committed to offering them every opportunity for creative expression. His greatest weakness stemmed from a childhood that appears to have been severely traumatic and led to his mistrust of others. He placed all his faith in Eddy Arnold, and when Arnold fired him in 1953, he was absolutely devastated, he just didn’t see it coming.
PW: How did Parker come by the title Colonel?
PG: He got two appointments, one from the governor of Louisiana and, later, from the governor of Tennessee, Frank Clement. He enjoyed getting people’s respect in a sense through the title, but also saw it as utterly ridiculous, and referred to himself frequently as a phony. With his old friends, he remained Tom, or “your pal Tom.”
PW: What do you want readers to take away from your book?
PG: I’d like them to carry a picture of someone who is as unique an individual as they’re ever likely to encounter, who created so much of the way in which pop music has come to be experienced, and who did it out of genuine love and joy.
In his relationship with Elvis, they found a commonality, each of them, I think, had a vision of something that was inexpressible because it was a vision of something that didn’t exist. Yet each of them believed in the talents and dedication of the other to the extent that they were prepared to throw everything else aside. They traveled the world together for 10 years, with total faith in each other, and it was not a one-way street. It’s the way in which that love sort of declined in the last few years of their relationship that I think gives the story a tragic tinge I had never expected to encounter.
Several answers in this short interview raised some eyebrows with fans ... A version of this article appeared in the 06/16/2025 issue of >>> Publishers Weekly.
Little, Brown and Company will publish the 624-page book on August 5, 2025. The book is already available for pre-order from >>> Amazon (associate link).
Here is the German cover for the German edition of Priscilla Presley's second memoir 'Softly, As I Leave You: Mein Leben nach Elvis - eine Autobiografie' which will be published by Hannibal Verlag on September 23, 2025.
The book is already available for pre-order from >>> Amazon (associate link).
(Source: Memphis Mansion / Publisher's Weekly / Amazon / Dorthe Bach Richter Larsen)