Being Elvis : A Lonely Life

On the fortieth anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death comes this rocking biography of an iconic artist who fundamentally transformed American culture.
Elvis Presley remains one of the most influential figures in American popular culture, a man whose fame and talent were matched only by his excesses and tragic end. Venerated in rock-and-roll history, Elvis blended gospel and traditionally black rhythm and blues with country to create a completely new kind of music that blew the doors off a repressed 1950s America. Now, veteran rock journalist Ray Connolly takes a fresh look at the life of “The King” to craft a portrait of an unusual boy with an extraordinary voice who became a man trapped by and ultimately killed by fame. Intimate and unsparing, Being Elvis presents a clear-eyed analysis of the ways Elvis’s manifest talent was squandered by those around him—particularly the machinations of “Colonel” Tom Parker—and by Elvis himself. While exploring the extravagance and irrationality inherent in the Elvis mythology, Being Elvis is ultimately a thoughtful celebration of a culturally enduring life.