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List Price: $29.95 | | Publisher: Greenwood Press
Salesrank: 231628
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| Our Price: $21.86 |
| Used Price: $21.85 |
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| Media: Hardcover |
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Editorial Review:
Almost 30 years after his death, Elvis Presley remains one of the most influential performers and recognized pop culture icons the world over. His then-unprecedented musical style-a fusion of blues, country, pop, bluegrass, and gospel-ushered in the age of rock n' roll and paved the way for generations of musicians and singers to follow. A diverse array of performers-from The Beatles to Bruce Springsteen-cite Elvis as an integral musical influence and inspiration. Not only did Elvis usher in a new genre of music, he also came to represent the growing dissatisfaction young people had with the mores and conventions of the restrictive 1950s. At a time when the top pop stars were Pat Boone and Andy Williams, Elvis' blatant sensuality on stage and his smoldering presence off it made him the anti-establishment poster boy. This biography offers a seldom seen glimpse into the life and career of Elvis, tracing his family life, musical career, films, and legacy. The volume closes with a timeline and bibliography. Today, the King lives on in popular culture-on Top 20 lists, in film and television, on the radio, in cyberspace, and yes, even in the countless performances by Elvis impersonators throughout the world.
Elvis Presley: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies) Reviews:
Disappointing and fanciful biography! 
2009-09-08 - While there are some good points to Kathleen Tracy's minimalist bio on Elvis, the book is littered with factually incorrect and fanciful incidents. Ms Tracy's claim that Elvis, performing in Las Vegas at the time, was warned off Juliet Prowse by Frank Sinatra makes incredible reading. However, Elvis did not perform in Vegas in 1960, rendering the story make believe! Ms Tracy co-wrote an earlier Elvis bio with Earl Greenwood, a man with dubious family connections to the King. Nigel [...]
Pretty Good Book on the King. 
2008-10-24 - I purchased this one for my wife, who knows a little about Elvis, but just enough to be dangerous. Take this one with "Last Train from Memphis" and you'll get a feel for the man who crossed black music with hillbilly/country and created..... Well. let's just say Ed Sullivan was taken with the upper man that Elvis was......
A Good, Basic Biography of the King 
2008-08-18 - This biography is part of a series of biographies aimed at high school students. It is a good, basic biography of Elvis, although it is not very long and covers only certain aspects of Elvis' life. Earl Greenwood is used as the main Elvis source. A good portion of the book is devoted to Elvis' childhood, high school years and the beginnings of his music career. Presumably this was done so that the target audience of high schoolers would be able to relate better to Elvis' trials and tribulations as a youngster and teenager growing up dirt poor in a dysfunctional family.
There's a lot of discussion of family dynamics in this book--how smothering, possessive and controlling Gladys was of her only son, which affected the way Elvis viewed the world and his relationships with women; how Vernon, being lazy and unambitious, was content to just get by, going so far as allowing the young teenage Elvis be the breadwinner in the family until a high school counselor intervened. There is much discussion about Elvis' promiscuity and his numerous one-night stands, feeling that no woman could measure up to his mother Gladys. After Elvis was rejected by Dixie Locke, he would never completely trust women again or love them unconditionally, and each and every one would be subjected to the Gladys Comparison Test and always fail.
I wish this book had been longer and discussed all aspects of Elvis' life--that is why I give it only 4 stars instead of 5. But this is a good, well-written general biography of the King. What is good about this biography is that it avoids much of the dish and gossip that you find in many Presley biographies.
