A lot of unpleasant things can be said about him. Colonel Parker, the uncompromising manager Elvis Presley through the ways of a cattle trader to stardom and led his career to the endbut no one can accuse him of meddling in the musical decisions of his famous student. He crossed the line only once, in March 1960, and suggested that she record a particular song; It was a somewhat old-fashioned ballad that gained some popularity in the late 1920s and Parker considered it. It can get Elvis to the top of the charts after his time in the army. The singer had serious doubts about her ability to do the song justice, so when it came time to record it, she asked that all the lights in the studio be turned off, and she began to sing in complete darkness: “Are you alone tonight? …” .
Thomas A. Parker knew what he was doing most of the time.
One of the most pervasive myths about Elvis Presley’s life and career is that presenting Colonel Parker as an unscrupulous merchant, Eager to exploit the goose that laid the golden egg, he stole the singer’s soul and condemned him to a life of misery.. It’s a thesis that the new ‘biopic’ directed by Baz Luhrman supports with a bit of extreme conviction. But the reality seems to have been a little different. Or at least, so says critic and historian Peter Guralnick, author of the two volumes that make up the definitive biography of the Tupelo phenomenon, ‘The Last Train to Memphis’ and ‘Loves That Kill’.
own inventor
First of all, it should be emphasized that when Elvis and The Colonel’s paths crossed in 1955The first was a promising young singer whose name was hardly known beyond the borders of Tennessee and Mississippi; Parker had already made Eddy Arnold, a funeral home worker going to performances on a mule, the most dazzling country music hit of its time. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that Colonel Tom Parker invented Elvis Presley. Although for this he first had to invent himself.
First of all, he was neither a colonel nor his name is Tom Parker. His real name is Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk and he was born in Breda, Netherlands in 1909. After the death of his father, who worked in a barn, emigrated United States of America illegally on an army-registered cargo ship (where one of his officers, Captain Thomas R. Parker, carefully noted his name), settled in Florida, worked at local fairs, started a family, set up a pet cemetery, and began collaborating with country artists on promotional assignments. Like Gene Autry and Roy Acuff.
Of course, that wasn’t the story he told himself. In fact, he came from West Virginia, was orphaned as a child (his age changed every time he told the story), and ran away to join a circus He had come to Tampa with him. However, it was a believable version that broke down each time, as in one of his frequent outbursts of anger he began uttering words in a language that none of those present knew.
Full time
Parker (Coronel was an honorary title bestowed on her by Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis, whom she assisted in her career as a singer) Relentless when it comes to negotiating and maintaining an absolute loyalty to their clients. After taking control of Elvis Presley’s career, he devoted 22 years of his life to just him. With mistakes and successes. There’s no doubting that some of his decisions—and some of the methods he used to make them happen—belong to a bygone age of show business (an era when Elvis was downright dynamite), but there’s no doubt as well. without his entrepreneurial vision, his cunning, and almost paternal devotionThe king could never claim the throne.
“In a sense—says Guralnick—they As a married couple who have shown love, loyalty and respect to each other for a long time but must break up sooner. At the end of Presley’s life, none of the rules that marked their relationship had fallen into place, but neither dared to give up.” In any case, the brilliance of what they’ve accomplished together will never fade.
Source: Informacion
