In early 1955, Colonel Tom Parker - the manager of the number-one country musician of the day - heard that an unknown teenager from Memphis had just drawn a crowd of more than 800 people to a Texas schoolhouse, and headed south to investigate. Within days, Parker was sending out telegrams and letters to promoters and booking agents about the man who would become a global icon and legend: Elvis Presley.
The close personal bond between Elvis and the Colonel proved impossible for outside observers to understand - not during their lifetimes, and not in the decades since. It was a long-standing, deeply committed relationship, founded on mutual admiration and support. From the outset, the Colonel defended Elvis fiercely and indefatigably against RCA executives, Elvis'' own booking agents, and movie moguls. But in their final years together, the story grew darker, and the relationship strained, as the Colonel found himself unable to protect Elvis from himself - or to control growin
