The Col. Tom Parker Book-1

"The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley, and the Partnership that Rocked the World": http://bit.ly/480ozGy

I never got into Elvis until I went to Graceland.

You've got to go. As a matter of fact, you've got to go to Memphis, which may be in Tennessee like Nashville, but is completely different. Memphis is truly the south, Mississippi is only a stone's throw away.

Elvis was already over by time I gained consciousness. No, scratch that, he was already making movies, had been making movies, and they were seen as pulpy and exploitative and no one I knew went to see them. However, I always loved the theme song from "Viva Las Vegas." And "Suspicious Minds." And that was it. Maybe "In the Ghetto," but not really. Elvis was pre-Beatles, he represented the past, and then he came back with that TV special, parked himself in Vegas and then died. I remember where I was when I heard Elvis died, do you? One of those legendary moments, like the assassination of JFK and landing on the moon that are indelibly seared into my brain.

That was 1977. Nearly fifty years ago. If Elvis Presley were alive today he'd be ninety. Older than all the classic rockers from England, never mind America. As a matter of fact, so much time has passed that his merch numbers are off, his fans are dying. Will Elvis experience a resurgence like Sinatra? Anything's possible, but right now it doesn't look like it.

So the thing about Graceland is it's not that big. Far from what we consider a mansion, even back then. And you start to get the feel that Elvis was a hillbilly. You always heard that, but until I went to Graceland and saw the relatively tiny Jungle Room with its three Trinitrons I didn't realize it. And in the north people know nothing of hillbillies.

As a matter of fact, the ethos of the north is education. You go to school to get a leg up. But Colonel Tom Parker did not. And many of the self-starting hustlers still in the music business don't have college diplomas. If anything, their degree is in life.

So...

If you wan to be in the music business, you can go to a program at a college, get an internship and go to work for the man. But the music business is not about the man, it's about these individual hustlers, who are born, not made. If you're going to school to get a job at the label or with the promoter you're doing it wrong. One thing is for sure, the music business is always based on talent. Can you find it, sign it and promote it. This is what they don't teach in school, the art of persuasion.

And hard work. And perseverance. Success in the music business is more about personality than education, and always will be.

So...

Colonel Tom Parker has a bad reputation. He took fifty percent of Elvis's earnings and never took Presley overseas because he was born in the Netherlands and was an illegal alien.

FIFTY PERCENT!

Unheard of today. Unless you're Joe Bonamassa, who has created a career completely outside the conventional system. And to do that you must believe in yourself. And very few believe in themselves that much, such that they're willing to sacrifice and put it all on the line.

Although Parker was always interested in carnivals, he was not destined to be in the music business, he didn't have this desire, as a matter of fact he bounced around for years before he found his niche. Proving that you don't have to start early to make it. Oftentimes life experiences pay dividends down the road.

So everywhere he goes he ingratiates himself with people. They take him in, they love him. But he constantly moves on, he needs more.

And after a tour in the military he starts working for carnivals based out of Florida.

And the key to success was promotion. The advance man. Who'd go to the next town and gin up excitement.

When he finally got in this role, Parker would do more than put up posters. He'd make sponsorship deals, all kinds of deals to get the town leaders invested in the show.

But I must say, this was after running the Tampa Humane Society, completely out of the business, for years.

But then Parker attached himself to talent. And he wanted it more than some of the acts. He was willing to make the effort, no one ever criticized him for being lax. He was working around the clock, to the point where he had a heart attack.

And then he saw Elvis Presley.

You know it when you see it and you rarely see it.

Amateurs are unaware of this. Pros know. It's a feeling, an electricity, the way the crowd reacts. It's not something you can put into words, just something you can experience, something that affects people that they want more of.

So, Elvis was signed to Sun, which is venerated in modern society. But Sun was too small for Parker, he needed Elvis to be on RCA. Once again, conventional wisdom was it was about the money. Not at all. Sam Phillips did not have the muscle, the funds, the distribution to drive Presley where he needed to be.

And throughout although Parker might tell a while lie or two, he was not a ruthless scumbag. Rather than pressure, he was willing to walk away. Until the other side realized what they were missing out on. You've got to value your own work.

And do whatever it takes to make the deal work. Parker made a deal with Phillips without the authority to do so and ultimately wrote a $5000 advance himself. On trust.

This is what those not in the business don't realize. You're truly only as good as your word. Contracts are secondary. Only for extreme circumstances. Some of the biggest managers in the business don't have contracts, never mind sunset clauses. It's a partnership, you're either in it together or not.

As far as Elvis... Would he have been this big without the Colonel?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Elvis was not completely unknown, he had records out, he was doing some shows, but he wasn't ubiquitous. It took Parker's efforts. Was this worth fifty percent? Well, fifty percent to the artist is better than nothing at all.


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