Untold Gold: The Stories Behind Elvis's #1 Hits

by Ace Collins

The stories behind the luck, inspiration, and timing that brought hits like "Heartbreak Hotel," "Don't Be Cruel," "In the Ghetto," and "A Little Less Conversation" to life are told in this look at some of the world's most popular hits. Fans will be given the inside story of how these and other of the best known rock songs were written, why they were recorded, and how they became hits. Along the way, they will meet and get to know the men and women who wrote songs for the "King," follow the route these songs took to Elvis, and understand how he reshaped the songs to fit his vision. The author spent countless hours interviewing songwriters, digging through dusty charts, and listening to demos in order to uncover the great stories he tells here. Each song in this book is a commentary on where the world was and what was making it tick, making these songs as much a glimpse into the life of America as into the life of Elvis.

271 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2005

About the author

Citing his Arkansas heritage, Christy Award winner Ace Collins defines himself as a storyteller. In that capacity, Collins has authored more than eighty books for 25 different publishers that have sold more than 2.5 million copies. His catalog includes novels, biographies, children’s works as well as books on history, culture and faith. He has also been the featured speaker at the National Archives Distinguished Lecture Series, hosted a television special, been featured on every network morning TV show and does college basketball play-by-play. He is married to Kathy Collins, Chair of the Education Department at Ouachita Baptist University, and the couple has two grown sons. Collins lives in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.

Reviews

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that ought to have been more interesting, but Mr. Collins writes in a style that alternates between flabby and gosh-gee-whiz. He does make an important point, that Elvis's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, actively interfered with Elvis's ability to work with the best songwriters by insisting on adverse music publishing terms that those writers increasingly declined to accept.

On a more positive note, until I read this book I was unaware that Mike Stoller, who with his partner Jerry Leiber made up one of the greatest rock and roll songwriting teams ever, was aboard the Italian liner Andrea Doria when it crashed into the Swedish freighter Stockholm off the coast of Nantucket in 1956. That wasn't a secret; I just never knew it.