Elvis Memories: The Real Elvis Presley Recalled by Those Who Knew Him

by Michael Freedland

This is not just another Elvis Presley biography, although it gets closer to the real Elvis story than many of the hundreds that have dealt with the life of the man his contemporaries have called "The King." As the author Michael Freedland puts it in his introduction, "Everyone knows Elvis." But not the way his close friends, employees, and others who entered his life knew him. For this is their story. Freedland interviews those who knew Elvis intimately, from the now elderly woman who was at school with him and whose parents foreclosed on the shack they rented, to Elvis's mother when his father was in jail, to the maid who prepared his peanut butter sandwiches and hamburgers and watched him line up the girls he wanted to take to his bed. In between, we meet the black man who remembered sneaking into a local cinema with Elvis in defiance of Deep South race laws and members of the so-called "Memphis Mafia," who went where he went, laughed when he laughed, and suffered when he suffered—and usually received a brand new Cadillac for their troubles. There's also his doctor who denies giving him fatal doses of the drugs he collected along with the hamburgers. Writer and broadcaster Michael Freedland went all over the West Coast and South to talk to these people who shared Elvis's life, telling the complex Presley story in a way more true to the real man than the usual collection of dates, film, and song titles.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2013

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Elvis . . . I've never felt him gone. He has an everlasting existence in the memory of anyone who met him." -- Ray Walker, member (1958-2013) of The Jordanaires gospel quartet

Author Freedland - who's also penned bios on Jagger, Sinatra, and various other major 20th century entertainers - chooses an interesting style in his examining of Elvis' life story. In lieu of a traditional 'point A to B' storytelling format and/or one that's heavy on celebrity anecdotes and interviews, he focuses near-exclusively on the memories from the salt of the earth-type folks - childhood neighbors from Tupelo, classmates from high school in Memphis, employees from Graceland, etc. - that spent time with Elvis during his relatively short life. It's not a white-washed account - the prescription drug misuse and other known issues are mentioned - but repeatedly (and pleasingly, if you're a fan like me) Elvis is described as a shy, talented, funny, and extremely generous person. I also liked the keen observation by one of the Memphis Mafia that Elvis was probably one of the few superstar vocalists who could effortlessly switch between singing many styles or genres of music. That's alright, mama.

[Rcavictory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. I've never read one of Michael Freedland's books, but this book is very well researched and very well written. A must read for the Elvis fan

[Xen · Rating 1 out of 5]

wow, i sure love reading wikipedia entries that fail to mention how he stole from black artists and how his wife was 14 when he met her

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

The life and times of a famous performer / singer are recounted by those who knew him.

The basic idea for this book was very good, but the execution was poor with too much general / distracting writing (which I thought didn’t add anything) between the sections of quotes.