Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Elvis #1) Paperback | Pages: 576 pages

Identify Based On Books Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Elvis #1)

Title	:	Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Elvis #1)
Author	:	Peter Guralnick
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	Deluxe Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 576 pages
Published	:	September 1st 1995 by Back Bay Books (first published March 1st 1994)
Categories	:	Music. Biography. Nonfiction. History

Relation In Pursuance Of Books Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Elvis #1)

From the moment that he first shook up the world in the mid 1950s, Elvis Presley has been one of the most vivid and enduring myths of American culture. Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley is the first biography to go past that myth and present an Elvis beyond the legend. Based on hundreds of interviews and nearly a decade of research, it traces the evolution not just of the man but of the music and of the culture he left utterly transformed, creating a completely fresh portrait of Elvis and his world. This volume tracks the first twenty-four years of Elvis' life, covering his childhood, the stunning first recordings at Sun Records ("That's All Right," "Mystery Train"), and the early RCA hits ("Heartbreak Hotel," "Hound Dog," "Don't Be Cruel"). These were the years of his improbable self-invention and unprecedented triumphs, when it seemed that everything that Elvis tried succeeded wildly. There was scarcely a cloud in sight through this period until, in 1958, he was drafted into the army and his mother died shortly thereafter. The book closes on that somber and poignant note. Last Train to Memphis takes us deep inside Elvis' life, exploring his lifelong passion for music of every sort (from blues and gospel to Bing Crosby and Mario Lanza), his compelling affection for his family, and his intimate relationships with girlfriends, mentors, band members, professional associates, and friends. It shows us the loneliness, the trustfulness, the voracious appetite for experience, and above all the unshakable, almost mystical faith that Elvis had in himself and his music. Drawing frequently on Elvis' own words and on the recollections of those closest to him, the book offers an emotional, complex portrait of young Elvis Presley with a depth and dimension that for the first time allow his extraordinary accomplishments to ring true. Peter Guralnick has given us a previously unseen world, a rich panoply of people and events that illuminate an achievement, a place, and a time as never revealed before. Written with grace, humor, and affection, Last Train to Memphis has been hailed as the definitive biography of Elvis Presley. It is the first to set aside the myths and focus on Elvis' humanity in a way that has yet to be duplicated.

Itemize Books Supposing Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Elvis #1)

Original Title:	Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley
ISBN:	0316332259 (ISBN13: 9780316332255)
Series:	Elvis #1

Rating Based On Books Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Elvis #1)

Ratings: 4.3 From 5541 Users | 367 Reviews

Evaluate Based On Books Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Elvis #1)

This was so good. Exciting, moving & so full of detail I felt like I could really see the events being described: a painfully shy Elvis transforming into a ball of energy on stage, coming out as if he had been "shot out of a cannon." Wonderful.

Another book I picked up after last falls trips to visit my friends Heather and Clay in the wonderful city of Memphis. Great book, couldnt put it down. Reviewers say its the best book on Elvis around. Havent read much about Elvis, but I cant imagine it getting much better than this. A very sympathetic account, it keeps an eye on what is important about Elvis his astonishing talents and not the sordid stuff (although the sordid stuff is mentioned). To my delight, Elviss Army buddy Rex Mansfield

Peter Guralnick's books on American R&B, Soul, Country, Blues and Rock and Roll are all heartfelt, deeply researched, and written nearly entirely in the third person, and that last bit separates him from the self aggrandizing that mars the writing of so many other music writers covering the same ground. If he has a fault it is his reverence for his subjects. Accordingly, this first volume of his two volume biography of Elvis Presley will set you aglow with the excitement, innocence and

Meticulously documented and filled with quotations from interviews as well as contemporary news pieces and articles, this is the first volume of an authoritative biography of Elvis from his childhood to 1958 when he is forced to suspend his career as he's drafted into the U.S. army. Guralnik leaves no detail undocumented so that for a general reader like me this can be too granular - but, then, I'd rather skip details of precisely which backing musicians were present at each recording session,

So good that I'm all shook up. 500 million stars.

The definitive volume on the life of Elvis Presley (along with Careless Love: the Unmaking of Elvis Presley, also by Guralnick) observed with both the detail and the distance required of a great biography. Let's face it: Elvis is THE American story about rock and roll, race, fame, and declineand Guralnick provides the essential details with an attention that could only come from someone who loved Elvis's music.