Research Catalog

Title

Last train to Memphis : the rise of Elvis Presley / Peter Guralnick.

Author

Guralnick, Peter

Publication

Boston : Little, Brown, c1994.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Additional Authors

Irwin K. Carson Collection. mus

Description

xiv, 560 p. : ill., maps; 24 cm.

Summary

"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."--Jacket.

Subject

• Presley, Elvis, 1935-1977 > Childhood and youth
• Rock musicians > United States > Biography

Genre/Form

Biography.

Note

• Maps on lining papers.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. 532-542) and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Prologue: Memphis, 1950 -- Tupelo: Above the Highway January 1935-November 1948 -- Memphis: the Courts November 1948-June 1953 -- "My Happiness" July 1953-January 1954 -- "Without You" January-July 1954 -- "That's All Right" July-September 1954 -- Good Rockin' Tonight October-December 1954 -- Forbidden Fruit January-May 1955 -- Mystery Train June-August 1955 -- The Pied Pipers September-November 1955 -- Stage Show December 1955-February 1956 -- The World Turned Upside Down March-May 1956 -- "Those People in New York are Not Gonna Change Me None" May-July 1956 -- Elvis and June July-August 1956 -- Love Me Tender August-October 1956 -- The Toast of the Town October-November 1956 -- The End of Something December 1956-January 1957 -- Loving You January-April 1957 -- Jailhouse Rock April-September 1957 -- Walking in a Dream October 1957-March 1958 -- "Precious Memories" March-September 1958 -- Discographical Note.

ISBN

• 0316332208 :
• 0316332259 (pbk.)

LCCN

^^^94010763^/MN

OCLC

• 30073531
• SCSB-10295752

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library