Peter Guralnick

Here at last is the full, true and mesmerizing story of Elvis Presley's last two decades, in the second volume of Peter Guralnick's two-part biography. Beginning with Presley's army service in Germany in 1958 and ending with his death in Memphis in 1977, Careless Love chronicles the unraveling of the dream that once shone so brightly, homing in on the complex playing-out of Elvis' relationship with his Machiavellian manager, Colonel Tom Parker. It's a breathtaking, revelatory drama that for the first time places the events of a too-often mistold tale in a fresh, believable, and understandable context.

I have been a fan of Elvis Presley for many years now. But some of the things in this biography of him I did not know. Many things I did. It is a very well written book on Elvis . And I would recommend it to any Elvis fan who wants to know more about him. Many photos I loved. Peggy Myers.

An electrifying collection of the finest, most entertaining, & illuminating writing on & from the rock & roll scene-from its earliest days to the present, from the brightest moments of he biggest stars to obscure but compellingly significant treasures. The crazy, exhilarating, endlessly creative world of rock & roll has fascinated us- & some of our best writers-since the earliest days of he genre. This anthology of almost 100 essays includes Joan Didion writing on a Doors recording session, Tom Wolfe on the Beatles, Patti Smith recalling her first response to the Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa testifying before Congress, and Yoko Ono explaining John Lennon's death to the press and her son. The offerings are divided into eight sections: a definition of rock 'n roll, ancestors of the genre, superstardom, weirdness (the excess of fame), first-hand rock experiences, soul, the critics, and tributes. A rock's gallery of glossy b&ws occupies the middle pages. McKeen is journalism chair at the University of Florida where he teaches courses on rock and roll.

"Granted unprecedented access to hundreds of thousands of photos, documents, letters, artifacts, and memorabilia by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Guralnick and Jorgensen present the King as you've never seen him before. Elvis Day by Day is a complete account of public, private, rare, forgotten, and renowned moments, captured with such detail and immediacy they read like diary entries in a life - from first steps to the first time the young "hillbilly cat" stepped onstage; from the creation of a revolutionary new sound to the last days of a universally known, tragically misunderstood music legend."--BOOK JACKET.

"Peter Guralnick's remarkable work... covers old ground from new perspectives, offering deeply felt, masterful, and strikingly personal portraits of creative artists, both musicians and writers, at the height of their powers. "You put the book down feeling that its sweep is vast, that you have read of giants who walked among us," rock critic Lester Bangs wrote of Guralnick's earlier work in words that could just as easily be applied to this new one. And yet, for all of the encomiums that Guralnick's books have earned for their remarkable insights and depth of feeling, Looking to Get Lost is his most personal book yet. For readers who have grown up on Guralnick's unique vision of the vast sweep of the American musical landscape, who have imbibed his loving and lively portraits and biographies of such titanic figures as Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, and Sam Phillips, there are multiple surprises and delights here, carrying on and extending all the themes, fascinations, and passions of his groundbreaking earlier work."--From publisher's description. "This is a book about the whirlwind of creativity, the passionate drive to make art born of individuated experience that is both unique and unduplicatable... This singular new book of profiles represents not so much a summation as a culmination of Peter Guralnick's groundbreaking work over the years, covering not only the vast sweep of the American musical landscape but its profound personal impact on the author as well"--Adapted from jacket flap.

The definitive biography of Sam Cooke, one of most influential singers and songwriters of all time. Sam Cooke was among the first to blend gospel music and secular themes -- the early foundation of soul music. He was the opposite of Elvis: a black performer who appealed to white audiences, who wrote his own songs, who controlled his own business destiny. No biography has previously been written that fully captures Sam Cooke's accomplishments, the importance of his contribution to American music, the drama that accompanied his rise in the early days of the civil rights movement, and the mystery that surrounds his death. Bestselling author Peter Guralnick tells this moving and significant story, from Cooke's childhood as a choirboy to an adulthood when he was anything but. With appearances by Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, James Brown, Harry Belafonte, Aretha Franklin, Fidel Castro, The Beatles, Sonny and Cher, Bob Dylan, and other central figures of this explosive era, Dream Boogie is a compelling depiction of one man striving to achieve his vision despite all obstacles -- and an epic portrait of America during the turbulent and hopeful 1950s and 1960s.