Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley

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. This enhanced edition includes: Exclusive video footage prepared specifically for the enhanced eBook that has never been seen before.Rare audio clips.

About the Author :
Peter Guralnick has been called "a national resource" by Nat Hentoff for work that has argued passionately and persuasively for the vitality of this country's intertwined black and white musical traditions. His books include the prize-winning two-volume biography of Elvis Presley, "Last Train to Memphis" and "Careless Love." Of the first Bob Dylan wrote, "Elvis steps from the pages. You can feel him breathe. This book cancels out all others." Of the biography as a whole, the "New York Times Book Review "declared in a lead review, "It must be ranked among the most ambitious and crucial biographical undertakings yet devoted to a major American figure of the second half of the twentieth century." Other books include an acclaimed trilogy on American roots music, "Sweet Soul Music, Lost Highway, "and "Feel Like Going Home; "the biographical inquiry "Searching for Robert Johnson"; and the novel, "Nighthawk Blues." His latest book, "Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke," has been hailed by the "San Fransisco Chronicle "as "monumental, panoramic...an epic tale told against a backdrop of brilliant, shimmering music, intense personal melodrama, and vast social changes." He is currently at work on a biography of Sam Phillips.

Review :
"A triumph of biographical art...profound and moving...Even the minor revelations are positively spellbinding...Mr. Guralnick's narrative is rendered with an intimate, restrained intensity eerily reminiscent of the plaintive tone of Presley's ballads, that tremulous yearning of America itself."--Stephen Wright, "New York Times Book Review" "Altogether splendid....It is the particular and spectacular achievement of "Last Train to Memphis" that holds both the making of the history and the beginning of the myth in firm, simple, and compassionate focus....Guralnick paints this world with perspective, respect, and great decency: it is one of the book's triumphs."--Jay Cocks, "Time" "Elvis steps from the pages, you can feel him breathe, this book cancels out all others."--Bob Dylan