It is hard to understand much of what Guralnick writes about unless you can see the body language in the performance. Whether or not you are an Elvis fan, this biography is best read with internet access to his music, and better still with access to film footage of him performing (and it does exist).

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.I belong to the generation that came about a decade after Elvis was king, and so for a lot of years I tended to avoid 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. 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. 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. The book closes on that somber and poignant note. 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. These were the years of his improbable self-invention and unprecedented triumphs, when it seemed that everything that Elvis tried succeeded wildly. 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'). 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. 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.

This book cancels out all others.' -Bob Dylanįrom 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. It is the first to set aside the myths and focus on Elvis' humanity in a way that has yet to be duplicated.Ī New York Times Notable Book Winner of the Ralph J. Written with grace, humor, and affection, Last Train to Memphis has been hailed as the definitive biography of Elvis Presley.

Last train to memphis review