Elvis and the Memphis Mafia
-
-
4.6 • 57 Ratings
-
-
- $6.99
-
- $6.99
Publisher Description
A monumental oral biography filled with raucous joy, aching loss and terrible poignancy, Elvis & the Memphis Mafia is the first book to capture the King – the man and the phenomenon – in his full complexity. Through revealing interviews with three of Elvis’s closest friends, who were also his protectors and rescuers, Nash achieves the first true mapping of Elvis’s psyche.
Billy Smith – Elvis’s first cousin and the person he reputedly loved most after his own mother – Marty Lacker – best man at his wedding and foreman of the ‘Memphis Mafia’, the King’s handpicked group of gatekeepers and confidants – and Lamar Fike – the touring crew member who accompanied him into the Army – were with Elvis from his teens to his final days and provide unique access to the greatest of all rock and roll legends. The revelations cut through every aspect of Elvis’s life, from the childhood seeds of his drug dependency, through his fear for his mother’s life and his plan to change his identity, to his bizarre self-mutilation. No one who reads this symphonic blending of three proud, ribald, sad and ultimately wistful voices can fail to be profoundly moved.
Customer Reviews
Awesome
A deep dive from the people who were there. 5 stars
Elvis the man
I learned to be open minded and remember that everyone of this guys have their perspective of what was happening as it was happening. They all had different views and feelings but I think overall they loved Elvis.
Best book to read first
This book started strange with stories flipping between 3 Memphis Mafia guys, one being Elvis's cousin Billy Smith. Once I got used to the format I couldn't put it down. This gives such great background on Elvis life growing up and more stories about Gladys his mother than I have ever known or read, even includes a personal account about her death. It's their true stories about life with him. I just recently started to become a big fan and I really wish this was the first book I ever read about him. It truly makes me sad that Pricilla didn't include Billy Smith in her and Lisa's life. I think Lisa would have benefited greatly getting to know that side of the family. True they didn't have money and weren't famous but it's still her family. We will never know Pricilla's side of the story on that but it's heartbreaking to see her keeping in touch with a couple of Mafia guys and not Elvis's side of the family, especially Billy Smith.
This book by far has been my favorite!!!