The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley and the Partnership that Rocked the World

INCLUDED IN TIME‘S 100 MUST READ BOOKS OF 2025

The concluding volume of Peter Guralnick’s critically acclaimed Elvis Presley biographies

‘Guralnick knows the intricacies of this story more than anyone, except perhaps the Colonel and Presley themselves’ GUARDIAN


In early 1955, Colonel Tom Parker discovered a teenage Elvis Presley and declared him destined for greatness. What followed was one of the most extraordinary partnerships in music history and the creation of a bond built on loyalty, ambition and an unshakeable belief in each other.

From the meteoric rise that reshaped popular culture to the struggles that shadowed their final years, this concluding volume of Peter Guralnick’s acclaimed trilogy reveals the full complexity of their relationship.

Drawing on previously unpublished letters and telegrams from Parker’s own archives, it offers an intimate, unflinching portrait of two American originals: the visionary manager who invented the modern superstar and the artist who became one. Brilliant, flawed and inseparable, Elvis and the Colonel changed the music world forever.

‘Guralnick’s view of Parker is both clear-eyed and sympathetic, but best of all, it’s persuasive’ TIME

‘A riveting and revelatory read’ SUNDAY INDEPENDENT