Describe Based On Books Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Elvis #1)
| Title | : | Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Elvis #1) |
| Author | : | Peter Guralnick |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 576 pages |
| Published | : | September 1st 1995 by Back Bay Books (first published March 1st 1994) |
| Categories | : | Music. Biography. Nonfiction. History |
Peter Guralnick
Paperback | Pages: 576 pages Rating: 4.3 | 5541 Users | 367 Reviews
Narrative In Pursuance Of Books Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Elvis #1)
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.Identify Books As Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Elvis #1)
| Original Title: | Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley |
| ISBN: | 0316332259 (ISBN13: 9780316332255) |
| Series: | Elvis #1 |
Rating Based On Books Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Elvis #1)
Ratings: 4.3 From 5541 Users | 367 ReviewsAppraise Based On Books Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Elvis #1)
One of the most exhilarating stories ever told. Guralnick accomplishes something astonishing -- he rescues Elvis from myth, in the process reaffirms his legend. This volume chronicles Elvis's early life -- his crackling charisma, musical inventiveness and genuine iconoclasm. The backdrop is America in transformation -- postwar restlessness, racial integration and (much needed) rebellion. In the end, we see why America needed Elvis, and why, sadly, his tragic fall was so inevitable. As good a
The definitive volume on the life of Elvis Presley (along with Careless Love: the Unmaking of Elvis Presley, also by Guralnick) observed with both the detail and the distance required of a great biography. Let's face it: Elvis is THE American story about rock and roll, race, fame, and declineand Guralnick provides the essential details with an attention that could only come from someone who loved Elvis's music.
Peter Guralnick's books on American R&B, Soul, Country, Blues and Rock and Roll are all heartfelt, deeply researched, and written nearly entirely in the third person, and that last bit separates him from the self aggrandizing that mars the writing of so many other music writers covering the same ground. If he has a fault it is his reverence for his subjects. Accordingly, this first volume of his two volume biography of Elvis Presley will set you aglow with the excitement, innocence and
This was so good. Exciting, moving & so full of detail I felt like I could really see the events being described: a painfully shy Elvis transforming into a ball of energy on stage, coming out as if he had been "shot out of a cannon." Wonderful.
Essential. Definitive. Every Guralnick book Ive read takes me a while to get through but in the end Im thankful for such a complete picture he paints about a particular musician or genre. Fantastic if you want to understand Elvis in new and deeper ways.
Tried to read this but it has more detail than could ever be needed for a simple biography. Addresses, names of classmates...it read more like an encyclopedia than a biography. I didn't even get to his teenage years and was interested in learning more about Elvis's life, but this was way too detailed, at least for my purposes.
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