Synopses & Reviews
That voice, those eyes, that hair, the cars, the girls...Elvis Presley revolutionized American pop culture when, at the age of twenty-one, he became the world's first modern superstar. A Memphis Beau Brummel even before he found fame, Elvis had a personal style that, like his music, had such a direct impact on his audience that it continues to influence us to this day.
Elvis Presley compellingly examines Elvis' life and style to reveal the generous, complex, spiritual man behind the fourteen-carat-gold sunglasses and answers the question, "Why does Elvis matter?"
"Elvis Presley is the greatest cultural force in the twentieth century," proclaimed Leonard Bernstein. By any measure, Presley's life was remarkable. From his modest beginnings in a two-room house to his meteoric rise to international fame, everything about his life -- his outsized talent to his car collection -- clamored for attention. And he got it; even today, Elvis continues to fascinate.
Written with the assistance of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Pamela Clarke Keogh's biography draws on extensive research and interviews with Presley friends and family, among them Priscilla Presley, Joe Esposito, Jerry Schilling, Larry Geller, Bernard Lansky, famed Hollywood photographer Bob Willoughby, and designer Bill Belew. Offered access to the Graceland archives, the author considered thousands of images, selecting more than one hundred color and black-and-white photographs for this book, many of them rarely seen before.
Both a significant biography of the greatest entertainer of our time and a provocative celebration of what Presley means to America today, Elvis Presley introduces the man behind the myth, a very human superstar beloved by millions.
Synopsis
That voice, Graceland, the cars, the girls, the hair...Elvis Presley revolutionized American pop culture when, at age twenty-two, he became the world's first modern superstar. A Memphis Beau Brummell even before he was famous, Elvis's personal style, like his music, had such a direct impact on his audience that it continues to permeate our world to this day. With "Elvis Style Pamela Keogh compellingly examines Elvis's life and style to reveal the generous, complex, spiritual man behind the fourteen-carat gold sunglasses. As Keogh demonstrates in "Elvis Style, Presley is in every sense a dynamic style icon--a man who traveled from poverty to fame, and through his very life, defined modern culture. From his days as a young man in Memphis who wore black lace shirts and long hair, to his years as a rockabilly bad boy in a slouchy Lansky jacket, through the clean cut Hollywood phase, and finally to the jumpsuit-wearing Vegas era, Presley's sense of style--like the sound of his voice--was unmistakable. Drawing from extensive research and interviews, and featuring ninety black-and-white photographs from the Presley archives, Keogh introduces readers to the distinct Elvises that emerged throughout his career, complete with fascinating insights into his life and times. The result is a both an entertaining exploration of the King and a timely, provocative celebration of what he means to America today.