Mammoth ... Comprehensive ... The book isn’t hagiography, because Guralnick does so much research and reporting for every book that he’s incapable of writing a one-sided account of any subject. That said, The Colonel and the King often reads like a Parker apologia, or at least a concentrated effort to set some records straight ... One can admire Guralnick’s thoroughness and sense of mission while also wishing for tighter results. I found the arc of Parker’s story quite intriguing, even as I got a little tired of it.
With unique access to an incredible stash of correspondence, Guralnick reveals Parker’s charm, humor, genius, and audacity, depicting a genuine person, not the sinister Svengali of other accounts.
Guralnick offers a compelling narrative for anyone interested in rock-and-roll. He dispels the image of Parker as a money-hungry leech by convincingly casting him as a hard-working, honest manager who cared deeply for his client.
Sprawling ... Guralnick’s brisk prose, assiduous attention to detail, and generous insights make this both an engrossing study of the complex interpersonal dynamics between two outsize personalities and a revealing peek into the making one of rock ’n’ roll’s biggest acts. Presley fans won’t be able to put this down.
