Elvis and the Memphis Mafia

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.

"'You don't need to be an Elvis fan to be awed by this book. It is so detailed, gossipy, far-ranging, and coherent that it becomes a clear window on an entire era. The book's genius is in the volume of fresh and flowing information... Nash is one of the finest, most perceptive chroniclers and appraisers of pop music in America.' Billboard magazine"

Alanna Nash is also 'responsible for the best Elvis book to date (Uncut magazine): Elvis Presley: Revelations from the Memphis Mafia. A feature writer for the New York Times, she lives in Louisville, Kentucky.

This vivid oral biography of Elvis Presley is based on the recollections of three members of the "Memphis Mafia," the entourage who accompanied Elvis every day, from 1956 to his death in 1977. These were the men closest to Elvis, the ones who knew him best--Billy Smith, Elvis' first cousin; Marty Lacker, foreman of the Memphis Mafia; and Lamar Fike, who joined the army with Elvis. Together, they offer rare insights into the greatest legend of them all, from the phenomenal successes to the long, devastating decline. It is a uniquely revealing portrait of a tragic figure whose immense talent changed the course of American music and culture. Alanna Nash writes for "The New York Times" and "Entertainment Weekly. "She is the author of "The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley."

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