Elvis and Gladys

By Elaine Dundy

Book Overview

Who on the planet doesn't know that Elvis Presley gave electrifying performances and enthralled millions? Who doesn't know that he was the King of Rock 'n' Roll? But who knows that the King himself lived in the thrall of one dominant person? This was Gladys Smith Presley, his protective, indulgent, beloved mother. Elvis and Gladys, one of the best researched and most acclaimed books on Elvis's early life, celebrates the extraordinary role Gladys played in her son's formative years. Uncovering facts not seen by other biographers, Elvis and Gladys reconstructs for the first time the history of the mother and son's devoted relationship and reveals new information about Elvis -- his Cherokee ancestry, his boyhood obsession with comic books, and his early compulsion to rescue his family from poverty. "For once, a legend is presented to us by the mind and heart of a literate, careful biographer who cares," wrote Liz Smith in the New York Daily News when Elvis and Gladys was originally published in 1985.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0025539108
• ISBN13: 9780025539105
• Release Date: January 1985
• Publisher: Macmillan Pub Co
• Length: 350 Pages
• Weight: 1.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

?

I found this book hard to follow. Maybe it's just me, but it jumps around way to much.As far as genealogy, it's very involved on his mothers side.

New Insights

What impressed me most was the account of Elvis' intense, enduring interest in performing beginning at an early age. She cites his participation in school shows, contests and courthouse jamborees, his involvement with entertainer Mississippi Slim, and his 240 mile hitch hike to compete at the Jimmie Rogers Festival. Elvis's association with Bill Black, his first bass player, occurred long before that famous Sun session that produced his first hit. Those who think that Elvis was just a truck driver that lucked up on a record hit are sadly mistaken. Elvis was into the music scene from the get go. He may have been lucky, but like they say, you make your own breaks. He was there, prepared, looking for the opportunity and taking the initiative. The life of Gladys and her influence on Elvis are well documented. I've read several Elvis books, and none provides a better description. Gladys had her own dreams of stardom which filtered through to Elvis. The author does a thorough, excellent job of researching and developing her own independent conclusions. For the most part, her logic rings true. In a very few instances, she may infer too much.

Thought Provoking Book

Elvis & Gladys is a very thoughtful book. I liked this book alot. It's almost like a history book. Not only does it tell a story of Elvis & his mother, but it paints a a vivid picture of the Southern culture that Elvis grew up in. The book also traces his mother's family coming to America (approx 200 yrs before Elvis was born). I thought it was a very interesting book to read.

The "mama's boy" who would be king!

The definitive story of a loving mother and son. Of all the horrible things written about this loving and decent man, the most horrific has been the allegations written by his disgruntled stepmother and perpetuated by the media, that Gladys sexually molested Elvis. If you use your own eyes, you could see how false this is. Children who are sexually abused by a parent, will go to great lengths never to be seen exchanging touches and kisses in public. It would be as if outsiders would know their shame and therefore they keep their distance. No matter who or how many people were around, Elvis unabashedly and unashamedly hung all over Gladys, like a doting, loving son, even with the cameras were rolling. If Vernon didn't like having his son in the bed with him and his wife, he should've worked harder to provide better accomodations for his family. Mama wasn't going to have her boy sleeping on no floor. Incredibly well researched, it is a warm historical account of what a mother's love can do for a shy insecure boy.

Absorbing, informative, worthy of its subjects

The relationship between Gladys Presley and her son Elvis is lovingly detailed in this excellent book. Both people were larger than life and this book explores their profoundly deep kinship, their effect on one another and how he would have to go on without her. Definately worth reading, even if you are not a disciple of the King; by the way, if you're not, why aren't you?