Jerry Hopkins - Elvis : the Biography.

The Biography

Jerry Hopkins

F or the first half of this book, there were more than a thousand sources: dozens of books, plus all the articles in all the magazines, with special thanks to the offices (and the files) of Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter, plus all the newspapers, with the most help coming from the files of the New York Times (1956-70), the Los Angeles Times (1956-70), the Nashville Tennessean (1956-70), the Memphis Press-Scimitar (1954-70) and the Daily Journal in Tupelo (1930-70). Thanks, too, to the Tupelo Public Library and the Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood.

Approximately seventy-five individuals were interviewed for the second part of this book. Most of them hadnt been interviewed by anyone else before. Many gave me exclusive access.

One of these was Colonel Tom Parker, who never really gave me an interview, providing instead what took the form of low-key, rambling monologues. To him I offer my special thanks for allowing me to clear so many fences merely by dropping his name.

Others deserving deepest appreciation include Grelun Landon, Jerry Schilling, John Wilkinson, T.G. Sheppard and John Bakke, for their unstinting time and support.

There were many warm and co-operative people who gave their time, shared their memories and granted interviews.

In Tupelo: Mayor James Ballard, Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Grimes, Mrs. Faye Harris, Mrs. Tressie Miller, the Reverend Eugene Moffat, Buck Presley, Hershell Presley, J. M. (Ikey) Savery and John Tidwell.

In Memphis: Ginger Alden, Jo Alden, Jackson Baker, Mrs. Ruby Black, James BIackwood, Melissa Blackwood, Pat (Medford) Booth, Stanley Booth, T. C. Brindley, Ray Brown, Bill Burk, Marian Cocke, Richard Davis, JoCathy (Brownlee) Elkington, Maurice Elliott, Buzzie Forbess, Mrs. Elgie Forbess, Alan Fortas, Maggie (Smith)Glover, Arthur Groom, Lowell Hays, Jr., Milo High, Edwin Howard, W. J. Huettel, Bob Johnson, Stan Kesler, James Kingsley, George Klein, Jerry Lee Lewis, Marion Keisker Maclnnes, Elsie Marmann, Howard Massey, Mike McMahon, Chips Moman, B. P. (Buddy) Montesi, Bill Morris, Herbie Omell, Gary and Mr. and Mrs. Sterling G. Pepper, Sam Phillips, Tom Phillips, Dee Presley, Vester Presley, Mrs. Jane Richardson, Kang Rhee, Billy Ray Schilling, Mildred Scrivener, Willie Smith, David Stanley, James and Gladys Tipler and Bobby (Red) West.

In Nashville: Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, Mae Axton, Jerry Carrigan, Jack Clement, Betty Cox, Oscar Davis, Bobby Emmons, D. J. Fontana, Steve Goldstein, Jack Hurst, Juanita Jones, the Jordanaires (Gordon Stoker, Neal Matthews, Hoyt Hawkins, Ray Walker), Larrie Londin, Joe Mescale, Scotty Moore, Bob and Helen Neal, Minnie Pearl, Pete Peterson, Webb Pierce, Cecil Scaife, Diana Shepard, Dolores Watson Siegenthaler, Shelby Singleton, Mrs. Jo Walker, Bill Williams, Happy Wilson and Bobby Wood.

In Shreveport: Frank Page.

In New York: Fred Bienstock, Otis Blackwell, David Dalton, Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Leiber, Mort Shuman and Mike Stoller.

In Los Angeles: Bob Abel, Gerald Drayson Adams, Steve Allen, Wally Beene, Bill Belew, Steve Binder, Bill Bixby, Robert (Bumps) Blackwell, Hal Blaine, Dudley Brooks, Stan Brossette, Tony Brown, Walter Burrell, James Burton, Mrs. Virginia Coons, Yvonne Craig, Ken Darby, Joan Deary, Mac Davis, Dolores (Dee) Fuller, Pat (Perry) Gerson, Billy Goldenberg, Jack Good, Charles Greene, Glenn D. Hardin, Jon Hartmann, Bones Howe, Rick Husky, Ron Jacobs, Pete Johnson, Sam Katzman, Jerry Knight, Antonia Lamb, Malcolm Leo, Lance LeGault, Frank Lieberman, Larry Muhoberac, Gene Nelson, Rick Nelson, John OGrady, Bill OHallaren, Johnny Otis, Matty Pasetta, Joe Pasternak, Little Richard Penniman, Gerald Peters, Ellen Pollon, Jim Rissmiller, Johnny Rivers, Denis Sanders, Mario Sanders, Jerry Scheff, Sol Schwartz, Phil Spector, Gary Smith, Myrna Smith, Andy Solt, Cliffie Stone, Sam Theaker, Linda Thompson, Dean Torrance, Del Trollope, Moe Weise, Ben Weisman, John Wilson and Steve Wolf.

In Las Vegas: The employees and officers of the International Hotel, Bruce Banke, Sam Belkin, Gene Dessell, Joe Guercio, Marty Harrell, Bill Jost, Henri Lewin, and Artie Newman.