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Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley
: I am a 27 year old memphis native, and, as such, grew up with an interest in Elvis, despite the "uncool" stigma attached. This is a wonderful, honest and incredibly enjoyable book, and hopefully will help people see beyond the media's biased view of this man.
The greatest book about the greatest entertainer of all-time. This book is excellent and, of course, the best Elvis biography ever. The extent of Guralnick's research makes this a must read for everyone, even the Elvis fan who knows "everything." This book is told more from the Elvis' point of view than its sequel, and is, consequently, a much better book. This book goes a long way in convincing those ignorant in the history of music that true Elvis rock-n-roll is simply a melding of Country and R&B.
I read this about 3 years ago & it is the absolute best of all the many books out on Elvis. In fact, this is probably one of the best rockstar biographies I have ever read, and I've read most of them. Peter Guralnick interviewed close friends & family members who bring back memories of Elvis' growing up and how he got started in music. I anxiously await the second part of this book that Mr. Guralnick is supposedly working on, which brings us up to date from where this book leaves off. Highly recommended for all Elvis fans.
Wonderfully detailed chroncling of Elvis Presley's life and music, put into the perspective of 1950s America. The book covers Elvis' life up until the time his mother dies and he is shipped to Germany. This is a breathtaking story of a young boy with a dream that was beyond anything anyone in his circumstances could imagine or anything he could ever have expected to attain. Last Train to Memphis takes the reader through the evolution of music into rock 'n' roll and shows us the mores of the times, as well as all the people who helped Elvis along the way. It makes one anxious to get on to volume 2, Careless Love.
 I was stuck on a long car ride with the abridged version of this book. In order to get it down onto two cassettes, the abridgers consistently managed to suck every bit of life and color out of the story, producing the Monarch Notes equivalent of the story. You could tell where the interesting quotes would have gone. I've learned my lesson; I'll only listen to unabridged tapes from now on.
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