New Releases by Peter Guralnick

From the award-winning biographer of Elvis Presley, a groundbreaking dual portrait of the relationship between the iconic artist and his legendary manager—drawing on a wealth of the Colonel's never-before-seen correspondence to reveal that this oft-reviled figure was in fact a confidant, friend, and architect of his client’s success In early 1955, Colonel Tom Parker—manager of the number-one country music star of the day—heard that an unknown teenager from Memphis had just drawn a crowd of more than eight hundred people to a Texas schoolhouse, and headed south to investigate. Within days, Parker was sending out telegrams and letters to promoters and booking agents: “We have a new boy that is absolutely going to be one of the biggest things in the business in a very short time. His name is ELVIS PRESLEY.” Later that year, after signing with RCA, the young man sent a telegram of his own: “Dear Colonel, Words can never tell you how my folks and I appreciate what you did for me.... I love you like a father.” The close personal bond between Elvis and the Colonel has never been fully portrayed before. It was a relationship founded on mutual admiration and support. From the outset, the Colonel defended Elvis fiercely and indefatigably against RCA executives, Elvis’s own booking agents, and movie moguls. But in their final years together, the story grew darker, as the Colonel found himself unable to protect Elvis from himself or control growing problems of his own. Featuring troves of previously unpublished correspondence, revelatory for both its insights and emotional depth, The Colonel and the King provides a unique perspective on not one but two American originals. A tale of the birth of the modern-day superstar (an invention almost entirely of Parker’s making) by Peter Guralnick, the most acclaimed music writer of his generation, it presents these two misunderstood icons as they’ve never been seen before: with all of their brilliance, humor, and flaws on full display.

In Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1950s, there was hard-edged blues playing on Beale Street, and hillbilly boogie on the outskirts of town. But at Sam Phillips’ Sun Records studio on Union Avenue, there was something different going on – a whole lotta shakin’, rockin’, and rollin’. This is where rock ’n’ roll was born. Sun Records: the company that launched Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins. The label that brought the world, “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “Breathless,” “I Walk the Line,” “Mystery Train,” “Good Rockin’ Tonight.” The Birth of Rock ’n’ Roll: 70 Years of Sun Records is the official history of this legendary label, and looks at its story in a unique way: through the lens of 70 of its most iconic recordings. From the early days with primal blues artists like Howlin’ Wolf and B.B. King to long nights in the studio with Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, you will see how the label was shaped and how it redefined American music. Accompanying the recordings is the label’s origin story and a look at the mission of the label today, as well as “Sun Spot” sidebars—a fascinating dive into subjects such as how the iconic logo was created, the legendary Million Dollar Quartet sessions, and how the song “Harper Valley, PTA” funded the purchase of the label. Written by two of the most acclaimed music writers of our time, Peter Guralnick and Colin Escott, and featuring hundreds of rare images from the Sun archives as well as a foreword by music legend Jerry Lee Lewis, this is a one-of-a-kind book for anyone who wants to know where it all started.

"Ich war schon immer der Meinung, dass Sun Records und Sam Phillips die entscheidensten, erhebensten und stärksten Platten aller Zeiten produziert hatten. Bei Sun Records sangen die Künstler um ihr Leben und hörten sich an, als kämen sie aus der rätselhaftesten Ecke des Planeten. Wenn man sie hinter sich ließ und den Blick zurück warf, konnte man zur Salzsäule erstarren." Bab Dylan, Chronicles Die Biografie über das visionäre Genie, das den revolutionären Weg von Sun Records im Alleingang lenkte. Vom Autor der von der Kritik gefeierten Elvis-Presley-Biografie "Last Train to Memphis" und "Careless Love" endlich in deutscher Sprache: Sam Phillips: der Mann, der den Rock ́n ́Roll erfand. Die Musik, die er in seinem winzigen Memphis-Studio mit so unterschiedlichen Künstlern wie Elvis Presley, Ike Turner, Howlin' Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis und Johnny Cash prägte, brachte einen Sound hervor, der noch nie zuvor gehört worden war. Er schuf eine einzigartige Mischung aus schwarzen und weißen Stimmen, die voller Leidenschaft die Vitalität der amerikanischen Volkstradition verkündete und gleichzeitig ein für alle Mal einen neuen, integrativen Musikstil proklamierte. Mit umfangreichen Interviews und persönlichen Beobachtungen aus erster Hand, die sich über einen Zeitraum von 25 Jahren erstreckten, sowie umfangreichen Interviews mit nahezu allen legendären Sun Records-Künstlern, liefert uns Guralnick ein leidenschaftliches, ungeschöntes Porträt eines amerikanischen Originals. Der Autor Peter Guralnick begleitete Sam Phillips und seine Weggefährten über viele Jahre hinweg, um einen umfassenden Einblick in Sun Records und dessen gesamtes Umfeld zu erlangen. Er beschreibt Sam Phillips' schweren Start, aber natürlich auch seinen unglaublichen Aufstieg. Besonders spannend ist dabei, auch bisher eher unbekannte Seiten von Sam Phillips kennen zu lernen. Seine große Liebe zum Radio, seine Motivation, im Tonstudio immer ausgefeiltere Aufnahmetechniken zu entwickeln oder sein Drang zu waghalsigen Expansionsmanövern weit über die Grenzen seiner Wahlheimatstadt Memphis hinaus. Gleichzeitig zeigt Peter Guralnick aber auch die Schattenseiten von Sam Phillips auf, die es im Wirken außergewöhnlicher Persönlichkeiten vielleicht immer gibt. Wir lernen in diesem Buch einen Geschäftsmann mit einem unvorstellbaren Antrieb und einem unbändigen Durchhaltevermögen kennen, aber natürlich auch einen ganz persönlichen Sam Phillips. Doch dieses Buch ist mehr als nur eine Biografie über Sam Phillips. Es ist eine Biografie über die Entstehung der amerikanischen Popkultur. Es ist die Biografie einer Musikszene, die unsere heutige Kultur so entscheidend geprägt hat wie keine zuvor und keine danach. Es ist die Biografie über ein Amerika, in dem der Blues und der Rock'n'Roll in kleinen Schritten, aber ganz entscheidend für die Gleichberechtigung von Menschen aller Hautfarben gekämpft hat.

By the bestselling author of Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll and Last Train the Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley, this dazzling new book of profiles is a culmination of Peter Guralnick’s remarkable work, which from the start has encompassed the full sweep of blues, gospel, country, and rock 'n' roll. It covers old ground from new perspectives, offering deeply felt, masterful, and strikingly personal portraits of creative artists, both musicians and writers, at the height of their powers. “You put the book down feeling that its sweep is vast, that you have read of giants who walked among us,” rock critic Lester Bangs wrote of Guralnick’s earlier work in words that could just as easily be applied to this new one. And yet, for all of the encomiums that Guralnick’s books have earned for their remarkable insights and depth of feeling, Looking to Get Lost is his most personal book yet. For readers who have grown up on Guralnick’s unique vision of the vast sweep of the American musical landscape, who have imbibed his loving and lively portraits and biographies of such titanic figures as Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, and Sam Phillips, there are multiple surprises and delights here, carrying on and extending all the themes, fascinations, and passions of his groundbreaking earlier work. One of NPR’s Best Books of 2020 One of Kirkus Review/Rolling Stone’s Top Music Books of 2020 One of No Depression’s Best Books of 2020

This highly acclaimed biography from the author of Last Train to Memphis illuminates the extraordinary life of one of the most influential blues singers of all time, the legendary guitarist and songwriter whose music inspired generations of musicians, from Muddy Waters to the Rolling Stones and beyond. The myth of Robert Johnson’s short life has often overshadowed his music. When he died in 1938 at the age of just twenty-seven, poisoned by the jealous husband of a woman he’d been flirting with at a dance, Johnson had recorded only twenty-nine songs. But those songs would endure as musical touchstones for generations of blues performers. With fresh insights and new information gleaned since its original publication, this brief biographical exploration brilliantly examines both the myth and the music. Much in the manner of his masterful biographies of Elvis Presley, Sam Phillips, and Sam Cooke, Peter Guralnick here gives readers an insightful, thought-provoking, and deeply felt picture, removing much of the obscurity that once surrounded Johnson without forfeiting any of the mystery. “I finished the book," declared the New York Times Book Review, "feeling that, if only for a brief moment, Robert Johnson had stepped out of the mists.”

Rare audio interviews and exclusive video clips are among the special features of this enhanced ebook. The author of the critically acclaimed Elvis Presley biography Last Train to Memphis brings us the life of Sam Phillips, the visionary genius who singlehandedly steered the revolutionary path of Sun Records. The music that he shaped in his tiny Memphis studio with artists as diverse as Elvis Presley, Ike Turner, Howlin' Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash, introduced a sound that had never been heard before. He brought forth a singular mix of black and white voices passionately proclaiming the vitality of the American vernacular tradition while at the same time declaring, once and for all, a new, integrated musical day. With extensive interviews and firsthand personal observations extending over a 25-year period with Phillips, along with wide-ranging interviews with nearly all the legendary Sun Records artists, Guralnick gives us an ardent, unrestrained portrait of an American original as compelling in his own right as Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, or Thomas Edison. This enhanced edition includes: Exclusive video clips featuring the author's interviews with Sam Phillips, his family, and his Sun Studios collaborators Jack Clement, Roland James, and J.M. Van Eaton. Rare audio interviews with Sam Phillips, spanning 1979 to 1990, as well as audio interviews with Carl Perkins, Billy Sherrill, and Phillips's former assistant Marion Keister.

Hailed as "a masterwork" by the Wall Street Journal, Careless Loveis the full, true, and mesmerizing story of Elvis Presley's last two decades, in the long-awaited second volume of Peter Guralnick's masterful two-part biography. Winner of the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award Last Train to Memphis, the first part of Guralnick's two-volume life of Elvis Presley, was acclaimed by the New York Times as "a triumph of biographical art." This concluding volume recounts the second half of Elvis' life in rich and previously unimagined detail, and confirms Guralnick's status as one of the great biographers of our time. Beginning with Presley's army service in Germany in 1958 and ending with his death in Memphis in 1977, Careless Love chronicles the unravelling of the dream that once shone so brightly, homing in on the complex playing-out of Elvis' relationship with his Machiavellian manager, Colonel Tom Parker. It's a breathtaking revelatory drama that for the first time places the events of a too-often mistold tale in a fresh, believable, and understandable context. Elvis' changes during these years form a tragic mystery that Careless Love unlocks for the first time. This is the quintessential American story, encompassing elements of race, class, wealth, sex, music, religion, and personal transformation. Written with grace, sensitivity, and passion, Careless Love is a unique contribution to our understanding of American popular culture and the nature of success, giving us true insight at last into one of the most misunderstood public figures of our times.

A gripping narrative that captures the tumult and liberating energy of a nation in transition, Sweet Soul Music is an intimate portrait of the legendary performers--Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, James Brown, Solomon Burke, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and Al Green among them--who merged gospel and rhythm and blues to create Southern soul music. Through rare interviews and with unique insight, Peter Guralnick tells the definitive story of the songs that inspired a generation and forever changed the sound of American music. This enhanced edition includes: Exclusive video footage prepared specifically for the enhanced eBook that has never been seen before. Rare audio clips.

This masterful explorationof American roots music--country, rockabilly, and the blues--spotlights the artists who created a distinctly American sound, including Ernest Tubb, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Elvis Presley, Merle Haggard, and Sleepy LaBeef. In incisive portraits based on searching interviews with these legendary performers, Peter Guralnick captures the boundless passion that drove these men to music-making and that kept them determinedly, and sometimes almost desperately, on the road. This enhanced edition includes: Exclusive video footage prepared specifically for the enhanced eBook that has never been seen before. Rare audio clips.

Hailed as "a masterwork" by the Wall Street Journal, Careless Loveis the full, true, and mesmerizing story of Elvis Presley's last two decades, in the long-awaited second volume of Peter Guralnick's masterful two-part biography. Winner of the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award Last Train to Memphis, the first part of Guralnick's two-volume life of Elvis Presley, was acclaimed by the New York Times as "a triumph of biographical art." This concluding volume recounts the second half of Elvis' life in rich and previously unimagined detail, and confirms Guralnick's status as one of the great biographers of our time. Beginning with Presley's army service in Germany in 1958 and ending with his death in Memphis in 1977, Careless Love chronicles the unravelling of the dream that once shone so brightly, homing in on the complex playing-out of Elvis' relationship with his Machiavellian manager, Colonel Tom Parker. It's a breathtaking revelatory drama that for the first time places the events of a too-often mistold tale in a fresh, believable, and understandable context. Elvis' changes during these years form a tragic mystery that Careless Love unlocks for the first time. This is the quintessential American story, encompassing elements of race, class, wealth, sex, music, religion, and personal transformation. Written with grace, sensitivity, and passion, Careless Love is a unique contribution to our understanding of American popular culture and the nature of success, giving us true insight at last into one of the most misunderstood public figures of our times.

Written with grace, humor, and affection, Last Train to Memphis has been hailed as the definitive biography of Elvis Presley. It is the first to set aside the myths and focus on Elvis' humanity in a way that has yet to be duplicated. A New York Times Notable BookWinner of the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award "Elvis steps from the pages. You can feel him breathe. This book cancels out all others." --Bob Dylan From the moment that he first shook up the world in the mid 1950s, Elvis Presley has been one of the most vivid and enduring myths of American culture. Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley is the first biography to go past that myth and present an Elvis beyond the legend. Based on hundreds of interviews and nearly a decade of research, it traces the evolution not just of the man but of the music and of the culture he left utterly transformed, creating a completely fresh portrait of Elvis and his world. This volume tracks the first twenty-four years of Elvis' life, covering his childhood, the stunning first recordings at Sun Records ("That's All Right," "Mystery Train"), and the early RCA hits ("Heartbreak Hotel," "Hound Dog," "Don't Be Cruel"). These were the years of his improbable self-invention and unprecedented triumphs, when it seemed that everything that Elvis tried succeeded wildly. There was scarcely a cloud in sight through this period until, in 1958, he was drafted into the army and his mother died shortly thereafter. The book closes on that somber and poignant note. Last Train to Memphis takes us deep inside Elvis' life, exploring his lifelong passion for music of every sort (from blues and gospel to Bing Crosby and Mario Lanza), his compelling affection for his family, and his intimate relationships with girlfriends, mentors, band members, professional associates, and friends. It shows us the loneliness, the trustfulness, the voracious appetite for experience, and above all the unshakable, almost mystical faith that Elvis had in himself and his music. Drawing frequently on Elvis' own words and on the recollections of those closest to him, the book offers an emotional, complex portrait of young Elvis Presley with a depth and dimension that for the first time allow his extraordinary accomplishments to ring true. Peter Guralnick has given us a previously unseen world, a rich panoply of people and events that illuminate an achievement, a place, and a time as never revealed before.

It was the twang heard 'round the world: Rockabilly was born out of country, bluegrass, jazz, and the blues in the 1950s, becoming rock 'n' roll and ruling the world. Here's the story of Elvis Presley's first Sun records that inspired all. And here's Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and many more rockabillies from the golden years of 1955–1959, in a book chock full of photos, collectible memorabilia, movie posters, rare records, fashion, and rebel lifestyle. Includes contributions from noted music journalists Greil Marcus, Peter Guralnick, Luc Sante, Robert Gordon, and more. The story continues today, with a rockabilly revival that began with stars, such as the Stray Cats and Robert Gordon, spreading around the globe from Europe to Japan. Today, rockabilly is better than ever, with bands like Rev. Horton Heat and others playing the music and living the life from Memphis to Helsinki to Tokyo. There's still good rockin' tonight!

Peter Guralnick—in this, his only novel to date—draws on his rich storytelling skills and his intimate knowledge of music to create an an unforgettable character, and to give us an "engrossing, evocative" (Washington Post) look at the blues life. The Screamin' Nighthawk is a legendary bluesman, an uncompromising musician, and a cantankerous old man awash in memories of road trips and one-night stands, recording sessions and barroom escapades, love affairs and driven, inspired, down-home music making. As Hawk travels back down Highway 61 to Yola, Mississippi, for what may be his last gig, the novel immerses us in the world of Hawk, his friends and family, the nursemaid manager he craftily evades, and the beautiful young blues singer who alone can crack Hawk's crusty exterior.

Du country blues du Deep South à la naissance du rock du côté de Memphis, des champs de coton aux studios Chess de Chicago, Peter Guralnick a rencontré, parfois peu de temps avant leur disparition, ces illustres pionniers (Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis) et ces perdants magnifiques (Skip James, Robert Pete Williams, Charlie Rich) qui ont écrit quelques-unes des plus belles pages de la musique populaire américaine. Publié pour la première fois aux Etats-Unis en 1971, inédit jusqu'à aujourd'hui en France, Feel Like Going Home est désormais considéré comme un document exceptionnel et un incontournable classique qui inaugure une nouvelle façon d'écrire sur la musique. Comme un livre intense et émouvant qui ne donne qu'une envie : se plonger dans les enregistrements avec des oreilles neuves. Comme un livre culte absolument intemporel enfin, signé d'un des deux ou trois plus grands écrivains spécialisés dans la culture musicale américaine.

Pasará mucho tiempo antes de que otra biografía coseche tan encendidos elogios como los obtenidos por esta obra definitiva (el adjetivo no es por una vez hiperbólico) sobre la fulgurante ascensión y la apoteósica decadencia de un cantante ya instalado en la mitología popular contemporánea. Basten dos muestras extraídas del New York Times: «Un triunfo del arte biográfico [...] un libro profundo y conmovedor» (Stephen Wright); «hagamos un poco de ruido [...] la mejor biografía jamás escrita sobre una estrella del rock» (Gerald Marzorati). Incluso el huraño Bob Dylan ha abandonado su guarida para unirse al coro de apologistas: «[Elvis] parece salir de estas páginas, notamos cómo respira; este libro anula todos los demás». Tras una meticulosa investigación, Pete Guralnick afronta las luces y las sombras de Elvis para devolvernos a la persona silenciada por su máscara y rescatar la realidad sepultada bajo el templo de la idolatría. Guralnick no juzga ni declama: se limita a mostrar los hechos con apasionado rigor o con piadosa objetividad sin caer jamás ni en la crueldad exhibicionista ni en el sentimentalismo devoto. El resultado es un retrato magistral del individuo y de la sociedad que lo elevó a los abismos del trono.

Pasará mucho tiempo antes de que otra biografía coseche tan encendidos elogios como los obtenidos por esta obra definitiva (el adjetivo no es por una vez hiperbólico) sobre la fulgurante ascensión y la apoteósica decadencia de un cantante ya instalado en la mitología popular contemporánea. Basten dos muestras extraídas del New York Times: «Un triunfo del arte biográfico [...] un libro profundo y conmovedor» (Stephen Wright); «hagamos un poco de ruido [...] la mejor biografía jamás escrita sobre una estrella del rock» (Gerald Marzorati). Incluso el huraño Bob Dylan ha abandonado su guarida para unirse al coro de apologistas: «[Elvis] parece salir de estas páginas, notamos cómo respira; este libro anula todos los demás». Tras una meticulosa investigación, Pete Guralnick afronta las luces y las sombras de Elvis para devolvernos a la persona silenciada por su máscara y rescatar la realidad sepultada bajo el templo de la idolatría. Guralnick no juzga ni declama: se limita a mostrar los hechos con apasionado rigor o con piadosa objetividad sin caer jamás ni en la crueldad exhibicionista ni en el sentimentalismo devoto. El resultado es un retrato magistral del individuo y de la sociedad que lo elevó a los abismos del trono.

L'auteur retrace la saga du King, de ses origines modestes, du côté de Tupelo (Mississippi) à sa mort le 16 août 1977. Au-delà de sa biographie, il offre une vision des Etats-Unis durant plusieurs décades et analyse l'émergence d'une nouvelle culture populaire qui va très vite conquérir le monde.

Empoisonné par un mari jaloux à l'âge de vingt-sept ans, soupçonné d'avoir vendu son âme au diable contre des dons musicaux exceptionnels, Robert Johnson est devenu un véritable mythe. A tel point que la légende aurait pu éclipser le génie du guitariste. Pourtant, des fins fonds du Mississippi, Robert Johnson a joué un rôle essentiel dans l'histoire de la musique, influençant des générations de bluesmen et de rockers, de Muddy Waters jusqu'aux Rolling Stones. Dans cette ode lumineuse au " King of the Delta Blues ", Peter Guralnick éclaire l'homme autant que la légende. Il évoque avec subtilité le lieu et le temps qui les ont engendrés. Au travers d'entretiens avec des contemporains de Johnson - tels Johnny Shines et Robert Lockwood -, ce récit restitue avec poésie l'univers et l'art d'un musicien dont l'œuvre, fulgurante, n'en finit pas de fasciner.

Premier volet d'une biographie en deux tomes, nourrie de nombreuses recherches, qui renouvelle le portrait de l'homme et de l'artiste. [SDM].

Acclaimed Elvis biographer Peter Guralnick returns with a revealing portrait of Sam Cooke--a black performer who appealed to white audiences, wrote his own songs, and controlled his own business destiny. Fully capturing Cooke's accomplishments, "Dream Boogie" also conveys the astonishing richness of the black America of this era. 55 b/w photos.

Epopée humaine, ouvrage érudit, chronique d'une époque et de sa musique - Sweet Soul Music est tout cela à la fois, et plus encore. On peut lire ce livre comme une galerie de portraits, ceux des personnalités les plus marquantes de la musique soul du sud des Etats-Unis, et l'on part ainsi à la rencontre de personnages légendaires de la musique populaire noire, tous plus complexes et fascinants les uns que les autres : Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Solomon Burke, Otis Redding, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Isaac Hayes ou encore AI Green. On peut également y suivre une extraordinaire aventure humaine, celle de l'ascension et de la chute du label Stax - celui de Booker T. & the MGs, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave - et se plonger ainsi dans une époque clef de la culture populaire américaine, dans ces années 60 bouillonnantes où travaillent pour la première fois ensemble, non sans heurts, pleurs et grincements de dents, culture afro-américaine et culture blanche, musique sacrée et musique profane, tradition et innovation. Méticuleusement documenté, étayé par de nombreuses interviews, Sweet Soul Music se lit comme un roman - mais comme un roman vrai, celui d'hommes et de femmes qui ont changé l'histoire de la musique populaire et qui ont participé au grand bouleversement des mentalités raciales et sociales dont les effets se font encore sentir aujourd'hui. "Achetez ce livre ! Vous ferez une véritable affaire ! Vous n'imaginez pas le nombre de merveilleux disques que vous vous sentirez obligés d'acheter après avoir lu Sweet Soul Music ! " (Elvis Costello) "Sweet Soul Music fait partie du Top 5 de mes livres favoris." (Rob Fleming, dans Haute Fidélité de Nick Hornby).

From Elvis's definitive chronicler and Ernst Jorgensen, the premier archivist and reissue producer of Elvis's recordings, comes a unique portrait of Presley's life and music. 300+ photos.