went down in history as an undisputed legend and pop culture icon. His songs conquered the charts and started a musical revolution. Colonel Tom Parker was responsible for his undoubted success. It was he, an illegal immigrant and gambler, who made a splash around the king of rock and roll and made him fall in love with the crowds. However, the collaboration had its dark side, which only came to light many years after the artist’s premature death.
The beginnings of cooperation were successful. Elvis Presley quickly became successful
Presley’s manager has been hiding many secrets since the beginning of his activity in the industry. Although he claimed to be an American who had run away from home to work in the circus, the truth was quite different. In fact, he came from the Netherlands, where he was born Andreas van Kuijk, and came to America at the age of 20 as an illegal immigrant. It was also then that he began to introduce himself as Colonel Tom Parker, although he never really was. The data, which he used until his death, he took over from a military man who recruited him to the army, in which he served for some time. His beginnings in the entertainment industry were related to the sale of hot dogs. He later put up posters and then went on to promote and manage aspiring artists.
In 1955, one of Parker’s associates, Oscar Davis, heard a live performance by the then 20-year-old. He introduced him to the Colonel, who at that time had already managed artists such as Eddy Arnold and Gene Austin. In the young man, he saw not only talent, but also a chance for huge money. The manager offered him cooperation and just a year later they signed a contract that for Presley was both a ticket to fame and a nail in the coffin.
Presley’s implicit trust proved fatal. The manager took advantage of his naivety for years
The cooperation between Presley and Parker was successful for many years. The singer trusted his manager implicitly and fully relied on his decisions, not only in terms of career, but also private life. It was the Colonel who persuaded Presley to join the army, and years later he also persuaded him to marry Priscilla. he owed him everything related to his stage success, but he did not know that Parker was using his position to make his fortune.
Initially, the manager had a contractual 25% of the musician’s income, but over time he increased the rate, which meant that half of Presley’s earnings went to his hand. In addition, the Colonel also received half of the proceeds from the sale of licenses and any merchandise that was associated with the king of rock and roll. Similar rates applied to negotiating contracts, appearing on television or concluding contracts for roles in films. Interestingly, Parker earned money not only on what promoted his client and was created with his fans in mind. A significant part of his earnings also came from competitors, i.e. all those who sold products aimed at the artist’s opponents, such as key chains with the inscription “I hate Presley”.
The first disputes between the manager and his ward appeared in the 1960s, when the reputation began to decline. This was due to the poor quality of the productions in which the artist performed. For Parker, however, money was what mattered, and the films, while garnering dismal reviews, were hugely profitable. The fact that the king also wanted to give concerts abroad added fuel to the fire. However, the colonel did not have American citizenship and trembled at the thought of leaving the country, so he did everything to prevent the international tour from taking place, which he eventually succeeded in doing.
Gambling was the reason for increasing the frequency of concerts. This led to the premature death of Elvis Presley
In the late 1960s, Parker ran into huge debts due to his gambling addiction. Then he came up with the idea of organizing a series of concerts that would help him earn a fortune to pay off his debts. In the years 1969 – 1977, the king of rock and roll performed at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, where he played a total of 636 concerts. However, while Presley was sleeping off after the shows he gave at night, the Colonel spent his time in the casino, losing millions playing craps or roulette. “Colonel Parker was probably one of the most degenerate gamblers I’ve ever met in my life,” artist friend Lamar Fike recalls having personally witnessed him lose over a million dollars in just an hour and a half.
Unfortunately, such frequent performances for the musician turned out to be too exhausting. His health began to fail, and he became addicted to drugs and strong prescription drugs that his manager provided for him. The consequence of these actions was the premature death of Elvis Presley. The King of Rock and Roll died on August 16, 1977 at the age of 42.
After Presley’s death, Parker managed his fortune for a long time, keeping his relatives away from the great fortune. During a court hearing in 1980, it was revealed that the Colonel had been working to the detriment of the musician for years, which caused the artist to lose millions of dollars in royalties. During the hearings, it turned out that for more than two decades, Parker had repeatedly robbed him and collected a staggering sum of all his profits, which the court described as unethical conduct. The battle for the estate lasted until 1983 and ended with the Presley family winning.
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Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
