Elvis and the Memphis Mafia

Excerpt from Chapter 16

       BILLY SMITH: Right before Elvis left Memphis to rejoin his unit at Fort Hood, he went to Gladys’s bedroom door and said, “I got to go, Mama,” and broke down right there. Of course, Gladys had been dead and in the ground for ten days or so. It like to killed him.
      The troop train that carried him to the Military Ocean Terminal in Brooklyn, New York, had to stop on a spur track in Memphis. I went to the train to see him with my mama and daddy. The sergeant wouldn’t let Elvis get off the train, but he let him come to the door. Some of the guys came, like George [Klein] and Alan [Fortas]. Elvis was really glad to see us. We told him we’d be waiting for him to get home because we were trying to act jolly. I climbed upon the train and told him how much I was going to miss him, and he leaned down and hugged me and said, “Take care, little fella, and stay in touch. I’ll be talking to you.”

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“Elvis Aaron Presley: Revelations From the Memphis Mafia is an essential addition to the Presley lexicon.”—Entertainment Weekly

“You don’t need to be an Elvis fan to be awed by this book. It is so detailed, gossipy, far- ranging, and coherent that it becomes a clear window on an entire era. The book’s genius is in the volume of fresh and flowing information… Nash is one of the finest, most perceptive chroniclers and appraisers of pop music in America.”—Billboard

“Alanna Nash has succeeded in creating a portrait of Elvis that gives new revelations in the heart and soul of the man and his music… [The book contains] broad, rich strokes of color that could only come from interviewing those who knew him best… If you’re a fan of Elvis Presley’s—as I am—this is a book you won’t want to put down.”—Brenda Lee

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION (from Amazon)
This vivid oral biography of Elvis Presley is based on the recollections of three members of the “Memphis Mafia,” the entourage who accompanied Elvis every day, from 1956 to his death in 1977. These were the men closest to Elvis, the ones who knew him best: Billy Smith, Elvis’ first cousin; Marty Lacker, foreman of the Memphis Mafia; and Lamar Fike, who joined the army with Elvis. Together, they offer rare insights into the greatest legend of them all, from the phenomenal successes to the long, devastating decline. A uniquely revealing portrait of a tragic figure whose immense talent changed the course of American music and culture.