"The Colonel and the King” by Peter Guralnick; Little, Brown and Company; 624 pages

When Colonel Tom Parker approached Sam Phillips in 1955 with a proposal to arrange a recording contract for a little-known, but promising singer named Elvis Presley, Phillips was not only exasperated with the man’s nerve, he was indeed insulted.

Phillips responded with something like, “He records for me, Sun Records, and he’s not for sale!”

Phillips had already released five singles by Presley that had gained some regional success, but it was the fanatical response to Presley’s in-person shows at the Louisiana Hayride and small venues in the area that had so impressed the Colonel.

Never one to give up, ultimately Parker told Phillips to name his price and was told $35,000. Never before had a musician’s

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