Let me tell you a story about a young man named Greg McDonald who, as a kid, had the chance of a lifetime. He met Elvis Presley when he went to change the air filter at the King of Rock 'n' Roll's Palm Springs rental home. Can you believe that? Now, Elvis, being the curious soul he was, started asking McDonald questions about his life and even told him to stop by his manager Colonel Tom Parker's house to change the air filter there too. Little did Greg know, that meeting would change his life forever.
A New Memoir Sheds Light on the Real Relationship Between Elvis and Colonel Tom
In his brand-new memoir, Elvis and the Colonel, Greg McDonald, who worked alongside Colonel Tom Parker for an impressive four decades, dives deep into the truth behind the famous partnership between the two legends. "The real Tom Parker was nothing like the image people had of him," Greg shares. In fact, the Colonel had a warm, almost fatherly relationship with Elvis. "They genuinely loved and respected each other," explains Marshall Terrill, the book’s co-author, in an exclusive interview with Closer.
The Myth of Colonel Tom Parker: Separating Fact from Fiction
Tom Parker crafted his tough-guy image to protect Elvis, telling his young protégé McDonald that the artist was always the "saintly" one. "This myth of Colonel Parker as a powerful, cigar-chomping, malevolent leech was actually started by Colonel Parker himself," Terrill explains. "When he was negotiating on Elvis' behalf, he wanted people to be afraid of him." But behind closed doors, Tom, an immigrant from the Netherlands and a self-made man, had a great sense of humor, a soft spot for animals, and was fair in the money he charged Elvis for his services. He and his wife even invited teenage McDonald to live with them so he could attend school full-time.
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Colonel Tom Didn't Push Elvis to His Limits: Setting the Record Straight
The belief that Colonel Tom heartlessly worked Elvis to death by locking him into a long-term contract in Las Vegas, as portrayed in the recent Baz Luhrmann film Elvis, is simply not true, according to the book. "Elvis only played Vegas twice a year, and the engagements were just four to six weeks each time," says Terrill. The real issue? Elvis' extravagant lifestyle burned through money so fast that the star would often call Colonel Tom, urging him to book more gigs. "The reason why Elvis worked so much was because he spent every dollar he made," says McDonald. "He was constantly overdrawn at the bank. He didn't have the luxury of saying, 'I don’t want to work this month.'"
By 1973, Colonel Tom realized Elvis had a serious problem with prescription drugs. "When Elvis began using, it started affecting his performances and the Colonel’s ability to book him," says Terrill. "That’s when their relationship became strained." Colonel Tom reached out to Elvis' father, Vernon, asking him to step in and try to convince Elvis to get help. "It became a matter of figuring out how to get a man to save himself," says Terrill.
Understanding Elvis' deep love for gospel music, Colonel Tom considered putting the singer on tour with a choir, hoping that being away from the rock 'n' roll scene might help. "He believed gospel music could save him," said McDonald. Unfortunately, this plan never came to fruition after Elvis' relationship with Colonel Tom deteriorated. Upset that a hotel worker he'd been friendly with had been fired (for reasons unrelated to him), Elvis publicly criticized the Hilton’s owner and management during a performance.
"Elvis was way out of line that night," recalls McDonald, who says that it was "practically World War III in the dressing room" when Tom confronted Elvis. They continued to work together but were never as close again.
Even so, Elvis' death in 1977 left Colonel Tom utterly devastated. "Part of him died too," says Terrill, noting that although Tom lived another 20 years, he never took on another client. "He said, 'I've had the best. Anyone else would be a step down.'" It’s a poignant reminder of the bond these two men shared, despite the challenges they faced.
