Elvis Presley: A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions

As director of RCA's Elvis catalogue, Jorgensen is one of the key figures behind the Elvis Presley CD box sets RCA has issued in recent years. This book makes a worthy companion to those historic releases. All of the King's known recordings--including rehearsals, live recordings and recordings made in the privacy of his hotel rooms--are approached with the same reverence that his studio sessions inspire, providing a framework for a narrative of Elvis's life. Indeed, eminent Presley biographer Guralnik (Last Train to Memphis) writes that, given Jorgensen's attention to detail, the author is ""either a madman or a great detective."" While so many Presley books are written by authors who never seem to overcome their poetic sense of awe regarding the King, Jorgensen, being an RCA executive, couches the story of Presley's life in the gritty details of the artist's work and gets past the myths, giving readers a glimpse of what it might have been like to be Elvis. Hence, his is a truly insightful book. 150 photos in color and b&w. Editor, Calvert D. Morgan. (July)