Elvis Presley

Ernst Jorgensen has made a lifelong study of Presley, and as the director of RCA's Elvis recordings catalog for the past decade he has been granted exclusive, unlimited access to the label's tape vaults and archives. With Elvis Presley: A Life in Music Jorgensen puts us in the studio for every single session of Elvis's twenty-four-year career, from the first acetate he cut as an eighteen-year-old truck driver in 1953 to the series of concerts recorded just before his death in 1977.

At the heart of the book is an unparalleled collection of data on the recordings themselves: From complete musician rosters to master-take information, this collection sets a new standard for recording-session guides. Behind such statistics, though, is the story of Elvis Presley the recording artist - master synthesist, driven perfectionist, a one-man industry brought down by the very system built to support him. In a narrative rich with anecdote and insight, Jorgensen reveals how this ambitious singer worked tirelessly to create the sounds he heard in his own mind - and how, even when business or personal trials overwhelmed him, the music was always at the center of his life.