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Parker's involvement in the music industry began as a music promoter in the late 1940s, working with such country music stars as Minnie Pearl, Hank Snow, and Eddy Arnold. During this time he received the honorary title of "Colonel" in the Louisiana State Militia in 1948 from Jimmie Davis, the governor of Louisiana, in return for work he did on Davis's election campaign.
On August 18, 1955, Parker became Presley's manager officially, and in November he persuaded RCA Records to buy Presley out from Sun Records for $40,000 (which included $5,000 going directly to Elvis as a bonus), a considerable sum for that time. With his first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", one of whose authors-composers, Mae Boren Axton, had been one of Parker's associates for years, Presley graduated from rumor to bona-fide recording star.
It is debatable both whether Presley would have become the superstar he became without Parker and to what extent Parker's management of the King of Rock and Roll was Svengali-like. Parker held the reins of Presley's singing and acting career for the rest of Presley's life and was said to be instrumental in virtually every business decision that Presley made—including his decision to cut back on recording and stop touring after returning from his stint in the United States Army in 1960 in favor of a film career (from 1960 to 1967-68) that was lucrative in terms of his bank account but, to many critics and fans, bankrupting in terms of Presley's music quality.
It took the energetic 1968 television special Elvis, which the Singer Sewing Machine Company sponsored, and a subsequent series of acclaimed recording sessions in Memphis, Tennessee, to restore Elvis Presley's musical reputation. However, the Elvis "Singer Special" TV show was not intended to turn out the way it did. Parker was adamant that Presley would wear a Santa suit and sing Christmas Songs, as the show was due to be broadcast in December 1968. It was the producer of the show, Steve Binder, who put forward the idea of Elvis singing his old hits and even the staged section with his old band, Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana. Presley was never one to stand up against Parker, but he knew that this TV show was his one chance at a true comeback, and with Binder backing him, Presley told Parker he was doing it "Binder's way."
After the Special, Parker managed Elvis's return to live performance, including a set of brief U.S. tours and many engagements in Las Vegas. Following the success of Elvis's Las Vegas return, Parker signed a contract with the International Hotel to guarantee Elvis would play a month-long engagement for $125,000 a week, an unheard of sum at the time. During this part of Elvis's career, Parker and Presley agreed to a 50/50 "partnership," which, with Parker controlling merchandising and other non-music related items, resulted in Parker earning more than his client.
According to Presley biographer Peter Guralnick, Elvis and Colonel Parker "were really like, in a sense, a married couple, who started out with great love, loyalty, respect which lasted for a considerable period of time, and went through a number of stages until, towards the end of Elvis's life, they should have walked away. None of the rules of the relationship were operative any longer, yet neither had the courage to walk away, for a variety of reasons." Indeed, Elvis did reportedly on at least one occasion try to fire Parker; he gave an associate orders to "tell Parker he's fired," which the associate did. However, Parker replied that he would go only if Elvis gave him the order to do so in person. Parker may thus have taken advantage of Elvis's well-documented fear of direct confrontation in any case, he remained Elvis's manager without break until Presley's death
 
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| Top 10 Rock And Roll Managers Nov2010 |
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If drummers and bass players get lost in the media’s frenzy to focus on singers and guitarists, then have a little sympathy for the rock manager. Sometimes a svengali figure, sometimes a glorified accountant, sometimes a crook in rock and roll clothing, one thing is certain – every band needs a manager. Managers play an indispensable role in any band’s career, good and bad. According to "Ultimate Guitars", here are 10 of the most successful, colorful and, for the most part, musician-friendly managers in rock and roll history.
01. Colonel Tom Parker (Elvis Presley)
The role model for most of rock and roll’s subsequent managers, Parker was a natural-born huckster. He took the greatest talent in pop history to the top of the entertainment game with tactics he learned as a carny. In the circus, he entertained the crowds with dancing chickens, and critics might say he treated Elvis Presley much the same way through the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.
Parker was a cutthroat businessman, for himself first and his artist second. He was on a 50% commission with Elvis, at a time when 15-20% was the norm. He always demanded money up front, cultivated income from merchandising and totally controlled Elvis with the media. Directly after Elvis’ funeral in Memphis, Parker was in meetings to negotiate merchandise deals. An illegal American immigrant, Parker never allowed Elvis to tour internationally for fear of letting Presley out of his hands or control. But for good or bad, he was a devoted manager, always there when Elvis toured, played Las Vegas or made movies. He oversaw every aspect of the worldwide network of Elvis fan clubs, merchandise and record company deals.
The other managers are:
02. Brian Epstein (The Beatles)
03. Peter Grant (Led Zeppelin)
04. Malcolm McLaren (Sex Pistols)
05. Don Arden: (Black Sabbath, Gene Vincent, The Animals, Small Faces)
06. Andrew Loog Oldham (The Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithful, Humble Pie)
07. Allen Klein (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones)
08. Kit Lambert (The Who)
09. Simon Fuller (Spice Girls, Annie Lennox, Amy Winehouse)
10. Irving Azoff (The Eagles, Van Halen) |
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