Me and a Guy Named Elvis: My Lifelong Friendship with Elvis Presley

On a lazy Sunday in 1954, twelve-year-old Jerry Schilling wandered into a Memphis touch football game, only to discover that his team was quarterbacked by a nineteen-year-old Elvis Presley, the local teenager whose first record, "That's All Right," had just debuted on Memphis radio

Jerry and Elvis became fast friends, even as Elvis turned into the world's biggest star. In 1964, Elvis invited Jerry to work for him as part of his "Memphis Mafia," and Jerry soon found himself living with Elvis full-time in a Bel Air mansion and, later, in his own room at Graceland. Over the next thirteen years Jerry would work for Elvis in various capacities--from bodyguard to photo double to co-executive producer on a karate film. But more than anything else he was Elvis's close friend and confidant: Elvis trusted Jerry with protecting his life when he received death threats, he asked Jerry to drive him and Priscilla to the hospital the day Lisa Marie was born and to accompany him during the famous "lost weekend" when he traveled to meet President Nixon at the White House.

Me and a Guy Named Elvis looks at Presley from a friend's perspective, offering readers the man rather than the icon--including insights into the creative frustrations that lead to Elvis's abuse of prescription medicine and his tragic death. Jerry offers never-before-told stories about life inside Elvis's inner circle and an emotional recounting of the great times, hard times, and unique times he and Elvis shared. These vivid memories will be priceless to Elvis's millions of fans, and the compelling story will fascinate an even wider audience.

Author: Jerry Schilling,Chuck Crisafulli
Publisher: Avery Publishing Group
Published: 08/01/2007
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.75lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.20w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781592403059
Audience: Young Adult

About the Author
Jerry Schilling is a lifelong friend and associate of Elvis Presley who has spent forty years in the entertainment industry as an actor, film editor, producer, and manager for such acts as the Beach Boys, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Billy Joel. His credits as a film and television producer include Disney's Elvis: The Great Performances; the ten-hour series History of Rock 'n' Roll; A&E biographies of Brian Wilson and Sam Phillips; and the CBS special Elvis by the Presleys.

Chuck Crisafulli is a veteran entertainment journalist and the author of several books.