Walk A Lonely Street - now available

[George Smith]

What a brilliant 55 minute interview!

I can't wait for mine to get here.

And that TCB podcast was awesome.

Thank you, and Thank You!

[ck1]

Hey I know I'm late to the party here, but I just got the book for Xmas.

I'm half-way through, and loving it!

It gives a great understanding of how the music biz operated, and everything that needed to be in place ready for Elvis' coming. It really puts you back into 50's America.

Well done Tony!

[drjohncarpenter]

Hey I know I'm late to the party here, but I just got the book for Xmas.

I'm half-way through, and loving it!

It gives a great understanding of how the music biz operated, and everything that needed to be in place ready for Elvis' coming. It really puts you back into 50's America.

Well done Tony!

I'm on my second pass through Walk A Lonely Place.

It's like a roller coaster ride, as the pages turn and you see the story unfolding across so many people, places and events, and your anticipation builds and builds.

It is on the top shelf of books ever written on Elvis Presley.

That shelf has just a handful of worthy titles, and Walk A Lonely Place just made it a little more crowded.

It is meticulous, graceful and present.

We are very fortunate to have George Smith as part of our humble community.

[George Smith]

Hey I know I'm late to the party here, but I just got the book for Xmas.
I'm half-way through, and loving it!

Thanks for the nod, and you're doing some serious reading to get through it at such a pace! Bravo!

It is on the top shelf of books ever written on Elvis Presley.

I'm not sure I've received a more flattering review, thank you, John.

[Sebastian E]

Hi Tony, any news regarding an e-book release?

[drjohncarpenter]

Cannot believe your masterwork has been out a year and a half already. Such a worthy addition to the Presley canon!

Today I stumbled across some Mae Boren Axton correspondence you may not have seen before, forgive me if I've missed something, the world is stretching my sleep to the limit these days.

The first document is a gushing, congratulatory telegram to Elvis and Tom Parker which speaks of watching the young singer's TV debut, from Florida on a borrowed portable TV set, and happily receiving a copy of the new RCA single release, "Heartbreak Hotel."

Typically, she expressed no disappointment -- or concern -- that neither of the two numbers delivered on "Stage Show" was her new song. Her telegram was posted from Western Union on 2-02-1956 (Thu).

The second item, despite what is implied on the auction site, is a handwritten letter to Parker assistant Tom Diskin. At this point she is no longer in Florida, as her return address reads Broken Bow, Oklahoma.

I determined she was apologizing to Tom for not reaching him at WSM Nashville's "5th Annual Disc Jockey Festival," which ran from November 9-11, 1956.

Cash Box_Nov 10 1956_p01.jpg

Cash Box_Nov 10 1956_p02.jpg

Cash Box_Nov 10 1956_p36.jpg

Cash Box - November 10, 1956





Mae gently pushes a new composition she wrote for Elvis called "It Takes A Little Love."

Did a demo or tape of her co-write with Tommy Durden ever cross paths with Elvis?

It appears it never got published, which may be our answer:


Mae Boren Axton - Writer
https://repertoire.bmi.com/Search/Catalog?num=%252bxKR%252f3muHRwr2giQWOGy6Q%253d%253d

Thanks again for your book, a stupendous achievement.

PRESLEY-PARKER TELEGRAM - FEBRUARY 1956

560202_Mae Axton telegram to Parker.jpg

DISKIN LETTER - NOVEMBER 1956

561114_Mae Axton letter to Diskin.jpg

https://entertainment.ha.com/itm/entertainment-and-music/elvis-presley-mae-axton-telegram-and-letter

[George Smith]

John, what a lovely addition, thank you, and thanks too for your kind words.

Some of this is new to me, but the telegram is one I do hold in my records (it's subtly referenced in the book).

Many within the Durden camp will insist that Tommy was subsequently blackballed by Parker, perhaps because he attempted to circumnavigate Hill & Range.

Mae was the quintessential networker, and she probably wrote to almost every US citizen over the years in her distinctive hand.

The November Cashbox is a delight, isn't it. At this point she was composing her Dear John letter to Hank Snow, with perfect syntax, naturally.

Thanks again for your unrelenting support of this work. Hoping time is kinder during the summer season.

[mike edwards66]

Some of this is new to me, but the telegram is one I do hold in my records (it's subtly referenced in the book).

Funnily enough, George, I was only reading that very section a couple of mornings ago, and the reference is indeed subtle, so subtle some may have missed it! I'm currently on page 533, so getting there. Yours is not a book I have devoured, clearly, but more a book I have dipped in and savoured. The structure of your tale, tale being the operative word, leads me to believe that must have been, at least in part, your intent.

[George Smith]

Funnily enough, George, I was only reading that very section a couple of mornings ago, and the reference is indeed subtle, so subtle some may have missed it! I'm currently on page 533, so getting there. Yours is not a book I have devoured, clearly, but more a book I have dipped in and savoured. The structure of your tale, tale being the operative word, leads me to believe that must have been, at least in part, your intent.

Sadly, Mike, I'm so subtle that sometimes even I miss what I'm trying to say.

Your suggestion on my intent is correct.

Thanks for "savoured".

[timothy_sideburns]

Wow. What can I say? Finally got around to reading this book and it does not disappoint. Totally blew me away. I've read hundreds of books about Elvis and hundreds of books about music and rock n roll. This is up there with the absolute very best.

I have an instagram account that reviews Elvis books (@elvislibrary) and I just posted this review -

BOOK #79
WALK A LONELY STREET
Tony Plews
Published 2020

This book sells itself as the story of Heartbreak Hotel. But it’s so much more than that. It’s nothing less than the story of mid-century America and the birth of rock n roll.

Quite unlike any other non-fiction music book I’ve ever read, this book has the scope and drama of a great American novel. It’s on the epic scale of something like ‘American Tabloid’ by James Ellroy - a long and sweeping thriller with a cast of hundreds whose stories interweave with each other.

Tony Plews put in almost a decade of research to come up with these 700 pages/200,000 words and over 500 separate stories told. For such an epic tale the book is surprisingly accessible. Each story is told on a single page so you can almost dip in and out. It slowly draws you in, as the song emerges and the world is changed forever.

This book helps you understand just how rock ‘n’ roll itself came to be. It tells the stories of country, blues & gospel musicians; of songwriters and music publishers; of producers and record labels. We learn about men like Steve Sholes, Chet Atkins and Sam Phillips; and women like Mother Maybelle Carter, Big Mama Thornton & Mae Axton.

I can’t praise this astonishing book enough. It’s impeccably researched and exceptionally well written. It’s totally engaging and I couldn’t put it down.

EML VERDICT 10/10 Not just one of the very best Elvis books I’ve ever read, but one of the best music books I’ve ever read.

[Sebastian E]

That is high praise and indeed makes you want to read the book. If only the latter were available as an eBook.

[drjohncarpenter]

EXCELLENT.

Well-deserved -->

Wow. What can I say? Finally got around to reading this book and it does not disappoint. Totally blew me away. I've read hundreds of books about Elvis and hundreds of books about music and rock n roll. This is up there with the absolute very best.

I have an instagram account that reviews Elvis books (@elvislibrary) and I just posted this review -

BOOK #79
WALK A LONELY STREET
Tony Plews
Published 2020

This book sells itself as the story of Heartbreak Hotel. But it’s so much more than that. It’s nothing less than the story of mid-century America and the birth of rock n roll.

Quite unlike any other non-fiction music book I’ve ever read, this book has the scope and drama of a great American novel. It’s on the epic scale of something like ‘American Tabloid’ by James Ellroy - a long and sweeping thriller with a cast of hundreds whose stories interweave with each other.

Tony Plews put in almost a decade of research to come up with these 700 pages/200,000 words and over 500 separate stories told. For such an epic tale the book is surprisingly accessible. Each story is told on a single page so you can almost dip in and out. It slowly draws you in, as the song emerges and the world is changed forever.

This book helps you understand just how rock ‘n’ roll itself came to be. It tells the stories of country, blues & gospel musicians; of songwriters and music publishers; of producers and record labels. We learn about men like Steve Sholes, Chet Atkins and Sam Phillips; and women like Mother Maybelle Carter, Big Mama Thornton & Mae Axton.

I can’t praise this astonishing book enough. It’s impeccably researched and exceptionally well written. It’s totally engaging and I couldn’t put it down.

EML VERDICT 10/10 Not just one of the very best Elvis books I’ve ever read, but one of the best music books I’ve ever read.

[George Smith]

Wow. What can I say? Finally got around to reading this book and it does not disappoint. Totally blew me away. I've read hundreds of books about Elvis and hundreds of books about music and rock n roll. This is up there with the absolute very best.

I have an instagram account that reviews Elvis books (@elvislibrary) and I just posted this review -

Timothy, I am blown away by your flattering review -- it would seem you really "got" the book on all its intended levels.

Apologies for the lack of e-book option, Sebastian, life has taken an unexpected path since publication and my spare time is frustratingly short.

[drjohncarpenter]

Wow. What can I say? Finally got around to reading this book and it does not disappoint. Totally blew me away. I've read hundreds of books about Elvis and hundreds of books about music and rock n roll. This is up there with the absolute very best.

I have an instagram account that reviews Elvis books (@elvislibrary) and I just posted this review -

Timothy, I am blown away by your flattering review -- it would seem you really "got" the book on all its intended levels.

Apologies for the lack of e-book option, Sebastian, life has taken an unexpected path since publication and my spare time is frustratingly short.

James Ellroy!


https://www.instagram.com/p/ChpKEH6sWZQ/


.

[George Smith]

James Ellroy!

Indeed.

I feel a tad overwhelmed by that, to be honest.

[Alan_K]

James Ellroy!

Indeed.

I feel a tad overwhelmed by that, to be honest.

Its deserved. Simple as.
I've never read another writer like you.
If Elvis was the singer of that song then you are the writer to have about the history of the singing of that song.