Jerry Schilling will be participating in Day One of the Elvis Insiders Conference on Friday, August 11th as part of Elvis Week 2006. He will be reading from and discussing his forthcoming book Me and a Guy Named Elvis. Following is a personal message from Jerry to the Elvis fans, advance praise for the book, links for advance ordering, and a link to a collection of photos of Elvis and Jerry. Enjoy.


Why I Wrote Me And A Guy Named Elvis

Elvis still matters. His music lives on, and, almost 30 years after his death, his life and achievements continue to have deep emotional impact on all of us. The fact that my friend's artistic legacy remains so strong makes me proud, but I did not write my book simply to celebrate that legacy. Frankly, you don't need me to tell you that Elvis was a great performer, that Heartbreak Hotel can still give you chills, or that If I Can Dream can still make you cry. But, I think that over the years, as Elvis's music and image have become more and more iconic, the very important human side of his story has been lost. That's what I wanted to capture in my book, because the Elvis I knew was not a legend – he was a man. A man of great talents, but also a man who struggled mightily to find a balance in his life between his creative passions and the real-world challenges he constantly faced. Elvis worked incredibly hard to achieve what he did, and if my book accomplishes anything, I want it to remind people what a revolutionary force he was in kicking down barriers – between different kinds of music and between people of different races – and in opening up a whole new world of possibilities for us with the gift of rock and roll. Beyond the music, I want to let people know what a deep person Elvis was, what an intelligent seeker of knowledge he was, and, most personally, what a real friend he was.

I've come to feel that my friend gave me his blessing for this book long ago when he was on a drive across the desert with karate instructor Ed Parker. Elvis told Ed he was considering writing his autobiography, to be titled Through My Eyes. He told Ed that he did not want many people around him involved in this project, but he mentioned only one by name that he did want to be a part of it: me. He was ready to trust me with his story back then, and I kept that very much in mind as I wrote my book.

In the fall of 1964, when I first went to work for Elvis after a decade of friendship with him, I was a few practice teaching credits shy of becoming a history teacher. Now after half a century of living through all kinds of experiences with this man and his family and friends, I've come full circle – I'm now ready to share some history. It just so happens that my subject of expertise is Elvis Presley, one of the most important figures of the 20th century and certainly the most remarkable man I've ever known. If I can get you to feel – really feel – a bit of what our times together were like, and give you a fresh appreciation of Elvis's life and work, then I will have accomplished in Me And A Guy Named Elvis what I set out to do.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank all the fans around the world who have always been so kind to me.

Jerry Schilling



Advance Praise for Me And A Guy Named Elvis

"This book kept me up late into the night as I turned the pages, reliving every situation and every story as if I were there all over again, until I finished. Jerry Schilling's words brought tears to my eyes, making me smile and nod as it filled my head with things I had forgotten but thankfully he remembered. Jerry tells his story with the freshness and purity of a man who truly loved his friend. Me and a Guy Named Elvis is not only authentic, honest and truly moving - it is a marvel." - Priscilla Presley

"Jerry had the keys to the kingdom, the keys to the King's houses, to the King's cars, to the heart of what made Elvis a King in the first place. Here he unlocks every door and his own heart to boot. In this book, Jerry Schilling brings grace to Graceland." - Bono

"Jerry Schilling has captured the beauty of my father's spirit in a way that has never been done before. I will admit that I was nervous to read another book on this subject, especially by a friend (there are not many who remain in my life from this time period, as Jerry does), but this book is by far my favorite. It is a captivating, well-written, and uncrucifying account of many historic moments that shows the real birth and evolution of Rock and Roll and how it bridged the racial divide. Jerry tells his story of a young boy growing up poor with no real family before fate changed his life during one Sunday afternoon game of football - and he tells it with humility, honesty, and dignity." - Lisa Marie Presley

"What Jerry Schilling has written in Me and a Guy Named Elvis is an account of one man's experience, a personal memoir that, while it places its narrator squarely in the midst of historic events, never claims credit for those events in the way that so many self-serving memoirs are inclined to do. It is a balanced treatment of a complex subject...What I think distinguishes the book most of all, though, is its emotional honesty, the generosity of spirit with which Jerry seeks to emulate his friend and mentor." - Peter Guralnick, author of Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love


Order the Book

Me and a Guy Named Elvis will be published in August. To order it now, visit one of these bookseller sites:

Amazon.com  BarnesandNoble.com  BooksaMillion.com  BookSense.com


Photos of Elvis and Jerry

See a collection of photos of Elvis and Jerry posted in the Photo Album section of Elvis.com.