The Seeker King: A Spiritual Biography of Elvis Presley

by Gary Tillery

A woman in the audience once handed Elvis a crown saying, "You're the King." "No, honey," Elvis replied. "There is only one king -- Jesus Christ. I'm just a singer." Gary Tillery presents a coherent view of Elvis's thoughts through such anecdotes and other recorded facts. We learn, for instance, that Elvis read thousands of books on religion; that his crisis over making bimbo movies like Girl Happy led him to writers such as Gurdjieff, Krishnamurti, and Helena Blavatsky; and that, while driving in Arizona, an epiphany he had inspired him to learn Hindu practice. Elvis came to believe that the Christ shines in everyone and that God wanted him to use his light to uplift people. And so he did. Elvis's excesses were as legendary as his generosity, yet, despite his lethal reliance on drugs, he remained ever spiritually curious. When he died, he was reading A Scientific Search for the Face of Jesus . This intimate, objective portrait inspires new admiration for the flawed but exceptional man who said, "All I want is to know and experience God. I'm a searcher, that's what I'm all about."

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Music

216 pages, Paperback

First published September 9, 2013

Reviews

[Tandava Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd heard somewhere that there's a copy of Autobiography of a Yogi on a bedside table a Graceland, so when this book came out, I was very curious to know more. I knew very little about Elvis at all, and certainly not from a spiritual perspective, so it was fascinating. My heart really goes out to him, hearing of his great spiritual longing -- and, I think, potential -- and how much it was in conflict with his family, agent, entourage, etc. And in spite of the ignominious end he came to, I have a great deal more respect for him after having read this book. I would love to know what sort of karma could have led to an incarnation like that.

[Flat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like my Elvis biographies as crazy as possible, and this had its moments but wasn't as out there as I had hoped. Tillery drily reports that Elvis spotted UFOs and secretly believed himself to be Jesus Christ for a period following a vision in the sky, but otherwise there are many stories I've heard before, like Priscilla and Elvis torching his spiritual books in the backyard. My favorite biography remains Elvis and Gladys thanks to the concluding chapter about numerology.

[Christine Gardner]

Having been an Elvis fan since 1962, I didnt think I would rate this book very highly, but as I read everything and anything related to Elvis, I bought it. I actually was surprised how much I enjoyed it. It seemed to be mostly a well researched collection of events or facts or sayings from other books but collated well and well referenced. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Rcavictory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, but it wasn't as spellbinding as I was hoping! I knew about his desert sighting and the book burning, also thought he was Jesus Christ. What I found to be sad was when Priscilla and 3 of his police friends tried to get him into a rehabilitation center in San Diego, but he didn't think he had a problem. Would I read it again.... no!

[Freek Strootman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book interesting