Fortunate Son: The Life of Elvis Presley (American Portrait

by Charles L. Ponce de Leon

Days before his death, Elvis Presley saw a chance to earn the U.S. Marshal’s badge President Nixon had given him in the Oval Office back in 1970, where, in his bejeweled leisure suit, the drug-addicted Elvis had sworn himself to law and order. Spying a fight breaking out between two men and a gas station attendant, an overweight Elvis did his best to leap out of his limo and strike a karate pose. He was met with stunned disbelief and requests for autographs; when his police escort finally arrived, it was in hopes of a photo with the King.

In the 1950s Elvis was celebrity’s perfect storm. Gifted, charismatic, and telegenic, he was a rebel rooted in conservative Southern working-class morals. By the late 1960s, the storm had largely passed. A surging popular culture had upended those morals, and what had once seemed rebellious looked more and more reactionary. Far from daring and racy, Elvis’s moves seemed treacle; rather than trendsetting, his musical talent seemed grist for country ballads. Charles Ponce de Leon’s brilliant Fortunate Son succinctly places Elvis’s life within the larger shifts that redefined the cultural landscape during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, discovering in the mounting ironies of Elvis’s waning success the seeds of the mythology we live with today.

Genres: Biography

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"[Producer] Felton Jarvis had RCA send its mobile recording unit to Graceland, and in February 1976 a session was held in the recently redecorated 'Jungle Room.' Recording at home allowed [Elvis] to escape to his bedroom for hours at time. Here he listened to gospel records, watched television, and plotted to kill, vigilante-style, all the leading drug dealers in Memphis." -- on pages 198-199

I'm unfamiliar with author Ponce de Leon - other than gleaning that he is a history professor at SUNY - but based on his Fortunate Son: The Life of Elvis Presley he ought to take a shot at more U.S. history-related books. In a mere 210 pages he provides a very good and thorough biography about one of the most discussed and/or analyzed American public figures from the world of entertainment in the mid-20th century. It equally covers much of the good and bad concerning 'The King of Rock and Roll' while maintaining a thoughtful amount of empathy - how can ANYONE really live a 'normal' life after experiencing so much success at a young age - and also adeptly inserts a few sly moments of those 'it's funny because it's true'-type of humorous aspects amidst the proceedings. (Such as the quote I included above, which almost makes Presley sound like something akin to millionaire Bruce Wayne in the Batcave . . . Wait a minute - we never did see Elvis Presley and Batman in the same room together! 🤔) From the poverty-stricken childhood days of the WWII era in Tupelo to early success at the now-legendary Sun Records in Memphis to starring in 31 movies and headlining in Vegas, the troubled superstar who largely remained humble and charitable is afforded a compact bio that sidesteps being salacious but yet also does not whitewash his issues or situation.

[Addie Nolley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Captured the pop side of things in a super relatable way without sacrificing the academic. Scathing analysis of Presleys poor choices when it needed to be AND uber empathetic to his position an internal state. 10/10 will read again thank you Dr. Davis for the rec.

[Blaire Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look into the life of Elvis Presley and the role of media in it.