For Elvis, it all started with mama

Photo by United Press International, The Commercial Appeal files

Elvis Presley and Priscilla Ann Beaulieu cut the wedding cake following their wedding at Alladin Hotel in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967. A new book titled “Baby, Let’s Play House: Elvis Presley and the Women Who Loved Him,” focuses on the women who were part of Elvis’ life.

Alanna Nash thought she was done with Elvis Presley.

But a few years back, the Louisville-based music journalist and author who has written three previous books on the singer and his inner circle -- including a groundbreaking biography of Presley's manager Col. Tom Parker and an oral history with members of the Memphis Mafia -- began to wonder whether there was one crucial perspective that had yet to be explored about Presley's life.

Photo by United Press International, The Commercial Appeal files

Elvis Presley and Priscilla Ann Beaulieu cut the wedding cake following their wedding at Alladin Hotel in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967. A new book titled “Baby, Let’s Play House: Elvis Presley and the Women Who Loved Him,” focuses on the women who were part of Elvis’ life.

Although numerous memoirs by Elvis' ladies and lovers have been published over the years, no single volume managed to effectively examine his complex relationship with women.

"I thought here is one of the premiere sex symbols of the 20th century, the quintessential male sex symbol of all time, and yet there hasn't been one book, purely from the female perspective," says Nash. "I figured, now that is justification for writing another Elvis book."

In the summer of 2007, Nash got an assignment from Ladies Home Journal to write about Elvis on the 30th anniversary of his death. Nash and her editor hatched an idea for a series of oral histories from women who were part of Elvis' life -- including family members, movie co-stars, and sweethearts.

The assignment would spark the several years of work that has yielded Nash's latest effort, "Baby, Let's Play House: Elvis Presley and the Women Who Loved Him." Nash will appear at David-Kidd Booksellers on Thursday to read from and sign copies of the book, helping to kick off weeklong festivities marking what would have been Elvis' 75th birthday.

The nearly 700-page epic, from HarperCollins' !t imprint, is an exhaustive and penetrating work that functions as an intimate personal profile, a family study and a psychosexual investigation of one of the 20th century's true cultural icons.

For Nash, the key was to look at more than Presley's romantic liaisons, but to understand his relationships with all kinds of female figures.

"I wanted it not to be just girlfriends. I wanted it to focus on the unsung women who had shaped him to a great degree," says Nash, who writes about a number of these mentors, including Sun Records secretary Marion Keisker, songwriter Mae Axton and RCA promotions woman Anna Fulchino.

"In part, I wanted to give credit to a number of women who helped in ways that we haven't read about before," she says, "but who were important in shaping him and getting him ready for the national scene."

Nash's book ultimately answers several key questions about Presley, and his relationship to his female friends, lovers and fans.

"For me, part of the story was, given the conservatism of the 1950s and given his religious background, how he was so in touch with his sexual side," says Nash.

"Basically, how did this shy, polite, well-mannered young man became something quite different on stage. And how that part of him came to embody the fantasies of a generation, and how he became someone who changed the mores of that generation."

Also, Nash explores the flip side to Presley's tremendous charisma and reputation.

"I wanted to know how being this foremost sex symbol impacted his relationships with the opposite sex; it seemed it would be an awful lot of baggage," Nash says.

"But, most importantly, I wanted to know how a man who genuinely loved and revered women and who sought their company, could not find a single long-lasting romantic relationship."

For Nash, the answer goes back to his relationship with his mother, Gladys.

"It had everything to do with his his mother. They were so close going back to when he was a small child and his father was incarcerated. They were bound so tightly during the time when his personality was just forming," says Nash.

Nash also points out that the Presley's twin Jesse Garon, who was stillborn, loomed large as part of his maternal bond.

"Because of Jesse, Elvis and Gladys had this circle of grief as well as a circle of love that didn't allow for anyone else. There wasn't room for another long-lasting important relationship for him, other than in these kinds of superficial ways. Either that, or they would be very intense for a time but when he would get close to marriage ... he would pull away."

The exception, of course, was the woman he did marry, Priscilla Ann Beaulieu.

"The timing of his meeting Priscilla is uncanny," says Nash. "He'd just buried his mother, he's grieving and he finds a dark-haired girl, very mature for her years, who reminds him of the young Gladys -- and she listens to him. She's a great listener. And Elvis needed that at that point in his life."

Priscilla, who was just 14 when they met, represented for Presley a type that would appear throughout his life: the young adolescent girl, whom he would rear and nurture.

"You have to consider that in terms of emotional maturity Elvis never really got past the age of 15 to 18," says Nash. "He never quite grew up. That's part of his charm. But that's also part of his tragedy with women. When he does find a grown-up woman -- an Ann Margaret or a Linda Thompson -- he doesn't really know how to relate to them.

"Instead he keeps picking young girls who can't give him what he really needs, can't fill his emotional needs. So he keeps moving on to the next and the next and the next. Really, that was the case until he died."

With her latest Presley project behind her, Nash hopes to develop a TV documentary based on her Col. Parker biography, while she plans her next book -- one that she's certain won't be about Elvis.

"I can't imagine I have anything else to say," says Nash, laughing. "That doesn't mean there isn't more to say, but I think I've said all I can. Also, for me personally, it's really wrenching to go through Elvis' tragedy each time -- and in this case, Gladys' tragedy as well. But with this book, I feel like I was able to bring something new to our understanding of Elvis."

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"Baby, Let's Play House: Elvis Presley and the Women Who Loved Him"

Author Alanna Nash will read and sign copies at 6 p.m. Thursday at Davis-Kidd Booksellers, 387 Perkins Extended. For details, call 683-9801.

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ELVIS WEEK EVENTS

Elvis would have been 75 on Jan. 8. Here is a list of public events for the 2010 Elvis Presley birthday celebration. For more information and a full list, go to elvis.com.

Thursday, Jan. 7

Elvis' 75th Birthday Celebration Tupelo Day Tour with Sweet Magnolia Tours: Boarding at 8:15 a.m. with departure at 8:30 a.m. Tour returns to Memphis at 4 p.m. Departs from the Tennessee Welcome Center, 119 Riverside Dr. Cost is $72 per person. For more information, call 901-369-9838 or 866-320-5295.

Elvis Meetup at Marlowe's: Noon, 4381 Elvis Presley Blvd. No cover charge, but guests pay for their own food, beverage and tip. Elvis door prizes will be given and special guests have been invited. All proceeds will benefit the Shelby County Humane Society. Contact Sharon Parker at elvismeetup atmarlowes@hotmail.com or call 615-830-5126.

Friday, Jan. 8

D&N's and Elvis Meetup's Gospel Tribute to Elvis: 12:01 a.m., in front of the Graceland gates. D&N's Elvis Presley Fan Club and the Elvis Meetup Fan Club invite you to join their annual tradition. Meet at the gates of Graceland at midnight on Elvis' birthday as they join fans from across the globe singing familiar gospel songs, and, of course, Happy Birthday to Elvis.

Elvis Presley Day Ceremony: 9:30 a.m. on Graceland Plaza near the main ticketing area. Enjoy a ceremony with special guests Lisa Marie and Priscilla Presley along with Graceland/EPE officials, a birthday cake cutting and a proclamation of Elvis Presley Day by Memphis and Shelby County officials. Free admission.

Live Entertainment in Ticket Pavilion by Terry Mike Jeffrey: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Graceland Ticket Pavilion. Elvis music performed by Terry Mike Jeffrey. Free.

"Elvis: My Best Man" Autograph Signing with George Klein: 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Elvis Lives Exhibit, Graceland Plaza. Meet George Klein, Elvis' friend and author of the new book titled "Elvis: My Best Man." Copies of the book will be available at the book signing for purchase.

"Elvis: A Tribute to the King of Rock 'n' Roll" Autograph Signing with Author Frank Hyland: 2 p.m-4 p.m. Good Rockin' Gift Shop, Graceland Plaza. Meet Frank Hyland, author of "Elvis: A Tribute to the King of Rock 'n' Roll." Books will be for sale at the signing.

4th Annual Rock-a-Hula Girls Charity Benefit: 3 p.m. -- 5 p.m. Marlowe's Restaurant, 4381 Elvis Presley Blvd. Cost is $20 and tickets are available at the door.

2010 Grizzlies Elvis Birthday Night: 7 p.m The Memphis Grizzlies will be playing the Utah Jazz in an arena filled with Elvis-themed music, movie clips, and live entertainment. Tickets to the game available at Grizzlies.com.

Saturday, Jan. 9

Conversations on Elvis: Elvis in Tupelo: 2 p.m.-4 p.m., Memphis Marriott East, 2625 Thousand Oaks Blvd. The event will focus on Elvis growing up in Tupelo and his return to Tupelo in 1956. Conversations on Elvis will be hosted by Tupelo historian Roy Turner, and will also feature rarely-seen photos and video of Elvis. Tickets are $20; on sale through Graceland reservations by calling 800-238-2000 or 901-332-3322.

Memphis Symphony Orchestra presents Elvis Birthday Pops: 8 p.m., The Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, 255 North Main St. in downtown Memphis. Elvis returns to the Cannon Center to celebrate his landmark 75th birthday in style with Terry Mike Jeffery, his band and special guests James Burton, Ronnie Tutt and Glen D Hardin of the TCB Band. Tickets range from $150 (VIP) to $28. To order, call the box office at 537-2525 or go to 585 S. Mendenhall Rd.

Elvis 75th Birthday Bash on Beale: 9 p.m. Beale Street, Downtown Memphis. Join Elvis fans from around the world as they celebrate Elvis' birthday on Beale Street. All the clubs will include Elvis-themed entertainment, drink specials and more. Must be 21 or older. Tickets are available for purchase through Graceland and can be presented at the door of any club on Beale Street for a wristband. Wristbands will give you access to all the clubs on Beale Street. Cost is $15.00.

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