Shown here in his early years from 1954 to 1960, when he still had the unrestrained power of a naive, exceedingly charming Southern boy who was slowly losing his innocence, Elvis Presley is presented as a scandalous, heartthrob teen idol, a rebel who captured the devotion of millions of fans. 64 photos, many in color.
In these early years, Elvis, with a few irrepressible hip gyrations, became a scandalous heartthrob, teen idol, and rebel who captured the devotion of millions of fans. The introduction is by the legendary music critic Lester Bangs (1949—1982), whose essays in magazines like Rolling Stone, Cream, and the Village Voice mark him as one of the most influential pop critics of the seventies.
Lester Bangs wrote for "Creem, the Village Voice," and "Rolling Stone,"
John Morthland, co-executor of the Bangs literary estate, was a colleague of Bangs from 1969 until the author's death. He was editor of "Creem" in 1974-75. He is a writer at large for "Texas Monthly,"