Elvis Presley and Richard Nixon are two of the most important and controversial figures of the twentieth century. Although fame came to them in very different ways, they rose from very similar backgrounds of poverty to seek the American Dream. These two remarkable men both had to face falls from grace, but while Nixon rebounded from Watergate to regain a reputation as a distinguished elder statesman, Elvis was destroyed by the pressures of fame, only to have his image restored after his death. Here, for the first time, the remarkable parallels in their lives are examined, balanced on the point of their historic December 21, 1970, meeting. Their similarities and differences as American icons are analyzed, and numerous photographs, including all those taken during their meeting, are included. Together, the stories of these two men form part of the essence of American culture.

Connie Kirchberg is a freelance writer specializing in biographies and popular American culture. She lives in Fresno, California.

Marc Hendrickx has authored books in Flemish, Dutch, and French covering such subjects as rock music legends and television hits. He lives in Wijnegem, Belgium.

Connie Kirchberg and Marc Hendrickx

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 232
Bibliographic Info: 8 photos, facsimiles, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2016 [1999]
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6399-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2337-5
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction 1
1. From a Jack to a King 3
2. Education Makes the Man 9
3. A Watchful Eye on the Future 12
4. Let the Games Begin 29
5. The Shaping of a Hero 43
6. The Survival of the Fittest 58
7. The New America: Hippies, Drugs, and Vietnam 80
8. The King Meets the President 89
9. No Man Is an Island 98
10. The Cancer Within 111
11. My Way: The Lonely Road to Recovery 141
Conclusion: Let the Record Show 169
Appendix: Documents and Photographs Pertaining to the Presley-Nixon Meeting 173
Notes 207
Select Bibliography 215
Index 219

“this book compares the lives of two American icons, paralleling their climbs from poverty to fame, money, and power that may have peaked at the point of their meeting in 1970”—Reference & Research Book News.