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'Elvis How Great Thou Art
An Immersive Biography'
By Lee Jackson
Book Review by Nigel Patterson, April 2025
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Book Review
Elvis How Great Thou Art - An Immersive Biography
by Lee Jackson
Independently published, 2025, Softcover (6 x 9 inches), 212 pages, ISBN-13: 979-8314601792
Reviewed by Nigel Patterson, April 2025
The latest biography about Elvis is an interesting one…….. as its title suggests, it is an “immersive” biography (more on this below).
Lee Jackson’s account covers all major events in the multi-varied story of Elvis Presley. It is largely descriptive and flows with an easy-to-read style.
Not surprisingly, with only 212-pages, the book lacks the depth of the Guralnick, Hopkins and other major Elvis biographies. Compensating (to a degree) for this, is the author’s clever decision to integrate URL codes throughout the narrative, allowing readers to scan the code and view information and music videos (in the public domain) that offer more detailed information or appreciation of various subjects or issues – hence its “immersive” nature.
A second design element is the author’s use of shaded text blocks on various pages to highlight certain issues/side issues.
Throughout his narrative it is obvious Jackson has carefully chosen what parts of the Elvis story he wants to provide in more detail. For example, Elvis’ last few years of films are given only cursory mention.
At other points the author discusses particular recordings, films or appearances in some detail. About Flaming Star he comments:
After G.I. Blues, Elvis sought to diversify his career by taking on more challenging and serious roles. The western Flaming Star provided him with an opportunity to prove himself as an actor……….
………Flaming Star is more serious and dramatic than Elvis’ previous movies*, highlighting his strength and compassion in a challenging role.
*Reviewer’s note – King Creole was equally serious and dramatic
On Elvis’ return to live performing:
Elvis’ concerts in the 1970s were a blend of various American styles. He aimed to encapsulate the entire American experience through his music. His performances featured a large band, including gospel singers and an orchestra, which added to the grandeur of his shows. Watching him perform was a pure delight, and his passion for making music was evident.
The book includes a 50-page Appendix comprising information on a range of specific issues. There is a discography, listing all of Elvis’ recordings from My Happiness (1953) to Unchained Melody (1977) and the album each debuted on. There is also a consolidated listing of the QR links (name and source attribution) and a small list References & sources.
Other sections in the Appendix are devoted to the movie years, Elvis’ earnings (year by year), Elvis’ wardrobe, Elvis’ girlfriends, Elvis’ airplanes, UK record sales and chart positions, concerts, awards, Elvis’ generosity, and more.
As with most (if not all) books about Elvis it is not perfect. For instance, there are a number of sweeping statements that are erroneous. For example:
By May 1968, Elvis was not selling as many singles as he once did. Colonel Parker recognised this decline……… they began to emphasise television appearances as a new strategy for revitalising Elvis’s career.
The reality is that, unlike his TV propelled rise to stardom in 1956, when he performed live on TV on 12 occasions, Elvis only appeared on television three times from 1968 to 1977. These were the ’68 Comeback Special, Aloha from Hawaii (1973) and the posthumous special, Elvis in Concert (1977).
The key spur to Elvis selling more records from 1968 was twofold, the move away from film soundtrack recordings as singles to stronger studio material, and Elvis returning to live performing.
Various b&w photos dot the book. Of special interest are early archival material and photos relating to Elvis’ story from birth to the mid-1950s. The photos are generally of a good size and image quality.
About the QR links (note: I did not scan all of the large number of links)
The QR links predominately link to music recordings (relevant to the time period).
Highlights (for me) of the music links included a 1955 version of Milkcow Blues Boogie, the How Great Thou Art album (in full), and the full (audio only) Boston Garden concert from November 10, 1971 - unlike soundboard recordings you really hear how raucous the audience reaction was.
The non-music links include Variety’s 'Top Ten Elvis Film List', 'Ann-Margret Talking About Elvis', 'Dolly Parton talking about Elvis wanting to record I Will Always Love You', and 'Elvis’ car collection'. I was surprised there wasn’t a QR code relating to Elvis’ death.
The music to information QR code imbalance is my major concern about the book. From a strict biography perspective, it would have benefitted significantly by a greater number of codes linking to information sources (rather than music)!
Conclusion
Elvis How Great Thou Art An Immersive Biography may not be the strongest biography you will read (as a book), but it is an easy read as a general refresher on the Elvis story.
Importantly, its inclusion of QR codes linking to relevant audio-visual content is a great innovation allowing readers to listen to the related music or choose which parts of the story they are interested in knowing more about. Subject to my earlier comment, this option will be particularly welcomed by those who don’t like having to plough through endless book pages about issues they aren’t particularly interested in or know very well, and also by those with a preference for audio-visual information (I suspect this is increasingly preferred by many people).
I hope more authors include the QR code option.
For more info and to purchase go here >> AMAZON US - or - AMAZON UK
About the author: Lee Jackson is an entrepreneur in the field of information technology, with a solid foundation in computer science and programming acquired from Isleworth Polytechnic in London. He is also an experienced event planner and coordinator – he was pivotal role in organising the inaugural UK Elvis Championships. He manages the website: elvistributeartistsworldwide.com
The author’s previous book was The World of Over 100 Elvis Tribute Artists (2021). He also narrated Aubrey Malone’s The Elvis Diaries audiobook series.
Comment on this Review
Book Review by Nigel Patterson.
-Copyright EIN April 2025
EIN Website content © Copyright the Elvis Information Network.
(Book Review) Elvis - The King of Fashion (Lorraine Gibson): This recent book release by award-winning journalist, Lorraine Gibson, is a biography infused with Elvis’ iconic fashion sense.
The book's description includes.. Elvis' extraordinary story, told through a fashion lens, celebrates the shy, lonely boy who awakened an entire generation to forbidden fruits.
The defiant hair, the sultry good looks, the gender-ambivalent outfits - even the famous sideburns of the man who would be King - are all considered in loving detail.
From impoverished scamp and teenage anti-heroin pink, through Hollywood heartthrob and sensual leather-clad rock star, to caped superhero in Vegas jumpsuits, the author describes his clothes with as much joy as she does his journey through the decades.
EIN’s Nigel Patterson, replete with blue suede shoes, paisley shirt and polarised sunglasses, took time out to read Ms Gibson’s entertaining release.
Read Nigel’s full review
(Book Review, Source:ElvisInformationNetwork) |
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(Book Review) Elvis, Hero of the Comic Books (Nigel Patterson): Respected Elvis author and reviewer, Gordon Minto, recently put on his reviewer’s cap to take on what he rightly describes as “a strange landscape” of how Elvis is portrayed in comic books (aka sequential art), a subject, which until now, has not been well covered or understood.
The book in question, Elvis, Hero of the Comic Books, was written by EIN’s Nigel Patterson and sublimely designed by Elvis Day By Day’s, Kees Mouwen.
The book includes stunning artwork from a number of releases and an eclectic variety of Elvis related comic book ephemera. Elvis, Hero of the Comic Books features more than 600 images!
Read Gordon’s detailed review to discover why he found the book to be “refreshingly different, extremely eye-catching, well-researched and well-written, while offering a new slant on things”.
(Book Review, Source: Gordon Minto;ElvisInfoNet) |
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(Book Review) 'Fact vs. Fiction in the 2022 ELVIS Movie' (Trina Young): EIN’s Nigel Patterson recently sat down to read Trina Young’s fourth book about Elvis. Given its core intent, Fact vs. Fiction in the 2022 ELVIS Movie is not a standard narrative, but rather, an illuminating treatise assessing degrees of fact and fiction in what was the most successful non-franchise movie of 2022, Baz Luhrmann’s spectacular assault on your visual and auditory senses, ELVIS.
For the core section of the book, Ms Young rates each scene based on four different criteria (note that for each scene it's time in the film is included). The author then provides narrative details for each of the last three criteria, the Storyline information often running to several pages. Her ratings for historical accuracy (truth) can be truly enthralling.
Read Nigel’s 1,750-word review
(Book Review, Source: ElvisInformationNetwork) |
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Book Review: 8mm Elvis - The Story of Elvis on 8mm': Long before the days of Bluray, DVD and VHS people watched home movies on 8mm film.
'8mm Elvis The Forgotten Format' is a glossy, colour, hardback book cataloguing the history of Elvis on 8mm film.
Author Vince Wright has been collecting all the Elvis 8mm he could find since the 80s.
He explained.. “I was cataloguing all these films hoping someone would write a book about it – I waited, they didn’t, so I did.”
So in 2023, and after many years of searching and researching, the author has released his comprehensive narrative and visual record of Elvis on 8mm.
This book is unique in its narrative and visual content and is an important inclusion in the complex jigsaw puzzle that forms a complete record of the multi-varied story of Elvis Presley.
Go here to read Nigel Patterson's review
(Book Reviews, Source;ElvisInformationNetwork) |
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'The Airplanes & The King' In-depth review: The original spanish book 'Los Aviones Y El Rey' by Carlos Varrenti was republished as an expanded English version 'The Airplanes & The King' towards the end of 2022.
Not only that but it was expanded from its original 197 pages to an amazing 400 pages with a lot of unreleased material and stunning photos from the 'Elvis Files' vaults!
The English version was unfortunately delayed by supply issues due to the worldwide Covid pandemic - but has now been published as a High quality Hardback book.
As an Aeronautical engineer and Elvis fan, Varrenti is well qualified to write a book which details Elvis’ history with his aircraft and his link to aeronautics in general. With photos and stories from 1955 through to 1977 - and beyond - the book is also an interesting historical look at Elvis’ life "on tour" but this time with an delightfully original theme.
EIN's Nigel Patterson takes a very detailed look at this impressive publication and discovers a trove of delights...
(Book Reviews, Source:ElvisInformationNetwork) |
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(Book Review) Elvis Live At The International 50th Anniversary Edition (Kieran Davis): In 2011, Kieran Davis released the highly praised book, Elvis Live At The International. In 2022, he has published an expanded 50th Anniversary edition…and what an expansion it is!
The latest edition dwarfs the original with 432 pages compared to 172 in the original release.
And the added 250+ pages of additional material is stunning, making the 50th Anniversary release one of the best Elvis books published in 2022.
As its title reflects, the book covers Elvis' appearances at the International Hotel in Las Vegas between 1969 and 1971 (it was renamed the Las Vegas Hilton in July 1971). The narrative element is significantly based around fan, Peggy Elzea’s copious diaries, and a bumper array of archival material. Peggy’s experience seeing Elvis in Las Vegas is one every fan will envy.
There is so much fascinating information and so many striking images in the book that it is hard to know where to start in describing it...
Read Nigel Patterson’s detailed 2,700 words review
(Book Review, Source:ElvisInformationNetwork) |
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(Book Review) 'The Sonic Swagger of Elvis Presley: A Critical History of the Early Recordings' (Gary Parker):. ‘For Elvis Presley, stardom was the promise, and he made the trip, but at an extraordinarily high cost’. This is one of the thought provoking themes in Gary Parker’s latest book which critically examines in thoroughly researched detail, Elvis’ seminal recordings in the 1950s (as well as more briefly discussing Elvis’ post Army recordings).
Noting that... "Elvis' clever manipulation of his numerous interests remains one of the music world's great marvels. Presley, with one foot in delta mud and the other in a country hoedown, teamed with Scotty Moore and Bill Black to fuse two distinctly American musical forms -- country and blues -- to form what would come to be known as 'rockabilly'". This is a book with plenty to discuss.
In their 2,100 words collaboration, EIN’s Nigel Patterson and Piers Beagley, review what they have found to be one of the best, and most important, Elvis book releases of 2022.
Read the full review here
(Book Review, Source: ElvisInformationNetwork) |
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Book Review - Elvis: The Quest For An Oscar (James Turiello): Many will find it surprising that someone could write more than 500 pages detailing the case why Elvis deserves to receive an Honorary Academy Award, but author James Turiello has achieved this with his latest book.
EIN's Nigel Patterson spent a weekend exploring the author's argument.
Can someone who appeared in Kissin' Cousins, Harum Scarum and Clambake really be Oscar worthy?
In a detailed review, Nigel discusses what the book has to offer and provides his assessment of whether or not the author successfully makes his case that Elvis is deserving of an Honorary Oscar.
Go here to read Nigel's insightful review
(Book Review, Source:ElvisInformationNetwork) |
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EIN Website content © Copyright the Elvis Information Network.
Elvis Presley, Elvis and Graceland are trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises.
The Elvis Information Network has been running since 1986 and is an EPE officially recognised Elvis fan club.
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