I first met Elvis Presley in the Army in 1958 and began working for him soon after we were both released from the
service in 1960. Literally, until the day he died seventeen years later, my life circled around his, and the incredibly
bizarre and exciting world he lived within became my existence as well. It was a wild, crazy ride. And despite some
very tense periods, I loved every minute of it!

Over the past thirty years, I have been asked by people of all ages from all over the world countless questions
about him. There doesn't seem to be one detail about the man that people arent interested in. Over the years, I
have always tried to be as forthright with my answers as I can. There's no question Elvis was a highly unique and
gifted individual. But he was a person too. During the years immediately after his death, I grappled over how to
answer some of the more difficult questions being asked about Elvis's life, and I came to the decision that telling
the truth in as thoughtful a way as I can works best.

You have to realize, I was with Elvis for seventeen years. That's a long time, and being with Elvis was no nine- to-
five job, believe me. Elvis's demanding lifestyle meant you had to be available twenty-four hours a day, seven
days a week. He was a handful, and you never knew from one day to the next what adventure he would call upon
us to explore with him, or what insane lengths we might have to go to fulfill one of his outlandish desires or
elaborate requests.

So much was happening so fast during those years. Elvis was always so on the go that it's sometimes hard to pair
events with the eras in which they took place. I have tried in the past to assemble my memories into a book, but it
really is an unrealistic expectation. How could I possibly squeeze seventeen years of experiences with Elvis
Presley into two or three hundred pages? Well, I'll tell you...you can't. It would take a hundred books to even
come close. It may sound crazy, but that's the dilemma that inspired this "Elvis-Straight Up" series. Now, I'm not
promising we're going to literally do a hundred books, but a series affords a lot more freedom to elaborate on a
wider variety of stories, and in far greater detail than ever before.

I am thrilled to be working with noted writer and Elvis historian, Joe Russo, as my collaborator. Joe possesses an
uncanny ability to recapture the thrill and intensity of living with Elvis almost as vividly as when it actually
happened. Being involved in the entertainment field himself has afforded him incredible insight into the business
and the personalities involved. He has been helping me unjar the details of those years with Elvis from my aging
memory so we can put them out there for fans all over the world to enjoy.

Joe Russo's requisite for the book, and I thoroughly agreed with him, was that this project have no agenda other
than telling the plain truth. No axe to grind. No ulterior motive. No score to settle. I was not to relieve myself from
accountability, and I was not to absolve Elvis from his. What is told here is what really happened, for better or
worse. I held nothing back this time and trusted Russo's talent, objectivity and compassion to do the rest. What
we have created here is, I believe, the most balanced, thoughtful and heartfelt account of life with Elvis Presley I,
or anyone, is likely ever to produce.

I'd like to start by giving you a thumbnail description of what I believe "Elvis Presley" was made of.

First, I'd like to make one thing very clear. Elvis Presley possessed a very special magic and power, not only as a
performer, but also as a human being as well.

As a performer, there simply has never been any equal. That may sound like an extreme statement, but I am
convinced it's true. Sure, there have been dozens, perhaps hundreds, of legendary singers and entertainers
throughout history, all of them unique and important in their own way. But Elvis Presley's talent came from
another place. Nobody has what he had. It's that simple. It was reserved only for him. He was the only entertainer
in the world, and I have had the privilege to know and observe many of the greats, who could move and inspire
people, all kinds of people, to the level he could. Once he "touched" you, that was it. You were hooked for life.

And as a human being? As long as I live, I know I will never see anyone have such a profound effect on people.
He could make anyone, and I mean anyone, feel like he was the most important person in the world just by talking
with him. He had charisma and charm that is just indescribable. And do you know something? He didn't even
have to sing! When Elvis entered a room, even if you didn't see him come in, you could feel the energy of his
presence tingle at your nerves because the power of his magnetism was that intense.

Trust me. Elvis was just as perplexed by this phenomenon as you or I are today. For the most part, he was a very
humble man. But he was keenly aware of his unique gifts and spent most of his life searching the realms of
spirituality for clues as to why he was chosen to be "Elvis Presley". Over and over throughout his life he asked
himself, Why me?

To be honest, in the years since his death, I have thought about my life with Elvis and have asked myself the
same question, "Why me?

Before I met Elvis, I was a kid from a nice little Italian neighborhood in Chicago. Except for one trip to Montana, I
never traveled anywhere. The last place I'd ever have thought to visit on my own would have been Memphis,
Tennessee. Why, of all the people Elvis met in the service, did he pay special attention to me? In fact, why was I
even in the Army? It wasn't until after I was discharged that I was informed I was exempt all along and shouldn't
have been there in the first place! That was pretty amazing happenstance, don't you think? Did destiny lead me
into the Army for the sole purpose of meeting Elvis Presley? Why was I selected to become "right hand man to
one of the most celebrated and influential personalities in history, to see and do things in life that my friends and
family back home could only dream of, and to be chosen by Elvis Presley as a best man at his wedding, for
Chrissake?

It must have been that mysterious phenomenon known as fate. The whole situation was just too farfetched to be
anything else. I can't explain it, but I know I am eternally grateful for it.

Not that I would or could ever forget him, but Elvis's immortality and enduring popularity all over the world assures
me a day will never go by without me thinking of him in some way.

If even a small notion of how larger than life Elvis was, or how incredible a time I had being with him is conveyed to
the reader by the stories and memories in these books, it will bring me one step closer to answering that question
I mentioned earlier for myself... "Why me?

We would like to thank you for taking the time to read this excerpt of our new book ELVIS STRAIGHT UP! ELVIS
STRAIGHT UP! Is available for purchase online today at www.elvisstraightup.com or you may call 702-430-9867
to order by phone. (Not Sold In Stores)

jau. "why me" könnt ich mich auch in vielerlei Hinsicht täglich fragen.