"He [Elvis] was devastated. He was convinced this book would destroy his whole life. And in a way, I really believe it did.
Weeks prior to Elvis's death in August of 1977, a paperback book titled Elvis: What Happened? was released by
Random House publishers. It was authored by a tabloid journalist named Steve Dunleavy based on interviews
with former fellow "Memphis Mafia" members Red West, his younger cousin Sonny West and one of Elvis's karate
instructors, Dave Hebler.

The three bodyguards were unceremoniously fired in mid-1976, but instead of lying low until the situation
resolved itself, they made a terrible, drastic decision that shattered Elvis's world and created the greatest
devastating upheaval in his personal life since the passing of his beloved mother.

The book would become a blockbuster, one of the best-selling paperbacks of all time. It's timing couldn't have
been better, or worse, depending on which end of the gun barrel you were on.

Red West and Elvis were very, very close. They were from the same part of Memphis and went to the same
school together. The incident that cemented them forever happened during their days at Humes High School,
when Red thwarted a group of bullies from beating up on Elvis. From then on, they were thick as thieves.

Red eventually took on the role of protecting Elvis with his life until the day they parted company, over twenty
years later. Red was there from the beginning, his sincerity proven by the fact that he befriended Elvis long
before he was a star. Red was one of the few of us who knew his mother, Gladys. Elvis and Red were very tight.

There's no question about it. In a way, they were brothers. They loved like each other like brothers, and on more
than one occasion, they clashed like brothers.

Personally, I had no problem with Red. In those days we all basically put aside whatever personality differences
we may have had with one another for the sake of getting along and enjoying the exclusive bond we shared as
members of Elvis's entourage.

Actually, Red had some showbiz talents of his own. At the time he was gaining exposure as a stuntman, actor,
and later, acting coach (He eventually opened his own school.), a field he has excelled in over the years. Red
was also an unlikely but very apt songwriter. He wrote some very fine tunes that Elvis recorded including "If You
Think I Don't Need You", "Separate Ways", "If Every Day Was Like Christmas" and "Seeing Is Believing".

Red was somewhat of a paradox; tough as nails but with the heart of a poet. To the outside world, he was tough.
But he had to be in order to shoulder the responsibilities he had to shoulder for Elvis. And let's face it, if he hadn't
kicked the hell out of those bullies that day at Humes, he might never have bonded with Elvis the way he had in
the first place! Overall, I would say Red was a good guy during the years I worked with him, despite his short fuse.

The first time I became aware of this "short fuse" of his was the day I met him in Bad Nauheim, Germany, near
where Elvis and I were stationed in the Army. Elvis flew him over from Memphis to be around and have fun with
during his time off duty.

I was sitting at a table in the local pub talking with some of my fellow servicemen when all of a sudden this fight
breaks out behind me. Before I knew what was happening, Red West is beatin' the hell out of some guy at the
bar. To this day, I don't know what that poor guy said or did, but Red knocked the hell out of him

Perhaps it was an omen. Elvis eventually had to ask Red to return home to Memphis because the Army was
giving him hell about these skirmishes his buddy, Mr. West, was having with the locals. Ironically, history would
repeat itself about sixteen years later when Elvis's father, Vernon, actually fired Red and his cousin, Sonny,
claiming it was because of some costly lawsuits leveled against Elvis that involved fights they had instigated.

Now, every one of us who had ever worked for Elvis had been fired at least once. It was something that was
inevitable if you were around him for any period of time. But we also knew, one way or the other, sooner or later
you would be asked to come back.

So for the life of me I could never understand, until this day, why Red and Sonny turned against Elvis the way
they did. Scorned, they retaliated by aligning themselves with a sensationalist writer and began work on an
explosive "tell all" expose of Elvis's personal life, his faults, bad habits and temper tantrums.

To be fair, they also covered a lot of the good times as well: Elvis's generosity, his immense talent, his love affair
with his fans, etc. The main purpose of the book however, was to return fire and blow the lid off the Presley myth.

But why was this even happening? Didn't they realize their being fired was likely only temporary? They were let
go in July of 1976, and within six months we were reading sample chapters of this book eventually known as Elvis,
What Happened?

Well, I'll tell you "what happened".....
As Elvis poured over the pages, reading the most salacious things he could ever imagine anyone saying about
him, he became ashen. He was devastated. He was convinced this book would destroy his whole life. And in a
way, I really believe it did.

After the contents of that book were revealed to Elvis, I believe a large part of his spirit just gave up. He lost his
will to fight. On stage, he was always singing the lyric, "Lord, this time you gave me a mountain...I may never
climb. Although I never voiced my fears to a soul at the time, inside I had a terrible feeling this might be that
mountain

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)
Originating Source: Houston Chronicle / ELVIS EXPRESS RADIO