 |
The Colonel as
"Special Adviser" to Elvis
On March 15, 1955 Bob Neal,
who had officially been Elvis' manager since the first of the year, signed an amended one-year contract agreement giving him a 15 percent commission, though by then Parker had his sights
locked on Elvis. By the beginning of August in 1955 the Colonel
was trying to get the Presley's to sign a new agreement with him and
Hank Snow Attractions to advise Elvis and Bob. According to Peter
Guralnick, Vernon seemed pretty much ready to sign, but Gladys continued
to balk. She was frightened by the riots in Florida, she said, she
didn’t know why there was such a rush to do anything at this point, she
was afraid of what might happen to her boy.1
Col. Tom A. Parker in Hawaii - ca. 1962
Photo source ElvisPresleyPedia
In Little Rock on the 2nd
the Colonel enlisted his friend and neighbor Whitey Ford, "The Duke
of Paducah," a favorite of Gladys', and Jimmie
Rodgers Snow to speak on his behalf. He even had Hank Snow phone her
trying to convince them that Bob Neal was not knowledgeable enough to
successfully handle Elvis' career. As Elvis grew frustrated she finally
caved and on August 15, 1955, they signed.1
reconstructed copy of the Colonel's "special
adviser" contract with Elvis - Aug. 15, 1955
Photo courtesy The
Elvis Forum
The contract named "Col. Thomas A.
Parker" as “special adviser to Elvis Presley ['artist’] and Bob Neal
['manager’] for the period of one year and two one-year options for the
sum of two thousand, five hundred dollars per year, payable in five
payments of five hundred dollars each, to negotiate and assist in any
way possible the build-up of Elvis Presley as an artist. Col. Parker
will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses for traveling,
promotion, advertising as approved by Elvis Presley and his manager."
1
reconstructed copy of the last page of "special
adviser"
contract with Elvis - Aug. 15, 1955
Photo courtesy The
Elvis Forum
The Colonel retained exclusive rights to one hundred appearances over
the course of the next year, for which the artist would be paid $200
each, "including his musicians." In addition, in the event that
“negotiations come to a complete standstill and Elvis Presley and his
manager and associates decide to freelance," the Colonel would be
reimbursed for his expenses and, "at the special rate of one hundred
seventy five dollars per day for the first appearance and two hundred
fifty dollars for the second appearance and three hundred fifty dollars
[for the third]," the Colonel retained exclusive territorial rights to
"San Antonio, El Paso, Phoenix, 'Tucson, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City,
Denver, Wichita Falls, Wichita, New Orleans, Mobile, Jacksonville,
Pensacola, Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Charleston, Greenville, Spartanburg,
Asheville, Knoxville, Roanoke, Richmond, Norfolk, Washington, D.C.,
Philadelphia, Newark, New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Omaha, Milwaukee,
Minneapolis, St. Paul, Des Moines, Los Angeles, Amarillo, Houston,
Galveston, Corpus Christi, Las Vegas, Reno, Cleveland, Dayton, Akron,
and Columbus. 1
The Colonel, Elvis, Bob Neal and Hank Snow at the Hotel Peabody
in Memphis - Nov. 21, 1955
Photo © EPE, Inc.
"Colonel Parker," the agreement concluded, “is to negotiate all renewals
on existing contracts." Essentially it gave the Colonel control of virtually every aspect of
the operation but Bob Neal
would, however, officially stay on as manager until March the following
year. 1
The contract signing the Colonel as advisor to Elvis with RCA from
November 21, 1955 - Sep. 29, 2011
Photo © James V. Roy, courtesy Larry
Moss
Only months later, at the time of sale of
Elvis'
recording contract to RCA, they signed another contract which gave the
Colonel only entitlement to essentially 25 percent. Parker and
Neal agreed to split their combined 40 percent commission on Elvis's earnings.
Hank Snow, who thought he was to be a partner in Elvis' management in
this, would soon see himself excluded. It read as follows:
November 21, 1955
Col. Thomas A. Parker
Box 417
Madison, Tennessee
Dear Sir:
In consideration of the sum of One Dollar and other good and
valuable consideration, each of us to the other in hand paid, receipt
of which is hereby acknowledged, it is hereby agreed as follows:
1. This agreement is made between us in consideration of the the
fact that you have, at our request previously made by us, greatly
benefited and advanced the career of ELVIS PRESLEY in the field of
public entertainment, by arranging the various agreements under which
ELVIS PRESLEY has terminated his recording agreement with SUN records,
and under which he has secured a new recording agreement with RADIO
CORPORATION OF AMERICA, RCA VICTOR DIVISION upon much more favorable
terms and payments for ELVIS PRESLEY, and by securing a favorable
musical composition publication agreement with HILL AND RANGE SONGS,
INC.
2. The undersigned hereby engage your services to act as the sole
and exclusive Advisor and Personal Representative of ELVIS PRESLEY in
the following departments of the field of public entertainment, for a
period which shall coincide with the term of the aforementioned
recording agreement with RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA, RCA VICTOR
DIVISION, and all renewals, extensions, modifications and replacements
thereof (which term presently is for three years with two additional
option periods of one year each):
(a) phonograph, transcription and other mechanical recordings, (b)
motion pictures, (c) television appearances and television films, (d)
radio, (e) night clubs, (f) hotels, (g) fairs. (h) rodeos, (i)
celebrations, (j) theatrical appearances; other than one night
appearances in media other than those referred to above; with the
understanding however, that you reserve exclusively one night
appearances in those cities only in which you have pioneered the
appearances of ELVIS PRESLEY, and music publishing activities.
3. The undersigned hereby agree that in the fields covered by your
services, as listed in paragraph 2 of this agreement, they will be
guided only by your advice and instructions, and that they will not
enter into any agreements or commitments for the services of ELVIS
PRESLEY, during the term of this agreement with you, without your
approval, and unless such agreements or commitments are signed or
countersigned by you; and the undersigned hereby grant to you the
exclusive and irrevocable right and authority to make all such
agreements and commitments upon terms and conditions which you
consider advisable, and to sign the same in your name or in the name
of ELVIS PRESLEY.
4. You hereby agree to use your best efforts in advising,
counseling and representing ELVIS PRESLEY in the fields referred to in
this agreement, and in endeavoring to make the career of ELVIS PRESLEY
a successful one; and you agree to so advise and counsel him in
connection with offers of engagements received by him, in connection
with the material to be used by him in his recordings and in personal
and other appearances, in connection with eliciting publicity, in
routing and in connection with other matters pertaining to his career
in said fields of public entertainment.
5. In consideration of the services which have already been
rendered by you (as referred to in paragraph 1 of this agreement) and
in consideration of the services to be rendered by you, the
undersigned hereby agree that you shall be entitled to a commission of
twenty-five (25%) percent of the gross income received by ELVIS
PRESLEY in the fields of public entertainment covered by this
agreement with you (but in computing "gross income" there
shall be deducted only such booking fees which may be actually paid to
any booking agencies for any engagements before computing your
commissions), including income received directly for services or by
way of so-called "artist royalties" or from any other
sources. You shall be entitled to such commissions on the
aforementioned agreement with RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA, RCA VICTOR
DIVISION, and on any and all other agreements now existing and
hereafter entered into during the term of this agreement for and
during the full terms of such agreements and all renewals and
extensions, modifications and replacements thereof, Whenever any
payments for the services of ELVIS PRESLEY are received by you, you
may deduct your commissions before paying over the share of ELVIS
PRESLEY; and when payments for such services are made directly to the
undersigned, or any of them, the commissions to which you are entitled
shall be paid to you, in such case, within five days after receipt of
each such payment.
6. Whenever you shall incur expenses for travel, telephones and
other expenses incurred by you, you shall assume and pay your own such
expenses. However, if at any time, any of the undersigned request that
you travel to or with them to some particular place, then the
undersigned shall assume and pay the expenses involved.
7. The undersigned admit that the services of ELVIS PRESLEY are
unique and extraordinary; and that in the event of any breach of this
agreement by the undersigned, or any of them, you shall be entitled to
an injunction to enforce your rights, in addition to any other remedy
available to you.
8. In the event that ELVIS PRESLEY, in breach of this agreement,
appears or performs in any of the fields covered by this agreement,
without your consent or approval, you shall nevertheless be entitled
to your commissions on such agreements, in addition to any other
remedies available to you.
9. The undersigned understands that you have other interests, and
that you represent other interests and artists, and you are not
required to render your services exclusively to ELVIS PRESLEY.
It was signed by Elvis and his parents and signed
"agreed" by the Colonel and Bob Neal. By March of 1956, Bob Neal had decided not to renew his
option as Elvis' manager. He returned to Memphis to operate his new
record store though would soon return to artist management and make a
career later of it. At that time the Colonel and Elvis signed a
new contract.
March 26, 1956 management contract
courtesy web
On March 26 the Colonel's new status as "sole and
exclusive Advisor, Personal Representative, and Manager in any and all
fields of public and private entertainment" was formally ratified
and his 25 percent commission reaffirmed at the same time.1
By this time Elvis was 21 years old and the signature of his parents was
no longer required.
The Colonel and Elvis in Madison, TN - ca. 1957
Photo © EPE, Inc.
In later years the Colonel would eventually expand his role to virtual
"partner" and renegotiate increase his commissions to at least
50 percent, but that's beyond the scope of this site.
page added July 18, 2013
1
according to or excerpt from Last
Train To Memphis by Peter Guralnick
Special nods to Did
Elvis Sing in Your Home Town? by Lee Cotten
|
