At that time Parker believed Elvis to be black. [4] Fans and biographers alike believe that one of the main reasons Parker signed Presley to a Vegas hotel in 1969 for his live comeback was to help cover losses he experienced in their casino. [58], Following Presley's death, Parker set up a licensing operation with Factors Etc. [35] Parker had declined to travel to Europe, denying that he spoke any language other than English. Parker believed that serving in the Army would help cure Presley of his increasing waywardness and convinced him to follow through with his draft as a normal citizen. "[42] Parker used the argument that Presley was his only client and he was thus earning only one fee.[42]. To garner Presley new publicity and to help tame his wild impulses, Parker had him marry Priscilla Beaulieu, who had been living with Presley for four years already. . No, Elvis didn't fire the Colonel from the stage at Las Vegas in real life. In 1935, while travelling with a circus, Parker met and married 27-year-old Marie Francis Mott. Presley went on to star in "Love Me Tender," which spawned his eponymous hit single. Colonel Tom Parker was a Dutch-American talent manager and musical entrepreneur who had a net worth of $1 million at the time of his death in 1997. Parker managed his career with an iron fist. [6] He was the son of Maria Elisabeth (Ponsie) and Adam van Kuijk. Net Worth: $1 Million. Then she was hired on as Elvis' tour secretary and traveled . Instead, he found employment as a field agent with a local animal shelter, the Hillsborough County Humane Society. By 1984, with his gambling debts reportedly rising again, he was evicted. Inc, to control Presley merchandise and keep a steady income supporting his estate. "That didn't come out in this country until 1981." [39], For the remainder of the 1960s, Presley made films that relied heavily on exotic locations and mundane songs, and he was tied into contracts that he could not escape. He was best known for being the manager of Elvis Presley. [51], After the Aloha special, Parker made a deal that would later be used in court to prove that he had not acted in the best interests of Presley. "[60], In 1994, a Golden Palm Star on the Walk of Stars in Palm Springs, California, was dedicated to him. [34] He was upset about the possibility that would affect his career, but Parker was secretly overjoyed. For a time, Parker lied about his childhood, claiming to have been born in Huntington, West Virginia, in the early 1900s to explain his Dutch accent as being a Southern accent, and to have run away from home at an early age to join a circus owned by an uncle before serving in the U.S. Army prior to his involvement with being a music manager. [4] It is believed that Parker lost at least $1 million a year from gambling. While Presley was serving in West Germany, Parker was hard at work keeping Presley's name known to the public. During this time, Parker secured him long-term deals with film studios. Mott passed away in late 1986 at the age of 78. In the 1950s, he helped Elvis Presley become a big star. Parker encouraged Presley to make film musicals which became the focus of his career during his commercial decline in the 1960s until his 1968 comeback and return to touring. . Presley had a singing style different from the current trend, and Parker was immediately interested in the future of this musical style. Later, Davis says "He remembered me, and he said 'I told you you were going to be a star.' None of the rules of the relationship was operative any longer, yet neither had the courage to walk away, for a variety of reasons." He is also said to have had gambling debts of up to $30 million at different times. [64] In 1993, in one of his last media appearances, Parker appeared in a television interview with Dutch TV director Jorrit van der Kooi where they spoke to each other in Dutch about the Netherlands and about Elvis Presley's life and career. Following the success of Presley's Las Vegas return, Parker signed a contract with the International Hotel to guarantee Presley would play a month-long engagement for $125,000 a week ($974,043 in 2021 dollars[11]), an unheard-of sum at the time. When he came out, he suffered from a psychosis that led to a brief stay at a mental ward, causing him to be discharged from the Army. And now I need to locate my wallet, because I noticed there was no ticket booth on the way in here, but I'm sure that the Colonel must have arranged for some toll on the way out. Last edited on 26 February 2023, at 02:32, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Tom Parker Is Dead at 87; Controlled Presley's Career", "Colonel Parker Managed Elvis' Career, but Was He a Killer on the Lam? By his final public appearances in 1994, Parker was suffering from a number of health problems such as gout and diabetes. Nash said of Elvis' late manager: "The Colonel is a complicated character, and while he always took too much of Presley's money, he made some very sound decisions for him. Parker appeared to be in complete control during Presley's time away, but he was worried about the outside influence that Presley might encounter in West Germany. He married his secretary in 1990 (she'd worked for him since 1972). As a reward, Davis gave him the honorary rank of "colonel" in the Louisiana State Militia.[2][3]. The majority of Elvis's reported net worth at the time of his death was comprised of royalties from record sales, publishing, film and concert tickets. . He was mysterious and colorful, and, under his guidance, his one and only client -- Elvis -- reached unimaginable heights. During this time, Parker also served as a field agent for the Hillsborough County Humane Society, helping to raise funds and awareness for its work. [4] He enlisted in the United States Army a few months later, taking the name "Tom Parker" from the same name of the officer who interviewed him, to disguise the fact he was an illegal alien. [33] Parker had seen many acts come and go during his earlier years in management, and felt that it would be foolish to believe that Presley, despite being Parker's most successful act to date, would be any different. Col. Tom Parker dies. Attorney Blanchard E. Tual concluded that Parker's deal of taking 50% of the singer's profits was extortionate, as the industry standard was closer to 15-20%. [15] Parker and Snow eventually formed Hank Snow Enterprises and Jamboree Attractions, a successful promotional outfit for up-and-coming country singers. He also became friendly with the estate again, attending special ceremonies and events in Memphis, invited by Priscilla. [12] He was a successful promoter, but he wanted to move into management.[12]. All net worths are calculated using data drawn from public sources. [54] Vernon also threatened to find a new manager if Parker wouldn't continue to tour Presley. A suit between Parker and the Presley estate was settled out of court in 1983. The killing happened a few streets from where the Van Kuijk family lived, and Parker had been hired to make deliveries from this and other grocery stores in the area. [56], In September 1978, shortly after the first anniversary of Presley's death, Parker arranged a fan festival, Always Elvis, where he, Vernon, and Presley's ex-wife Priscilla, dedicated a bronze statue of him in the lobby of the Las Vegas Hilton. [citation needed] After a cold reception during his first few shows,[30] Parker cut Presley's appearance to two weeks. In 1980, a judge ordered an investigation into Parker's management practices and found that Parker's management had been unethical. He was one of the most influential voices in the industry. He had expressed interest in making films when he first met Parker, and now Parker was working to make that happen. [59] Experts in the field at the time estimated that it had potentially cost Presley millions of dollars[59] and worse for Parker, it had also potentially cost him those millions of dollars. Returning to music, he began managing such singers as Eddy Arnold and Tommy Sands. A large part of Tom's net worth he made from his Salary as a Colonel. Colonel Tom Parker's House. To further boost his profile, Parker arranged for him to appear on such popular television programs as "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The Milton Berle Show." Parker was consequently sent to solitary confinement. In the early 80s, an investigation was launched into Parker's management of Presley. Much of the money went to Col. Tom Parker, the King's enigmatic, cigar . He was punished with solitary confinement, from which he emerged with a psychosis that led to him spending two months in a mental hospital,[4] and he was discharged from the Army because of his mental condition. In 1968, Presley achieved renewed fame when he starred in the NBC television special "Elvis." [33] Parker, on the other hand, was fully aware that any special treatment given to Presley would instantly be used against him in the media and by those who disliked his style of music. Colonel Tom Parker Salary Detail. Nearly as legendary as his famous client was Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager. 4. [14] Parker decided against registering, possibly to prevent his previous Army record from becoming public. His death certificate lists his birth name as Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk, his country of birth as the Netherlands, and his citizenship as American. [12] Despite having sold over 86 million records since 1924 and earning over $17 million, Austin's career was at a low point. Presley went on to star in 27 films during the decade, including "G.I. In 1955, Parker and Memphis radio personality Bob Neal began promoting the young up-and-coming singer Elvis Presley. At that point, Moore and Black had no contractual ties to either Phillips or Presley. . Let's find out. [53] Parker, who had always dealt with Presley's film contracts and viewed the offer as a starting bid to earning more money, instead asked for a salary $1 million ($5,035,869 in 2021 dollars[11]), 50% of the profits, plus another $100,000 ($503,587 in 2021 dollars[11]) for expenses, and spoke of needing to arrange details of a soundtrack deal. I quit! After Parker's death in 1997, the home was used as a law . Parker's net worth was estimated to be $50 million as of 1977. Parker was still worried that Presley would return to nothing, that the public would have found a new star to fawn over by then, and that his golden goose would be reduced to nothing more than a "has-been".[35]. That number is down significantly from an estimated $100 million . His films still made money and his albums still sold well, but the profits were falling. [52] In Las Vegas, he was starting to appear drugged on stage, slurring his words and forgetting song lyrics. RCA was eager for Presley to record in West Germany, but Parker insisted that it would ruin his reputation as a regular soldier if he was able to go into a recording studio. In the 1950s, he helped Elvis Presley become a big star. [4] During his first visit there, he traveled with a Chautauqua educational tent show, before returning briefly to the Netherlands. [15] RCA Victor, Hank Snow's current label, also showed an interest, but they were put off by the cost of the contract. Parker's net worth when he died was $1 million. Colonel Tom Parker made more than $100 million in his lifetime, but when he died, he was reportedly worth less than $1 million. Colonel Tom Parker was a Dutch-American talent manager and music businessman. The opposing counsel responded by presenting into evidence a copy of Parker's U.S. Army enlistment form which stated, through a legal loophole, that because Parker signed his enlistment papers under his alias "Thomas Andrew Parker" and once he took the oath by swearing allegiance to the United States of America, he unofficially renounced his Dutch citizenship, although it is claimed that he died a Dutch citizen. Elvis Was Not Nearly As Rich As You Might Guess When He Died. [52], Although many around Presley were worried about his worsening drug dependency, Parker appeared to ignore the problem. "He fully believed the colonel's story that Parker hailed from Huntington, West Virginia; Elvis died not knowing the truth," she says. [60] Part of this role resulted in Parker keeping the same fourth-floor suite he occupied when Presley was alive. [55] As with all the talk about Presley touring overseas, Parker never followed through with the deal. [1], Parker was born as Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk on June 26, 1909, in Breda, North Brabant, Netherlands,[4] and was the seventh of eleven children. [13] Within a year, he had the opportunity to become a legal citizen of the United States a new law allowed illegal aliens the chance to become citizens in return for their promise to fight for the country during World War II, if required. "[70], Songwriter Mac Davis recounted a similar experience where Parker rubbed his head and declared "You're going to be a star. Following this, he entered the music industry as a music promoter. They struggled to survive during the Great Depression, working short cons and traveling across the country in search of work. [55] According to Presley's friend, Larry Geller, Parker secretly wanted the book to be published, hoping that it would help Presley realize the severity of his situation and persuade him to do something about it. [9] He began to build up a list of contacts that would prove valuable in later years. [15], Parker and Neal worked together to promote Presley, using their own Hank Snow Tour to book him and tour him. "[56] Almost immediately, before even visiting Graceland, Parker traveled to New York City to meet with merchandising associates and executives with RCA Records, instructing them to prepare for a huge demand in Presley products. [56] Other accounts suggest he slumped in his chair at his office, muttered, "Oh, dear God", and then quickly phoned Vernon Presley, where Parker advised Presley's father that his son's image needed to be protected. [53], From 1974 onward, Presley's weight gain and prescription drug abuse became too much to be controlled. [57], Parker set out to protect his future income. . Colonel Tom Parker's home (former), 409 Park Ridge Avenue, Temple Terrace, Fl. Following his discharge, Parker worked at a number of jobs, including food concessions and gaming carnivals. Meanwhile, his career began stagnating as the British Invasion took over the United States. [65] Unbeknown to Parker at the time, she had a second son from her first marriage, but had given him up for adoption at birth due to his disability (a club foot). [37] Parker signed long-term contracts with the film studios,[39] possibly to guarantee work and income for both him and Presley. After the Sinatra special, Parker decided that Presley's future lay in Hollywood. We welcome all corrections and feedback using the button below. Thomas Andrew Parker (born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk; June 26, 1909 January 21, 1997),[1] commonly known as Colonel Parker, was a Dutch musical entrepreneur, best known for being Elvis Presley's manager. But Col Thomas Andrew Parker - the all-American father figure - wasn't the first to discover Elvis. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too . In the early days of their marriage, Marie and Parker worked together in the carnivals. Parker appeared at posthumous events honoring Presley, such as the 1993 issuing of a U.S. postage stamp with Presley's likeness. [53] Hulett's company had managed tours for Presley, and he had worked with artists such as Led Zeppelin. In 1994, following the marriage of Lisa Marie and Michael Jackson, Parker stated that Presley would not have approved. Parker held another press conference on September 4, 1972, in Las Vegas to confirm that the concert, now titled Aloha from Hawaii, would be broadcast on January 14, 1973.
Delta 8 Disposable 1000mg,
St Connell's Church Kirkconnel,
Articles W