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This episode, our leading contributor Gary Wells guides us through the fascinating story of Colonel Parker, the Presley Estate, and a tenacious Memphis lawyer determined to get to the truth.
In the wake of Vernon Presley’s death in 1979, court-appointed attorney Blanchard Tual presented a 300 page report detailing his forensic investigation into Colonel Parker’s financial arrangements with the Presley family, which he described as ‘excessive, imprudent, unfair to the estate, beyond all reasonable bounds of industry standards’, and stated that Parker had ‘violated his duty to Elvis and the estate’. A Memphis judge went on to assert that Parker’s behaviour ‘shocks the conscience of the court’. We learn that the report also called for a thorough investigation into Parker’s business associates, including RCA, and find out what, if anything, happened as a result of Blanchard Tual’s devastating findings.
Gary also recounts his own memorable (and slightly starstruck) 2024 meeting with Mr Tual himself, still practising law in Memphis, and for some additional context, we look at another astonishing show business partnership; superstar recording artist Tommy James and Morris Levy of Roulette Records.
Additional Background, Research Sources & Links
For this episode we’re relying primarily on Gary’s research and writing, so we highly recommend and refer you to his website via the embedded articles set out below.
The accompanying audio clip is from our YouTube shorts catalogue, and sets out some key details of the financial arrangements between Elvis and Colonel Parker in the wake of the 1973 contract renegotiations with RCA that we allude to early in the episode. We credit Peter Guralnick and his 1998 biography, Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley for the details.
In Gary’s account of his 2024 visit to Memphis, he recounts his visit to the legal offices of Tual Graves PLLC and his memorable meeting with the very fine gentleman that is Mr Blanchard Tual himself;
Tommy James, Morris Levy & Roulette Records
Although we concede in the podcast that Colonel Parker shouldn’t be seen as any better purely because there was someone a whole lot worse, it’s an interesting exercise to consider Tommy James & the Shondells, and Morris Levy, as a matter of context.
In a 2025 interview with Noise11, Tommy James recalled;
“…Getting paid was another story…We sold over 110 million records, had 23 gold singles, and I never saw a cent in mechanical royalties. You’d ask about the money, and they’d say, ‘You’re doing fine, kid – go make another record.’ And you didn’t argue, because people who argued didn’t always have happy endings…”
For more on Tommy James’ music career, see Gary’s Leisurely Look at Tommy James.
Further Reference
Blanchard Tual Professional bio at Tual Graves PLLC (Official site)
2010 Interview with Tommy James: Melissa Parker in Smashing Interviews Magazine
We’ve relied extensively, over numerous podcasts, on the work of Peter Guralnick, in particular his 1998 biography, Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley. His latest work is The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley, and the Partnership That Rocked the World, details of which are available at his official site.
Special thanks to Gary Wells, and to all our readers and listeners.
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