Colonel Tom Parker

Colonel Thomas Andrew Parker (born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk; June 26, 1909 – January 21, 1997) was a Dutch talent manager and concert promoter, best known for having been the manager of Elvis Presley.

Parker was born in the Netherlands and entered the United States illegally when he was 20 years old. He adopted a new name and claimed to have been born in the United States. With a background working in carnivals, Parker moved into music promotion in 1938, working with one of the first popular crooners, Gene Austin, and country music singers Eddy Arnold, Hank Snow, and Tommy Sands. He also assisted Jimmie Davis' campaign to become governor of Louisiana, for which he was awarded the honorary rank of "colonel" in the Louisiana State Guard.

Parker encountered Presley in 1955 and by 1956 had become his manager. With Parker's help, Presley signed a recording contract with RCA Victor, which led to a commercial breakthrough in 1956 with his sixth single "Heartbreak Hotel" and a career as one of the most commercially successful entertainers in the world. Parker received more than half of the income from the enterprise, an unprecedented figure for a music manager. He negotiated Presley's lucrative merchandising deals and media appearances and is said to have influenced Presley's personal life, including his decision to accept military service in 1958 and his marriage to Priscilla Beaulieu in 1967. Parker encouraged Presley to make musical films, and they became the focus of his career during his commercial decline in the 1960s until his 1968 comeback and return to touring. Parker's influence waned in later years, but he continued in his management role until Presley died in 1977.

Parker managed the Presley estate for the rest of his life. Having previously sold the rights to Presley's early recordings to RCA he struggled to secure a steady income, and his financial situation worsened after he sustained significant gambling losses. Parker's final years were spent living in Las Vegas, in declining health, until his death in 1997.

Early life

Thomas Andrew Parker was born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk on June 26, 1909, in Breda, North Brabant, Netherlands. He was the fourth (or fifth) of 11 children of Maria Elisabeth (Marie) Ponsie and Adam van Kuijk. His Catholic father, a former military man of 12 years, was working as a deliveryman for catalogues when Parker was born. He died at the age of 59 when Parker was 16. The boy ran away from home 17 times, by his later estimation.

After his father's death, Parker moved to the port city of Rotterdam and lived with an aunt and uncle. His uncle was a skipper by profession who sailed from Breda to Rotterdam. At the age of 17, Parker expressed a desire to run away to the United States to "make his fortune", and he entered the U.S. illegally.

Biographies usually mention 1927 as the year of Parker's first attempt to emigrate to the U.S., but according to the Holland-Amerika Lijn passenger list that became available online in 2023, he was sent back from New York to the Netherlands on March 20, 1926. He returned home to Rotterdam on the steamship SS Veendam. The address he was registered at was Spanjaardstraat 110, Rotterdam. The entry in the passenger list shows the voyage was paid for by the U.S. government. (The passenger lists can be viewed online at the Rotterdam archives.)

In May 1929, aged nearly 20, Parker returned to the U.S., this time to stay. Having had previous experience in the traveling entertainment industry, he found work with carnivals and traveled with a Chautauqua educational tent show. A few months later, enticed by the promise of a Hawaiian station assignment, he enlisted in the United States Army, using a false identity to disguise his illegal entry into the country. His new name, Tom Parker, is said to have been taken from the officer who interviewed him during his enrollment. He completed basic training at Fort McPherson in Georgia.

Parker served two years in the 64th Coast Artillery at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, and shortly afterward reenlisted at Fort Barrancas, Florida. Although he had served honorably for a time, he went AWOL in Florida and was charged with desertion. He was punished with solitary confinement, from which he emerged with a psychosis that led him to spend two months in a mental hospital. His condition caused him to be discharged from the army.

Following his discharge, Parker worked at odd jobs, including short-term employments at food concessions and gaming carnivals. Between 1931 and 1938, he worked with Royal American Shows, and began building a list of contacts that would prove valuable in later years.

In 1935, he married 27-year-old Marie Francis Mott. They struggled to make ends meet during the Great Depression, working confidence tricks and traveling across the country in search of work. Parker later said that at times they had to live on as little as $1 a week ($23 in 2025 dollars).

Career

Early talent management (1938–1954)

Parker first became involved in the music industry in 1938 as a promoter, working with popular crooner Gene Austin whose career was at a low point, despite having sold 86 million records since 1924 and earned over $17 million. Austin had spent much of his fortune on extravagant living and his popularity had been eclipsed by other singers such as Bing Crosby. Parker found his career transition smooth, and he used his carnival experience to sell tickets and attract crowds to Austin's concerts. While he was a successful promoter, Parker now wanted to move into management.

Austin offered Parker the opportunity to move to Nashville, Tennessee, where music was becoming big business, but Parker turned down the offer. He decided to stay with his wife in Temple Terrace, Florida, perhaps to avoid having to submit paperwork that could expose his illegal status. Within a year, Parker had the opportunity to become a legal citizen of the United States when a new law allowed illegal immigrants the chance to become U.S. citizens, in return for a promise to fight for the country during World War II if required. Parker served in the peacetime army, but never subsequently applied to become a U.S. citizen, possibly to prevent his previous army record from becoming public or to avoid having to fight.

He found employment as a field agent with a local animal shelter, the Hillsborough County Humane Society. The job offered him not only a secure wage, but also a rent-free apartment for him and his wife in a remote part of West Tampa. With the society needing funds, Parker used his promotional experience to raise money and awareness. As part of the fundraising, Parker went to Tennessee to find acts to perform at his charity events, among them well-known artists such as Minnie Pearl and Eddy Arnold. He became involved in music promotion again, but for himself rather than the society. In 1945 Parker became Arnold's full-time manager, signed a contract for 25% of his earnings and over the next few years helped him to secure hit songs, television appearances and live tours.

In 1948, Parker was awarded the honorary rank of colonel in the Louisiana State Militia by Jimmie Davis, the governor of Louisiana and a former country singer, in gratitude for Parker's work on Davis's election campaign. The rank was honorary, since Louisiana had no organized militia, but Parker used the title throughout his life, becoming known simply as "the Colonel".

A young singer, Tommy Sands, caught his eye in 1952, and Parker immediately began promoting him. He arranged live appearances and became a father figure to the then 15-year-old. Parker had intended to mold Sands into the next Roy Rogers, but Sands was not interested. Parker sent demonstration recordings of Sands to record producer Steve Sholes at RCA Victor, who offered to find songs for him to record.

Eddy Arnold fired Parker in 1953 because of his growing involvement with singer Hank Snow, but Parker remained involved in Arnold's live tours and demanded a buyout of $50,000 (US$601,679 in 2025 dollars) to settle their contract. Parker and Snow eventually formed Hank Snow Enterprises and Jamboree Attractions, a successful promotional outfit for up-and-coming country singers.

Meeting Elvis Presley

In early 1955, Parker heard about Elvis Presley. Presley had a singing style different from the current trend, and Parker became interested in the future of this musical sound. At that time, Parker believed Presley to be black. At this time, Presley was singing in a trio called The Blue Moon Boys, with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black. Moore became Presley's first manager at the encouragement of Sun Records owner Sam Phillips, who was worried about unscrupulous promoters taking advantage of Presley. However, Moore and Black were excluded when Presley signed a recording contract with Phillips. Phillips told them to make a separate deal with Elvis. According to Moore, Presley agreed to take 50%, with Moore and Black splitting the other 50%. A one-year management contract with Presley gave Moore a 10% commission, which he never took. The contract, dated July 12, 1954, eight days after their first recording session, was signed by Presley and his parents. When the contract expired, the Memphis radio personality Bob Neal stepped in and made a deal with Phillips to become Presley's manager. By this point, Moore and Black had no contractual ties to either Phillips or Presley.