Alanna Nash's biography of Parker, The Colonel, claims he may have been trying to avoid passport scrutiny because he might have been a suspect in a murder in Breda. Parker returned to the U.S. in 1929. He took the name Tom Parker when he enlisted in the Army, christening himself after the officer who interviewed him.
First of all, when Colonel Parker enlisted in the U.S. Army, he declared himself a Dutch citizen, with parents born in Holland. That was fine — we took foreign nationals — but he just had to swear he'd become a U.S. citizen, which he never did, because he went AWOL.
Additionally, the Colonel was allegedly linked to a murder in his native Breda and feared traveling overseas as he didn't want to face passport scrutiny. It has been confirmed that Parker wasn't really an American citizen, as he claimed.
That never happened—Elvis died not knowing of Parker's illegal status—but he would have had to have had a tin ear not to pick up on an accent as obvious as Hanks's.
Parker served the U.S. Army for four years (1929-1933). This alone led him to no longer being an illegal alien. Later he got married to a U.S. citizen, Marie Ross. This also provided him a legal right of residence in the United States.
Presley's fame came at a price, though, with Parker taking up to 50% of the singer's earnings, whereas most managers took 10 to 15%. Parker argued that Presley was his sole client and thus the commission was well-earned.
After his own death, the Colonel's estate was worth barely $1 million, despite most estimates putting Parker's earnings during his lifetime as being in excess of $100 million. Ultimately, the shrewdness of the business deals that Parker negotiated for Elvis were entirely in vain.
And that basic money question now seems easier to answer. Much of the money went to Col. Tom Parker, the King's enigmatic, cigar- chomping manager and Svengali. Court records show that Parker represented Elvis in return for an unheard-of 50 percent of the singer's income.
Since he had never applied for U.S. citizenship, he was essentially a man without a country and no one had jurisdiction over him. Such tactics delayed resolution so long that the Presley estate finally settled with Parker, and he received a $2 million settlement from RCA Records.
The Colonel travelled to Memphis for the funeral, where he turned up dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and baseball cap, and smoked his trademark cigar. It was reported that at the funeral, he persuaded Presley's father to sign over control of Presley's career in death to him.
Being managed by Colonel Tom Parker came at a hefty price for the “Love Me Tender” singer. No matter where it came from, be it from touring, record sales, his time at Sun Records, or merchandise, Colonel Parker took up to 50 percent of Elvis' earnings throughout his career.
The money. It has been widely reported that the colonel took more than half of Presley's income in return for negotiating merchandising deals, TV appearances and acting roles.
Lisa Marie became the the sole owner of the mansion when the trust holding her inheritance dissolved on her 25th birthday in 1993. Graceland has become a popular tourist attraction over the years, with public tours on offer as well as sprawling museum exhibits.
Tom Parker, 87, a onetime carnival pitchman who shrewdly guided singer-actor Elvis Presley's career for 22 years, died here Jan. 21 after a stroke.
Towards the end of his career, the Colonel was taking a 50% commission, which was considered completely exploitative. Elvis Presley's performance in Hawaii in 1973 was the first performance telecast via satellite to the world.
The Wanted singer Tom Parker was unable to make a valid will before he died, leaving £70,000 to his widow Kelsey.
Although Parker himself would live for another 20 years after Presley, dying at 87 in 1997, a big part of him died with Elvis.
Today, the Presley estate is estimated to be worth between $400 million and $500 million, according to one Presley exec. That's less than the Beatles (whose song catalog is said to be worth more than $1 billion) and Queen (thanks to Bohemian Rhapsody, the surviving members top Presley at $575 million).
After Elvis's death in 1977, his father Vernon was one of the executors of his estate, which was held in trust for his daughter Lisa Marie. Vernon named Priscilla to be his successor upon his death. She assumed the role following Vernon's 1979 death.
While Presley's star rose, his band remained on a fixed salary, causing increasing dissension. In a joint interview with The Memphis Press-Scimitar in late 1956, his three sidemen said they were being paid $200 a week when on tour (the article called that “good money for sidemen”) and $100 a week the rest of the time.
Elvis Presley was furious with Parker's actions. According to TVTropes.com, he demanded that the album be taken off the market. Evidently, the debacle wasn't serious enough for Elvis to confront his manager. Whether he truly wanted to fire Parker or not, death was the only thing that could split the two apart.
Nash explained that while Parker did indeed give the Presley family an invoice for all his work that they couldn't refund when he was fired, Elvis did not fire him from the stage.
The president of the UK Elvis fan club clarified that The Colonel took 25 percent of The King's earnings, which was the industry standard at the time. He claimed there was in fact only a 50 percent split when it came to licensing and merchandise.
In later years, Parker's influence waned, but he continued in his management role until Presley's death in 1977. For the rest of his life, Parker managed the Presley estate.