ONE OF THE KING'S MEN
Not Sonny West. His first Presley performance was at West's high school in 1954.
Four years later, West was introduced to Presley at a skating rink in their hometown of Memphis, Tenn.
Two years after that, West began a 16-year stint working for Presley and was a charter member of the singer's entourage, otherwise known as the Memphis Mafia.
West recounts these moments and much more about his life with Presley in "Elvis: Still Taking Care of Business," released last month by Triumph Books.
"I knew that one day after he passed away that I would have to write a book that really told of my love for him, my commitment to him, rather than one as a challenge to him to point out what he was doing to himself," says the 68-year-old West, who still lives in Tennessee.
The "challenge" he is referring to is his previous Presley book, "Elvis: What Happened?" Released shortly before Presley's death in 1977 at age 42, West and two other dismissed Memphis Mafia members, Red West (Sonny's cousin) and Dave Hebler, wrote about Presley's prescription drug habits, hoping he would see the error of his ways.
"I will say that if Red and I had been working for Elvis at the end, 'Elvis: What Happened?' would never have been written," says West. "This would be the book that I would have written, but it probably wouldn't have been right away."
The seeds for "Still Taking Care of Business" were planted around 2001, when West met collaborator Marshall Terrill, who has co-written books about actor Steve McQueen and basketball legend Pete Maravich.
"Originally, it started out with Red and I. That's what Marshall's idea was," says West. "Then Red, being as busy as he was, couldn't find the time. So Marshall and I -- we just went ahead and did it with just me."
They began writing in 2002 and finished last year, relying on West's memory as well as research.
"My memory's pretty good," he says. "I have proven that out over time with people. One time, when I was telling some stories in Palm Springs, (former Memphis Mafia member) Jerry Schilling sat in on them and said, 'You took me back on those things. I totally forgot about that. "
"Whatever I need you to do"
West was a 21-year-old Air Force veteran working at a Memphis appliance store in 1960 when Presley, who had recently been discharged from the Army, offered him a job.
When West asked what he'd be doing, Presley's response was, "Everything. Whatever I need you to do — performing errands, looking after my cars, keeping jealous boyfriends off my back."
West did all that and more, and as a result, he was with Presley during key personal and professional moments. He was there when The Beatles visited Presley on Aug. 27, 1965, and an entire chapter is devoted to that event.
There also is a chapter about Presley making a spur-of-the-moment trip to the White House in 1970. Presley, concerned about drug use by young people and figuring he could be of service to the country, wanted to ask President Richard M. Nixon for a federal narcotics badge.
Presley met Nixon and received his badge. West and Schilling didn't leave empty-handed, either.
More than 35 years later, West still gets a kick talking about how Presley hoodwinked Nixon for extra gifts. When the president gave West and Schilling a pair of gold keychains featuring the presidential seal, Presley said to Nixon, "Mr. President, they have wives, too." That prompted Nixon to go back to his desk and give them two pins with the seal.
"When we left," says West, "I said to Elvis, "Man, do you believe you lied to the president of the United States?' He said, "What do you mean, lied to him?' I said, "You said we were married. I'm not getting married until next weekend, remember? You're my best man.' He said, "Never mind. You're already married. You're just going through the ceremony now.'
"He could justify anything."
Cost-cutting dismissal
West, his cousin and Hebler were fired in 1976 in what was described to them as cost-cutting moves. (In his book, West writes that confronting Presley about his drug use, plus being blamed by Presley for security-related lawsuits against the singer, may have been factors in his firing.)
Vernon Presley, Elvis' father, called West to tell him he was dismissed.
"I would much rather that Elvis would have done it," says West. "Elvis doing it would not have been cold and detached. Vernon enjoyed telling us. He didn't like us guys. He was jealous of us guys because of our relationship with Elvis . . . we meant too much to him for Vernon's liking."
A possession that still means the world to West is his necklace with the letters TCB (which stands for "Taking Care of Business," a favorite Presley saying) over a lightning bolt. West writes in his book that he was present in October 1970 when Presley picked up the initial batch of TCB necklaces, and the legend himself put the first one around West's neck.
"Other than me, I don't know who still has an original," says West. "I was offered some very big money for it (years ago). I said, "No, it's not for sale.' They said, "Everything's for sale.' I said, "Well, probably so, but you wouldn't pay what it would cost you for this.'
"They said, 'Give me a figure.' I said, 'I really can't count that high.' "
Chris M. Junior: (732) 643-4254 or cmjunior@app.com.
Past and present league partners include: