Counting Down Elvis

By Mark Duffett

Over the course of his career and since, Elvis Presley has sold over a billion records/his music has touched nearly every modern listeners. But few are book-length assessments of his music instead of his life. In Counting Down Elvis: His 100 Finest Songs, Mark Duffett urges us to put aside the misleading stereotypes and rumor-filled debates about mythical Elvis and listen once again to musical genius who emerged from the Memphis music scene. As Duffett illustrates, Elvis Presley had a unique approach to music, one that was powerful and versatile. In a career stretching across more than two decades Presley changed the face of popular music by drawing together genres--from country and blues to contemporary folk to even opera--and then putting his unique stamp on them all. Counting Down Elvis: His 100 Best Songs explores the full range of Presley recordings, from his earliest number to his end-of-career (and even posthumous) hits, combing through gold record hits and unpolished gems to distill the best Presley had to offer his generation, his successors, and listeners today.