Elvis Presley was a cultural phenomenon with a voice, stage presence, and charisma that earned him the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll title; however, he did not reach the limelight on his own. Backing him was Colonel Tom Parker, the sharp-witted manager who turned Elvis into a superstar.
While he controlled every aspect of Elvis’ career, he also hid a troubling past that did not fully unravel until after Elvis’ death in 1977. Parker was a tough businessman with a past filled with mystery and a dark secret from his younger days.
Colonel Tom Parker’s murder mystery
In May 1929, a young woman named Anna van den Enden was murdered in her store, just a short distance from Parker’s childhood home. The killer ransacked her home for money and, in a strange move, sprinkled pepper around her body, possibly to confuse police dogs.
Not long after, Parker vanished, cut off all contact with his family, and moved to the United States. Years later, a Dutch journalist received an anonymous letter suggesting that Parker had fled town after killing Anna. The note claimed Parker had worked for a greengrocer near her shop, making deliveries.
Tom Parker created a fake identity
When Parker arrived in the U.S., he did not enter legally; hence, it was likely he slipped in through Canada and quickly reinvented himself. He changed his name to Tom Parker, borrowing it from an Army officer who once questioned him and claimed to be from West Virginia.
Parker worked for carnivals before joining the U.S. Army, which ended in disgrace. Even though he had never been in the military long enough to earn it, he assumed the honorary title of Colonel in Louisiana. By the time he became Elvis’ manager, he had erased almost every trace of his former life such that even his fame did not uncover any dirt.