Louis Cantor - Dewey and Elvis

Cantor had clearly spent a long time painstakingly researching the documentary evidence available to him before committing anything to paper, and it clearly helps that he has a Memphis heritage, even going to the Humes high school with Elvis Presley. The relationship with Elvis (a theme throughout the book after their initial meeting) is an interesting one, and whilst it might be glib and superficial to point out the similarities in their rise and fall, theirs was clearly a relationship built as much around their mutual demons as it was around an undeniably strong bond of friendship. Indeed, as Dewey fell from grace towards the end of an increasingly self inflicted period of career and personal setbacks, in this book Elvis comes out of the story incredibly well, still attempting to help his friend and sometime mentor when less committed individuals would simply have walked away.

What's particularly powerful about the book are the exhaustive personal interviews, the anecdotes and insights from any number of key figures from the period, including Sam Phillips, George Klein (first Dewey's 'gofer' and subsequent radio "competitor") and Dewey's wife Dot Phillips. They can also be the book's weakness however, as memories fade and recollections differ, making it difficult to establish the truth about much of the detail of Phillips' life.
It's difficult for a "limey" on this side of the water to understand the impact that a guy like Dewey had on American popular culture and just how important his radio show "Red Hot and Blue" was in changing the shape of mainstream music. He was clearly an iconic figure, but not for that long, and it's hard to ascertain how much of what he achieved was purely a result of enthusiasm for the music rather than any burning ambition to break down any of the racial barriers to be found in the American South at that time. He certainly didn't seem to countenance any segregation in his personal life, and it's to his credit that he just didn't seem to see the barriers imposed by others; but the book doesn't really make a case for anything more profound - he loved the music, liked the people who made it, and wanted to transmit that enthusiasm to the record buying public.

This book is an essential read for all lovers of R&B and American southern music. It places the Phillips story squarely in the context of both southern history and the cultural makeup of the time, and is particularly strong on the Memphis social and musical milieu of the period. Shades of Blue would have liked a little more on the R&B performers for whom Dewey had such an affection, but the link with Elvis is a fascinating one, adding colour and intrigue to a larger than life personality. It's a little light on the man's demise but it's his life, career and lifelong passion for communicating his love of music that's worth celebrating.