CHUCK CRISAFULLI

The affectionatecharming (Kirkus Reviews) story of Tim Shanahans remarkable and little-known forty-year friendship with boxing legend Muhammad Ali, filled with stories never told as well as never-before-published personal photos.In 1975, Tim Shanahan was a medical instruments salesman living in Chicago and working with a charity that arranged for pro athletes to speak to underprivileged kids. Muhammad Ali had just reclaimed his title as heavyweight champion of the world by defeating George Foreman (the Rumble in the Jungle) and then successfully defended it in a rematch against Joe Frazier (the Thrilla in Manila). When Shanahan learned Ali was planning a move to Chicago, he contacted the Champ to ask whether he would participate in the charity program. Not only did Ali agree, he invited Shanahan to his new home, where the two spent a night talking, laughing, and bonding over bowls of ice creamthe beginning of an incredible friendship.Ali soon enlisted Shanahan as his early morning running partner. Quickly, Shanahan became a trusted confidant and travel companion, and Ali often stunned strangers by introducing Shanahan as his cousin. The two grew even closer over family dinners with Shanahans wife, Helga, and Alis wife, Veronica. Shanahan was with Ali as the Champ trained for his legendary battles with Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, Leon Spinks, and Larry Holmes, and moved to Los Angeles with Ali when the Champ prepared for a life after boxing. Shanahan was a recipient of and witness to Alis tremendous generosity, and as Alis health began to deteriorate, Shanahan had a chance to return the favor, encouraging and comforting his ailing friend.Running with the Champ is an insightful personal portrait of the Greatest of All Time. But, above all, it is a touching, candid narrative of an extraordinary friendship that continued until Alis death.

On a lazy Sunday in 1954, twelve-year-old Jerry Schilling wandered into a Memphis touch football game, only to discover that his team was quarterbacked by a nineteen-year-old Elvis Presley, the local teenager whose first record, "Thats All Right," had just debuted on Memphis radioJerry and Elvis became fast friends, even as Elvis turned into the worlds biggest star. In 1964, Elvis invited Jerry to work for him as part of his "Memphis Mafia," and Jerry soon found himself living with Elvis full-time in a Bel Air mansion and, later, in his own room at Graceland. Over the next thirteen years Jerry would work for Elvis in various capacitiesfrom bodyguard to photo double to co-executive producer on a karate film. But more than anything else he was Elviss close friend and confidant: Elvis trusted Jerry with protecting his life when he received death threats, he asked Jerry to drive him and Priscilla to the hospital the day Lisa Marie was born and to accompany him during the famous "lost weekend" when he traveled to meet President Nixon at the White House. Me and a Guy Named Elvis looks at Presley from a friends perspective, offering readers the man rather than the iconincluding insights into the creative frustrations that lead to Elviss abuse of prescription medicine and his tragic death. Jerry offers never-before-told stories about life inside Elviss inner circle and an emotional recounting of the great times, hard times, and unique times he and Elvis shared. These vivid memories will be priceless to Elviss millions of fans, and the compelling story will fascinate an even wider audience.

When George Klein was thirteen, he couldnt have known how important the new kid in class - the one with the guitar, the boy named Elvis - would become in his life. But from the first time GK (as he was nicknamed by Elvis) heard this kid sing, he knew that Elvis Presley was someone extraordinary. In this heartfelt, entertaining and affectionate memoir, George Klein writes candidly about their close friendship, which began at school and continued through Elviss rise to fame and the wild swirl of his tumultuous life, right up to the singers tragic death. Writing with the authority of someone who was in the midst of it all, from the good times at Graceland and hanging out with Hollywood stars to butting heads with Elviss iron-handed manager, Colonel Tom Parker, GK reveals who the King really was and how he acted when the stage lights were off. Full of anecdotes and first-hand accounts of some of the most defining moments in the legends life, Elvis: My Best Man captures the true essence of the man behind the music.