Colonel Tom Parker
#1,600
Most Influential Person Now
Dutch entertainment impresario
Why Is Colonel Tom Parker Influential?
(Suggest an Edit or Addition)According to Wikipedia, Thomas Andrew Parker , commonly known as Colonel Parker, was a musical entrepreneur, best known for being Elvis Presley's manager. Parker was born in the Netherlands and entered the United States illegally when he was 20 years old. He adopted a new name and claimed to have been born in the U.S. With a background working in carnivals, Parker moved into music promotion in 1938, working with one of the first popular crooners, Gene Austin, and then country music singers Eddy Arnold, Hank Snow, and Tommy Sands. He also assisted Jimmie Davis's campaign to become governor of Louisiana; as a reward, Davis gave him the honorary rank of "colonel" in the Louisiana State Guard.