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EARLY MEMBERS As an only child, Elvis preferred men around him who were loyal, trustworthy and deferential. Thus family members and friends of his youth were very important to him. "For the first time in his life, he had a group of male friends to pal around with, and he relished being the leader of the pack."Earl Greenwood, ''The Boy Who Would Be King'', p.192. The group began with Elvis' first cousins Junior and Gene Smith (, Larry Geller, Dave Hebler and numerous others."Patrick Humphries, ''Elvis The #1 Hits: The Secret History of the Classics'', p.79. ORIGIN OF THE NICKNAME Around 1960, the media dubbed these people "The Memphis Mafia." This first referred to their image, as they usually cruised the city in black mohair suits and dark sunglasses. According to one account blacksheep.com/portfolio/memphismafia , a crowd of people in front of the Riviera Hotel watched as two big black limousines arrived. Elvis and his friends got out of the two cars and someone in the crowd yelled, "Who are they, the Mafia?" and a newspaper reporter picked up the story. The Memphis Mafia members themselves say on their website that Elvis liked the name and it stuck. However, Presley's former wife Priscilla wrote that Presley didn't like the name because of a frightening Mafia connotation which the general public was then unaware of, and that members of Organized Crime had attempted to take over Presley's career, something reported as having happened earlier to Frank Sinatra .Priscilla Presley, '' Elvis And Me '' (1985). THE ACRONYM TCB Presley and his friends and employees also adopted the acronym '' TCB '' which meant "Taking '''C'''are of '''B'''usiness". Presley officially named his band the TCB Band , had the tail of his private jet painted with the initials "TCB" and a lightning bolt and gave away TCB gold chain necklaces as gifts. scheff.com/tcb/ . OPINIONS BY DIFFERENT PEOPLE Jerry Capeci calls the guys from the Memphis Mafia the "party animal buddies of Elvis Presley."Jerry Capeci, ''The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia,'' p.3. William Otterburn-Hall describes the men as close around the star "like a football scrum after a loose ball." He relates that they were a "friendly bunch" who, when Elvis began to sing just for fun during his interview, followed "suit, singing, clowning, all on their feet".''Rolling Stone'', July 12, 1969. But there was more. According to Patrick Humphries, they "acted as Elvis' bodyguards, babysitters, drug procurers, girl-getters, mates and carbuyers." The author also mentions other functions of the guys: "various members of the Memphis Mafia had ... played vital roles in keeping the King's numerous dirty secrets out of the public eye. A couple of them had been arrested with false prescriptions attempting to collect drugs for Elvis, quite a few had taken physical hits in the service of protecting Elvis and none were paid more than $500 a week. For that they were often shouted at, abused and belittled by the King when he felt like it."Humphries, p.79. and Red West , most of his friends were simply ignorant hillbillies out to get everything they could from him. ... They had a real sweet thing going that's for sure. They called themselves bodyguards, but in reality they were only flunkies falling over each other to kiss El's ''ass''."Jerry Eden, ''Against the Wind'' (1999), p.93-4. PARTY LIFE 's Rat Pack " and that Elvis and his guys were all "living on speed and tranqs." For Joe Esposito, "it was a party like you wouldn't believe. Go to a different show every night, then pick up a bunch of women afterwards, go party the next night. Go to the lounges, see Fats Domino , Della Reese , Jackie Wilson , The Four Aces , the Dominoes - all the old acts. We'd stay there and never sleep, we were all taking pills just so we could keep up with each other."Guralnick, p.116. BODYGUARDS, ROAD MANAGERS AND OTHER EMPLOYEES When Presley emerged as a major celebrity in 1956 he was constantly besieged by adoring fans and the press, making a normal lifestyle impossible. He would rent a movie theatre to watch a Film or an entire Memphis Amusement Park to ride a Roller Coaster . Professional handlers and celebrity security experts had not yet evolved. Presley faced repeated threats of physical violence from outraged moral extremists and death threats from fanatics (as would later happen when he performed in Las Vegas). These threats were kept out of the press for fear of triggering even more.The danger of crazed celebrity Stalkers and the like entered public consciousness in 1980 when Mark Chapman murdered John Lennon . For both his security needs and touring support Presley hired people chosen from among those he could trust and depend on to manage his public appearances. This entourage included first cousins and several of Presley's friends from his boyhood in a poor Memphis Housing Project plus junior and senior high school friends and early employees from Memphis such as Alan Fortas, nephew of U.S. Supreme Court Justice , Abe Fortas . Many people were employed with the group through the years but some of the more prominent members were Joe Esposito, Lamar Fike, Alan Fortas, Larry Geller, Charlie Hodge , Marty Lacker, Jerry Schilling , Billy Smith, Gene Smith, Red West , and Sonny West. Each man had specific duties. Joe Esposito officiated as chief road manager. Sonny West was responsible for security at Presley concerts. Red West was one of Presley's earliest friends from their school days and in 1954 had acted as a driver for Elvis, Scotty Moore and Bill Black when they first toured the American South performing as the "Blue Moon Boys." Priscilla Presley said these employees were paid an average of $250 per week during the 1960s, which rose to $425 per week in the 1970s.Presley, ''Elvis and Me.'' Each Christmas all Presley employees received bonus checks. Some members of this inner circle became close friends who served as replacements for a lack of normal everyday friendships Presley's fame would not allow. Known for his generosity (attributed by Presley himself to an impoverished childhood), he bought some of these employees homes as wedding gifts and frequently bought new Cadillac automobiles for employees, relatives and friends. UNHEALTHY INFLUENCE OVER THE SINGER "Parasitic presence" Elvis's father Vernon distrusted and disliked the Memphis Mafia, who he thought exercised an unhealthy influence over his son.Humphries, p.79. "Surrounded by the parasitic presence of the so-called Memphis Mafia, it was no wonder", says John Harris, that as the singer "slid into addiction and torpor, no-one raised the alarm: to them, Elvis was the bank, and it had to remain open."John Harris, "Talking about Graceland". '' The Guardian '', March 27, 2006. Jerry Eden says that the guys didn't like Priscilla Beaulieu . "When Priscilla came on the scene, she made them move out of ''Graceland'', keeping just a couple of them in the house to act as bodyguards."Jerry Eden, p.94. Substitute parents Elvis Presley reportedly spent day and night with his friends and employees from the Memphis Mafia. They were a big family and Elvis lived in a "milieu of a protective brotherhood."Mary Lynn Kittelson, ''Soul of Popular Culture: Looking at Contemporary Heroes, Myths, and Monsters'' (1998), p.32. Gerald Marzorati says that Elvis "couldn't go anywhere else without a phalanx of boyhood friends."Gerald Marzorati, "Heartbreak Hotel", '', Elvis got into bed with Smith and his wife Jo "many times at Graceland when we would spend the night there in Lisa's room, or on tour in the hotel, and at the trailer on the property at Graceland. ... we were all three there talking for hours about everything in the world! Sometimes he would have a bad dream and come looking for me to talk to, and he would actually fall asleep in our bed with us. That happened a lot of times, and we thought nothing of it." Billy Smith interview Part Two." Elvis Information Network . Playing dangerous games When they rented the Rainbow Rollerdrome in Memphis Elvis and the "Memphis Mafia" usually played "a game called 'War', of which Elvis was the proud inventor. ... There were two teams, and the object of the game was to knock over as many members of the opposing team as possible by any means." Another game was called the 'Whip' game. "Elvis's idea of an exciting game was that it should be as dangerous as possible", such as the game that involved fireworks. "Some of the Memphis Mafia would buy up to £15,000 worth of fireworks in today's money, including skyrockets, baby giants, firecrackers, and chasers, which moved rapidly and unpredictably until they exploded. Since the emphasis was on large and potentially lethal fireworks, everyone had to wear air force jump-suits plus gloves, helmets, and goggles. When they were all dressed up, they divided themselves into Blue and Red teams, and started hurling fireworks at the other team ... Elvis was left with a big scar on his neck from one firework, and one of his friends nearly lost an eye."Michael W. Eysenck and Hans J. Eysenck, ''Happiness: Facts and Myths'' (1994), p.84. See also Alanna Nash, ''Elvis Aaron Presley: Revelations from the Memphis Mafia'' (1995). Handling of girls Byron Raphael, an assistant to Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker , worked for Elvis in 1956-57 and procured several girls to climb into bed with the star, including some well-known movie stars.Byron Raphael with Alanna Nash , "In Bed with Elvis," ''Playboy'', November 2005, Vol. 52, Iss. 11, p.64-68, 76, 140. This was also one of the tasks of the men from the Memphis Mafia, as many girls wanted to get in close touch with the star. In her memoir, model and actress Peggy Lipton writes that she felt trapped in Presley's bed as the star was impotent with her and she "couldn't just amble out into the next room to get a breath because all his guys were in the front of the suite gearing up for show time. I could hear their piercing laughter and loud voices against the background of the blaring TV."Peggy Lipton, ''Breathing Out'' (2005), p.172. Buzz Cason even saw a fascinating "guest-bedroom with two-way mirrors, where the highly mischievous Memphis Mafia clowns could eavesdrop on visitors who might slip away there for a little romantic action."Buzz Cason, p.79. According to Raphael's eye-witness account, actress Natalie Wood was upset when Presley refused to have sexual intercourse with her. She made a snide remark to the members of the Memphis Mafia that she "was not the only one to think Elvis and the guys might be Homosexual , especially since Elvis often wore pancake makeup and mascara offstage to accentuate his brooding intensity ..." Byron Raphael and Alanna Nash add in their article that "tongues wagged" that Elvis and his best friend Nick Adams "were getting it on."Byron Raphael with Alanna Nash , "In Bed with Elvis," ''Playboy'', November 2005. BOOKS BY FORMER "MEMPHIS MAFIA" MEMBERS Since the late 1970s, some former members of the Memphis Mafia have written books on Elvis. The first exposé book appeared in 1977 shortly before Elvis's death. This so-called Bodyguard book came from the West cousins and Dave Hebler. They wrote about Presley's years of Prescription Drug abuse which eventually led to his death. Elvis's youngest step-brother says the singer "was devastated by the book. Here were his close friends who had written serious stuff that would affect his life. He felt betrayed. Red was honest with Elvis about his medication problems and I think this was one of the reasons he was fired. For the guys they were fired, but not by Elvis. That must have hurt." David Stanley . Elvis had "even offered the publishers money not to go ahead with it. For Vernon the book was proof of his long-held distrust and dislike not just of those three but of the whole of the Memphis Mafia ..."Humphries, p.79. List of books
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