Caught in a Trap: The Kidnapping of Elvis - Softcover

CAUGHT IN A TRAP draws back the veil of secrecy on the most dramatic event in the life of Elvis Presley. In October of 1975 Elvis was kidnapped and held in a cabin in the Kentucky mountains where he was made to sing for his supper. After a week in captivity a ransom was paid to ensure his release, a sensational affair that was hushed up on orders from the White House. This psychological thriller not only tells the dramatic tale of how Elvis was snatched but delves into the innermost thoughts of the King of Rock'n'Roll. How does Elvis react when he is treated like an ordinary citizen, told to sweep floors and chop wood? How does he interact with his kidnappers? And how do those close him, among them ex-wife Priscilla and manager Colonel Tom Parker, respond to the crisis? "With all of his needs catered for by others, Elvis Presley was the very opposite of self-sufficient; simultaneously the neediest man that Priscilla would ever encounter yet at the same time in need of nothing. Elvis was a paradox, reared on a diet that had left him as helpless as a child when he wasn't surrounded by his courtiers . . . whoever had kidnapped him, thought Priscilla, would soon realise what a handful he could be."

Chris Charlesworth has spent a lifetime writing about music, both as a staff writer on Melody Maker during the Seventies and for countless other media outlets since. Until recently the Editor-in-Chief on Omnibus Press, he has interviewed hundreds of musicians, including John Lennon, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, The Who, Elton John and Rod Stewart, and travelled on the road with Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen and Eric Clapton. He has produced records for The Who and his music blog Just Backdated has attracted over half a million hits.