Elvis Presley Black and White - H 2013
Alfred WertheimerThis story first appeared in the March 15 issue of The Hollywood Reporter.
When Alfred Wertheimer got the call in March 1956 to photograph Elvis Presley, his response was, “Elvis who?”
Within months of meeting Wertheimer, Presley recorded “Don’t be Cruel” and “Hound Dog” and exploded into unprecedented fame. Given access unimaginable today, Wertheimer accompanied Presley throughout 1956 in recording studios, trains, restaurants, hotels and the prehistoric rock ‘n’ roll backstage.
PHOTOS: Elvis Before He Was King
The 2,500 photos Wertheimer captured rank among the most intimate and revealing portraits of the young star and form the basis for Elvis & the Birth of Rock and Roll, a lavish limited-edition art book to be published in April by Taschen.
“It was a more relaxed time,” the 83-year-old photographer recently told THR. “You could get closer.”
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