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Thomas Andrew Parker, commonly known as Colonel Tom Parker, was a Dutch-American musical entrepreneur. He was best known as the talent manager of Elvis Presley. 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 United States. With a background working in carnivals, Parker moved into music promotion in 1938, working with one of the first popular crooners, Gene Austin, and country music singers Eddy Arnold, Hank Snow, and Tommy Sands. He also assisted Jimmie Davis's campaign to become governor of Louisiana, for which he was awarded the honorary rank of "colonel" in the Louisiana State Guard. Parker encountered Presley in 1955 and by 1956 had become his manager. With Parker's help, Presley signed a recording contract with RCA Victor, which led to a commercial breakthrough in 1956 with his sixth single "Heartbreak Hotel" and a career as one of the most commercially successful entertainers in the world. Parker received more than half of the income from the enterprise, an unprecedented figure for a music manager. He negotiated Presley's lucrative merchandising deals and media appearances and is said to have influenced Presley's personal life, including his decision to accept military service in 1958 and his marriage to Priscilla Beaulieu in 1967. Parker encouraged Presley to make musical films, and they became the focus of his career during his commercial decline in the 1960s until his 1968 comeback and return to touring. Parker's influence waned in later years, but he continued in his management role until Presley died in 1977. Parker managed the Presley estate for the rest of his life. Having previously sold the rights to Presley's early recordings to RCA he struggled to secure a steady income, and his financial situation worsened after he sustained significant gambling losses. Parker's final years were spent living in Las Vegas, in declining health, until his death in 1997.