Joe Esposito (author)
Joe Esposito (born January 22, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois) is a veteran author and publisher, who along with his long-time business partner Daniel Lombardy, have several best selling books to their credit.
Esposito is best known for his association with Elvis Presley (see Memphis Mafia). He first met Presley while serving in the military in 1958. They both went through basic training at Fort Hood, Texas, but did not meet face to face until a year later when they were both stationed in West Germany, where they quickly became lifelong friends. Esposito became Elvis's road manager and bodyguard beginning in 1960. Esposito served as co-best man, with Marty Lacker at Elvis's wedding while Esposito's wife, Joan, served as the matron of honor. After Elvis' death in 1977 Esposito went to work for Jerry Weintraub becoming the road manager for greats including Michael Jackson, The Bee Gees, Karen Carpenter and John Denver.
Esposito, Col. Tom Parker and Jerry Schilling served as principal consultants in the movie This Is Elvis.
Esposito has 3 children, Debbie (born 1962) and Cindy (born 1966) from his first marriage to Joan (Roberts) and Anthony (born 1985) from his second marriage to Martha Gallub. Martha Gallub Esposito died on March 19, 2012, after a long fight with cancer.
Published books
- Good Rocking Tonight, by Diamond Joe Esposito, (1996) Avon Books (ISBN 0380726947)
- Elvis Intimate and Rare, by Diamond Joe Esposito, (1997) Darwin Lamm, Elvis International Forum books(ASIN B0006QR02Y)
- Remember Elvis Produced by Diamond Joe Esposito and Daniel Lombardy, (2006) TCBJOE Publishing (ISBN 0977894525)
- Elvis Straight Up, Produced by Diamond Joe Esposito and Joe Russo of The Soft Parade,(2007)Steamroller Publishing (097971320X)
- Celebrate Elvis - Volume 1, Produced by Diamond Joe Esposito and Daniel Lombardy, (2006) TCBJOE Publishing (ISBN 0977894533)
- Celebrate Elvis - Volume 2, Produced by Diamond Joe Esposito and Daniel Lombardy, (2007) TCBJOE Publishing (ISBN 097789455X)
Interviews
- Larry King Interview with Joe Esposito
- www.rareelvispresley.com
Movie Appearances
- It Happened at the World's Fair (1963)
- Kissin' Cousins (1964)
- Viva Las Vegas (1964)
- Clambake (1967)
- Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970)
- Elvis on Tour (1972)
- This is Elvis (1981)
In popular culture
- He was portrayed by Joe Mantegna in 1979's Elvis: The Movie, alongside Kurt Russell.
- He was also portrayed by Ian Leson in the 2005 CBS mini-series Elvis, alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
- He was spoofed by Chris Farley as the driver for "Tiny Elvis" on Saturday Night Live in 1992 hosted by Nicolas Cage.
External links
- Joe Esposito at the Internet Movie Database
- Interview with Joe Esposito
- TCBJOE - The Official Joe Esposito Elvis Fan Site