Peter Guralnick is a music critic and historian of American popular music.

He has authored several books chronicling the history of blues, country, rock and roll, and soul; his 1994 biography of Elvis Presley, Last Train to Memphis, is considered by many fans and critics as the definitive work on the icon.

In contrast to contemporaries such as Lester Bangs and Nick Tosches, whose music writing is marked by an idiosyncratic, self-referential, and highly personal style, Guralnick's writing is characterized by a style that is, though colloquial, clean and understated by comparison. In his best passages, Guralnick shows an uncanny ability to simultaneously empathize and remain objective. Above all, Guralnick writes as a fan of music; his enthusiasm powers his writing but doesn't overpower it.

Books

• Peter Guralnick (1979). Lost Highway: Journeys & Arrivals of American Musicians. ,. ISBN 0316332747.
• Peter Guralnick (1986). Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom. ,. ISBN 0316332739.
• Peter Guralnick (1989). Searching for Robert Johnson. ,. ISBN 0452279496.
• Peter Guralnick (1994). Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley. ,. ISBN 0316332259.
• Peter Guralnick (1999). Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley. ,. ISBN 0316332976.