"You're no longer the other guy, you're the 'King.' I got more publicity over that than John Travolta did in 1978. Travolta was popular at the time because of Saturday Night Fever and Grease.. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. He recalls seeing cocaine backstage, and during a Tahoe drive, Gamble stocked his black Lincoln with a cooler of beer and some Jack Daniels and was, of course, pulled over by cops for some infraction. In the Summer 1997 issue of The Oxford American magazine author Tom Graves wrote an acclaimed article, Natural Born Elvis, about the first Elvis impersonator, Bill Haney, the only tribute artist Elvis himself ever went to see perform. Musician who performs in the style of Elvis Presley. Tribute artists get plastic surgery to look like dead celebrities choose a career that pays tribute to the King of Rock and Roll. Debbie loved all that. He is considered to be one of the first notable Elvis impersonators and even Presley himself supposedly said that Kaufman was his favorite impersonator. Session guitarist Reggie Young played on both the James and Presley versions.The song is about a mistrusting and dysfunctional relationship, and the need of the characters to overcome their issues in order to maintain it. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 1970's Dennis Wise Enterprize ELVIS Impersonator jacket Men's Large satin look . Theyre yelling at me, How do you feel? What are you thinking?, Wise says he didnt tell anyone in his family, including his parents or brother, since he feared they would think he was nuts. Wise has been performing his Elvis act longer than almost anybody since 1977. According to social historian Eric Lott, "the widespread embarrassment and innuendo surrounding Elvis impersonation points more directly to the homoerotic implications built into such acts. In the following month, he was off to compete at the Wintersun Festival in New South Wales. [33] A humorous example of mathematical extrapolation posits that if the growth of Elvis impersonators continued at the rate it did since 1977, by 2043, all humans on earth would be Elvis impersonators. In a lengthy piece for Rolling Stone, David Browne digs into the "rogue '70s promoter," who decided to try to make a living by putting cover artists on stagewith faces surgically altered to look something like the late singer they were mimicking. People were calling me from all over the world. The best known was the Upsetters, an R&B and soul outfit that ODay joined in 1965. The label loved the song and put it out, but Scepter did not have the money to promote new artists, and the song did not make the charts. He saw his idol in concert four times, the last in Kansas City, Mo., in 1974. So Jim said, Lets do a little Elvis thing in the show.. Cram him into brown leather pants and he might pass for the Lizard King. 29 cents Cost of the Elvis stamp issued in 1993. king's untimely death at the age of 42. Most fall under the following categories: There are different levels of impersonation, which depends largely on who is doing the impersonation and for what purpose. But thanks to that original operation, Wise still makes a respectable living re-creating Elvis in the Deja Vu Dance and Show Band, a multi-artist tribute act in Vegas. He was from the same family that made up the Keil Isles. They bought us out as well. appealed to everybody. The Flim Flam Band continued working, in what ODays cousin Paul Patten calls the Howard Johnsons tour of lounges in those family-vacation hotels. I was heartbroken, very upset. Ive never missed a year, says Wise. impersonators; a cover of TV Guide magazine; and presentation of keys The mementos may be gone. Dennis Wise knows exactly where he was when Elvis Presley died Aug. 16, 1977. Professional Elvis impersonators, commonly known as Elvis tribute artists (ETAs), work all over the world as entertainers, and such tribute acts remain in great demand due to the unique iconic status of Elvis. That was her life.. Elvis Has Left the Building a film in which a woman kills multiple Elvis impersonators. Impersonator impresario Ed Franklin boasts, 'We've had every type of Elvis there is in the world. It was her motivation that helped him become an Elvis tribute artist. Thousands of "Elvi" gave it their best shot in the 2007 BBC competition show World's Greatest Elvis. At the time, he was referred to as the greatest Elvis impressionist around. To this day, you can easily see tributes to ABBA, Rush, or Eighties and Nineties hip-hop. ", "Guinness book of records - Largest gathering of Elvis impersonators", Gadfly Online: David McNair and Jayson Whitehead, "Love and Theft. His brother had arranged an Elvis impersonators set to appear besides Fitter were Brendon Chase, Melissa Perkins and Kerryn Winn. 'Rolling Stone' has the story of 'rogue '70s promoter' Danny O'Day. "[25] In her paper, "Women Who 'Do Elvis'", Case Western Reserve University researcher Francesca Brittan deals with female Elvis Presley impersonators and finds them to be "campy, cheeky, and often disturbingly convincing. In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Elvis impersonators are a type of pedestrians commonly spawned in the Las Venturas (which is modelled after Las Vegas) area of the map. Elvis Presley: The King's best impersonators - CNN Style Priscilla Presley's favourite Elvis impersonator TYSONGREER SHADY 17.7K subscribers Subscribe 3.5K Share Save 306K views 1 year ago Show more Show more Shawn Klush World's Greatest Elvis 3:32. There are also several university studies, for instance, Eric Lott's critical essay, "All the King's Men: Elvis Impersonators and White Working-Class Masculinity," published in Harry Stecopoulos and Michael Uebel, eds., Race and the Subject of Masculinities (Duke University Press, 1997). If I could still do two shows a night, six nights a week, Id do it, Wise says. He was the whole package of music.. We did a couple of state fairs where there were, like, four people in the audience.. Newsroom | Elvis is in the building - Northwest CTA, that is Ultimately, just as in the living-person rock business, money changed everything. As far back as the Seventies, touring and club acts meticulously did their best to look and sound like the Doors or the very much alive Bruce Springsteen, and tourists in Manhattan flocked to Beatlemania, a Fab Four tribute that ran on Broadway for two years. Las Vegas Sun, 2023, All Rights Reserved, Less Elvis in Vegas doesnt mean no Elvis in Vegas, Elvis has yet to leave the building (5-15-2008), Bartender mixes Elvis moves with Santa Fe drinks (4-13-2001), Vegas Vipers Home Opener Against DCDefenders, Durango Beats Liberty, 57-47, in Boys 5A BasketballChampionship. Danny as Kenny Rogers? Wise says. Impersonating a dead pop star, or reviving them virtually, is one thing. The Complete History of Elvis Impersonators in 10 minutes - YouTube roll, gospel, pop, and country. A 'Must See' video.Featuring:Rick Bonner (Vocals)Cody SlaughterDonny EdwardsNick NicolasIndia's ElvisElvis PresleyWatch \"Rick Bonner 'The Ultimate Performance' (Please share)\" on YouTube\"Suspicious Minds\" is a song written by American songwriter Mark James. This show will be a little different from the past few years, Wise says. Danny pulls in with a brand-new Burt Reynolds Trans Am, he says. Wise will perform his annual Elvis birthday concert Saturday at the Chrome Lounge at Santa Fe Station. Some ETAs perform under stage names, mostly using names associated in some way with Presley's life or career (such as Presley's character names in his movies). To make himself feel better about the idea, ODay ran it by his mother: What if his younger brother, whod passed away at 21, had been an entertainer and died and had been resurrected by way of plastic surgery? Especially interesting are those who do not perform, per se, that is, they don't do an Elvis act, they just 'live Elvis,' dressing as The King and spreading His Word by their example. The novelty of the show, at a club in Melbourne, Florida, combined with all the press the surgery had received, commanded a rock-star-worthy fee $15,000 for the first week (about $60,000 today). Ramona Caywood then Mona Caywood Moore was playing bar gigs in Ohio, in a band called Stage Fright, when she received a call from a friend in the business. There were myths, and there was the real Elvis Presley He has continuously performed his Elvis tribute act for almost 50 years, including performances in Las Vegas and headlining an Elvis tribute show in Branson, MO for almost 20 years beginning in 1993. Wise says he never saw a dime, nor ever saw ODay again. But in the current landscape, where dead pop stars seem as prevalent as living, breathing ones, Danny ODays outlandish vision remains open for business. Elvis impersonator - Wikipedia For the first and not last time, his boss, Danny ODay, could boast, with one of his robust laughs, that he was the monster maker.. 'True' impersonators believe that they are 'chosen' by The King to continue His work and judge themselves and each other by their 'Authenticity' and ability to 'Channel' Elvis' true essence. ELVIS LIVES! Local impersonator keeps 'em all shook up Smith was featured several times on Pringle's regular TV show, though Smith only pretended to sing and play along with the music since he actually could neither sing nor play the guitar at that time.[7]. Standing Outside Graceland, A sermon for Reformation Day/Sunday At the recording session, James sang the lead vocals, and the studio band backed him with Momam producing. "[26] According to Marjorie Garber's academic study, Vested Interests: Cross-dressing and Cultural Anxiety (1992), Elvis impersonation is so insistently connected with femininity that it is "almost as if the word 'impersonator', in contemporary popular culture, can be modified either by 'female' or by 'Elvis. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased at the casino cashier or by calling 702-507-5980 starting January 7, 2020. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Shawn Klush - Top 10 Elvis Impersonators - TIME Erwin, D.H. and Droser, M.L., 1993. Eric Lott, "All the King's Men: Elvis Impersonators and White Working-Class Masculinity." They dont know what theyre getting into. But nothing would stop them, or ODay. Finding the right plastic surgeon to tweak Wises lips and cheeks and straighten his nose was tougher. Dragging along the white suits theyd been forced to wear onstage, the musicians piled them atop one another and set the clothes afire, resulting in what Caywood recalls as an unholy muck of cow patties, dirt, and melted polyester.. By Laura Fitzpatrick Friday, Jan. 08, 2010. Elvis taxa. O'Day's first foray into the world of tribute acts came in 1977, when he met Dennis Wise, who sounded close enough to Elvis that O'Day convinced him to go under the knife and have his nose, cheeks, and lips made to look more like the King's. If it turns out [the chemist] can deliver the goods, then well give the kid the pigment. Hearing those comments again, Gamble sighs: That sounds like sitting down and talking to him. "[17], However, the Elvis industry includes "professional Elvis impersonator registries." We were traveling the country, doing two shows a night six and seven nights a week.. One of the most popular modern plays dealing with Elvis impersonation is Lee Hall's Cooking with Elvis (1999). ODay heard about a local Florida band whose lead singer, Jesse Gamble (then Jesse Bolt), was a good Presley mimic, and even already owned a blue jumpsuit. Drive. There are disputes about what happened next. Barnum, a man who could, in Wises words, sell ice cream in hell. If that meant hiring someone to turn living singers into facsimiles of deceased ones, so be it. [43][44] Following a break, he was back December 1976. Wise still feels he and ODay could have gone all the way with the act: He had Disney World, all these people calling us he had it in the palm of his hand and let it go, he says. Its pretty common now, Wise says. The four singers he found also got surgery (it was said to have cost O'Day $500,000, though Browne also notes the surgeries were less invasive than what Wise experienced) and press, but the audience didn't materialize and a planned Vegas run allegedly fell apart over O'Day's unwillingness to let "the Vegas casino establishment" take the reins of the show. to earth and that separates a lot of entertainers", states Dennis. 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On the 15th of May, 2011, he entered the Elvis Down Under competition in Upper Hutt. He died at age 64 in July 2008, after battling cancer. "That was a very strange day," Wise says. [46] Among the LP albums he recorded were his 1976 album, Mr. Fatu Sings Elvis, which was recorded live at The Hawaiian Inn,[47] and Manatua Mai A'u (Remember Me), released on the Tam-Bay label. The films also featured many real Elvis Tribute Artists from Las Vegas as background players, dancers and extras. from the cities of Augusta, Georgia and New Orleans, Louisiana. In February 1980, friends, family, and roller-disco ushers gathered at the Fifth National Banque, a club in Norfolk, Virginia, for what ODays business manager would call the first clonehead marriage. Their faces covered in bandages, ODay and Rhyne took their vows; even the bride and groom figurines on the cake were swathed in bandages. Elvis Presley performs in Providence, R.I., on May 23, 1977. . Dennis expertly recreates Elvis's movements, phrasings, and Wise had come to Orlando at the request of a newly acquired personal manager, Danny O'Day of Ocala. Some ETAs perform with a live band in the style of the TCB Band, complete with a brass ensemble and background singers to add to the originality; while others rely solely on karaoke for their performances. Gary James' Interview With Elvis Impersonator Dennis Wise Dennis Wise made Page One news in papers across the country back in 1978 when he under went 6 hours of cosmetic surgery to re-construct his face to resemble Elvis Presley. Dennis's From a standpoint of being original and doing something that wasnt being done, I give him credit for putting his neck on the line. He could have made a killing in Atlantic City., Some involved in Rock and Roll Heaven wanted to forget it ever existed. "It is indeed one place minstrelsy ends up; where 19th-century white guys imitated what they thought of as slave culture and Elvis took from R & B performers, the impersonators copy the copy, if you willit's minstrelsy once-removed. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. ensemble. Eric Lott, "All the King's Men: Elvis Impersonators and White Working-Class Masculinity," in Harry Stecopoulos and Michael Uebel, eds.. See Gael Sweeney, "The King of White Trash Culture: Elvis Presley and the Aesthetics of Excess." Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect the correct date that Elvis Presley died. I got up one night and did Heartbreak Hotel and the fans liked it, Wise says. His admiration for Elvis has spanned over forty years. Thats up from $49 million in 2007. Many other Elvis impersonators appeared while Elvis was still alive, evolving mainly out of small town talent competitions which took their influences from major music artists of that time. [58], Another Elvis of Samoan descent is Johnny Angel. But that doesnt mean his interest in the King has waned. All Rights reserved. Its no longer a wrap: the Rock and Roll Heaven band after the bandages came off. 'The World's Greatest Elvis impersonator..EVER!' Rick Bonner 335 subscribers Subscribe 132 121K views 9 years ago A both serious and humerous collection of the world's greatest Elvis. Way before celebrity holograms were a thing, concert promoter Danny ODay decided to pay tribute to dead musicians in the craziest way possible getting plastic surgeons to transform a group of tribute artists into clones of Elvis Presley, Jim Croce, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison for his conceived tour, Rock and Roll Heaven.. Bandstand.". Getty Images provides access rights only and does not license the copyright in the image. As incredible as it may sound, Elvis Presley would have celebrated his 74th birthday today probably quietly at Graceland lest he throw out a hip. He was a former dancer with a Polynesian troupe. When I heard that, it struck me as funny. He says he was patched up after the assassination in Dallas, dyed black, and abandoned by Lyndon B. Johnson. O'Day's first foray into the world of tribute acts came in 1977, when he met Dennis Wise, who sounded close enough to Elvis that O . Written in 1968 by Mark James, who was also co-writer of \"Always on My Mind\" (which Presley would later record), the song first was recorded and released by James on Scepter Records in 1968. There Wise lay, on a table in an Orlando hospital, surrounded by photos of the King. Despite ODays high hopes, and a decent amount of news coverage, the Rock and Roll Heaven tour didnt quite make the impact hed imagined. After the tape was mixed, James and Chips flew to New York, where James's manager had contacts with Scepter Records. some memories. "There are heavily-bearded Elvii, four-year-old Elvii, and Elvis duos; Italian Elvii, Greek Elvii, Fat Elvii, a Lady Elvis, even a Black Elvis. Then, he would move on to dead comedians, remaking people to resemble W.C. Fields and Abbott and Costello. ODay fled to Florida supposedly, Gamble heard, with $120,000 of their earnings. Caywood remembers ODay as a big ol shyster, but the tour launched her into roles in productions of Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as an extended run at a Palm Springs club (singing both new and classic pop hits) until her recent retirement. The King Is Dead, But Wise Works to Keep Spirit Alive Even though James's recording initially had not been commercially successful, upon reviewing the song Elvis decided he could turn it into a hit. [39] His day job is at BGT Laboratories in Ffostrasol, which makes antidote products including snake anti-venom. international record is an honor shared only by Las Vegas entertainers He and his brother formed a garage band in the early 70s. He was so popular because he was kind and down James's wife has suspicions of his feelings. in Roxy's at the Fiesta Rancho located at 2400 N. Rancho [9] In his act, Kaufman would precede with several failed impersonations before unexpectedly launching into a skilled impersonation of Elvis Presley. He talked about re-creating Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, and the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd whod died in a plane crash the year before. He knew what was coming, but the reality of it didnt really hit him until the doctor, who seemed like a nice enough guy, started carving into his face. Infuriated, Gamble says he followed ODay back home to Florida to demand his money. My parents come to talk about our unique musical family. But dad drove a truck and was gone all the time and so Mom always listened to Elvis records. Also recently[when?] I really hated him then. On New Years Eve 1979, during the tours Reno run, she tossed down 50 sleeping pills and some champagne and hoped it would all end. He spent years touring the U.S., living a rock and roll lifestyle while playing his favorite music. [4][5], Contrary to popular belief, Elvis impersonators have existed since the mid-1950s, just after Elvis Presley himself began his career. Shane will be drumming for with his dad on Saturday night. These talented artists can pose for photos, perform Elvis's greatest hits, emcee corporate events, and sometimes officiate weddings just like in Vegas. Dennis Wise Tickets, 2023 Concert Tour Dates | Ticketmaster Home Concert Tickets Dennis Wise Tickets 3.0 Dennis Wise Tickets Events Reviews (1) No Concerts Near Raleigh & Durham Select Your Dates Sorry. Shane, 24, is a drummer, living in Nashville. >LVLG "Heard Around Town" Dennis I asked him to show me his license and he refused.) According to Rhynes sister-in-law, Wanda, Rhyne was happy, for a time: Danny was the love of her life. So the surgery was an improvement., Wise made his debut onstage so soon after the surgery that black rings still encircled his eyes. I feel weird saying this, but basically I was the hit of the show, says Caywood. "[15] There are even some performers who satirize other Elvis impersonators. (I knew it wasnt the original, the woman said of ODay. And it didnt do it merely with costumes or note-for-note vocal imitations: ODay hired plastic surgeons to physically alter his tribute singers to look as much as possible like the people they were honoring. He and Effie were divorced in 1979. By the mid-Eighties, ODay was running out of schemes. i.e., the Chilean version of the European show My name is featured at least three of them. Once again, ODay arranged for the operations, forked over the money (supposedly in the area of $500,000, partly from loans), and alerted the press. In paleontology, researchers D.H. Erwin and M.L. They wanted the whole property to themselves.. Something nobodys ever done before, recalls Effie. [52], During the early 1990s, Sam Leilani from Reseda, L.A. made the news briefly. Hes lead singer for the dance band Deja Vu, which performs from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays at South Point. From left: Rhyne, ODay, and Hazebrouck performing as Linda Ronstadt, Kenny Rogers, and Jim Croce at a Florida club in 1981. Elvis cant die. About then Wise began managing a band that included his brother, Jim. ODay already knew the limitations of tribute bands. Longtime Elvis impersonator to go beyond the standards The small western New South Wales town of Parkes in Australia has been hosting the Parkes Elvis Festival since 1993, which includes a special "Elvis Express" train from Sydney to Parkes. [50][51] Another single of his, released on the Fire Mountain label in 1980, "Just One Look" by "Darling" is a sought after collectors item. Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account. All of a sudden, it started hurting real bad, Wise recalls. Later that year, he was joined by the rest of the clone army for their post-surgery reveal on the daytime show America Alive! His mother introduced Joplin, Missouri native Dennis Wise to the music We just want to bring back Original faux-Elvis Dennis Wise practices post-surgery with promoter Danny O'Day, 1978. He died at the end of 2020. In "Meltdown," an episode of the British TV series Red Dwarf, Clayton Mark portrays a 'wax droid' version of Elvis who, under the command of Arnold Rimmer along with other 'wax world' historical figures, is engaged in battle with the evil historical figures. Decades before hologram tours, one rogue '70s promoter found another way to put Elvis, Janis, Jim Morrison, and other late icons back onstage. On "the thriving phenomenon of Elvis impersonators", see also Gilbert B. Rodman, Elvis After Elvis: The Posthumous Career of a Living Legend (1996). Ironically, the makeover would be inspired in part by Erin Rhyne, the female Elvis in Rock and Roll Heaven and the member of the troupe whod been the most damaged by it. Dennis got his nose broken when he was in the Marines, he says. From left: Hazebrouck, Caywood, Rhyne, Gamble, and OConnell at their post-surgery press conference, 1978. Meet the World's Greatest Elvis Impersonator By Nick Greene, the mag Mar 9, 2015 Ambassador Talent Services / Ambassador Talent Services by Shawn Klush, as told to Nick Greene Even when he's not. Wise is the ultimate fan and the ultimate Elvis performer, with more He had previously wanted to manage a Barbra Streisand impersonator but soon realized the audience wouldnt buy his first choice: At five feet two and 160 pounds, she didnt conjure Streisand physically. American Sound Studio was gaining a reputation in the industry as the Box Tops had just recorded \"The Letter\" there so James relocated to Memphis. According to Rolling Stone, less than 50 people turned up to their debut show in Atlanta. A season one episode of Full House had the character Uncle Jesse (John Stamos) play Elvis in a concert. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. He was there in 2016 for the event,[62] and in there in 2018.[63]. Elvis Impersonator from Winston Salem, NC (95 miles from Wake Forest, NC) Danny Crouse is a consummate performer who performs as a solo artist and can perform a variety of music! ODay rounded up another Jim Croce and another Elvis and found a local Florida musician to go under the knife to more closely resemble Buddy Holly. My first gig was in March 1978 in Florida. The Philippines has its own Elvis Presley impersonator, Filipino singer, and actor Eddie Mesa, dubbed as the Elvis Presley of The Philippines. And lastly, Dennis is a bit aged these days and many of his promo photos are of younger years. James had written three songs that became number one hits in the Southern United States. When he woke up, his swollen face wrapped in bandages, Wise had implants in his cheeks and a curled-up lip, and he was on his way to resembling the King more than his 23-year-old self.