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(I wasnt there, but he wouldnt do that, counters Effie. His admiration for 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. Nelson even performed alongside Presley when they first met, also in 1954. ), For Caywood, Gamble, and Wise, the scars have healed or are now barely detectable; Gambles mustache covers up his lip cut. Elvis was only the beginning. '"[13] Professional Elvis impersonation can be called a special branch of the entertainment industry. A fast and unbiased roundup of whats happening in the world today. "That was a very strange day," Wise says. 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. 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. The final Elvis impersonator made a splash by parachuting in on top of a car. [52], During the early 1990s, Sam Leilani from Reseda, L.A. made the news briefly. We did a couple of state fairs where there were, like, four people in the audience., Overall, the short-lived careers of Danny ODays Rock and Roll Heaven tribute band made a pretty minute dent in music history. Original faux-Elvis Dennis Wise practices post-surgery with promoter Danny ODay, 1978. Francesca Brittan, "Women Who 'Do Elvis': Authenticity, Masculinity and Masquerade", published in the. During It was in his blood, and I want to think it was the drinking that prohibited him from doing more with his life. For reasons that remain mysterious, ODay completely turned his back on show business and began working in sales for car dealerships in the greater Baltimore and Washington, D.C., area. There must have been 100 people from the press all over the world taking pictures, he says. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. His mother introduced Joplin, Missouri native Dennis Wise to the music 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. favorite song was "Heartbreak Hotel", and to his father's chagrin, he I forget the script, Gamble says, but it was Elvis coming down from heaven to bring back some friends.. RAINBOW UMAMI: a Queer Club Remix Series: Celebrating diversity and creativity in the queer music community. >Article Archives I wanted to be an entertainer, and who doesnt want to be like Elvis come on!, Effie insists the idea was her late husbands. (Photo by Getty Images). As she later told the Orlando Sentinel, the whole show gave her the creeps due to real weird girls who started hanging out during my shows, biker types. She complained to ODay about her female-Elvis role, but he wasnt listening: Nothing I said seemed to sink in, Rhyne said. Talent shows focused on imitating already famous singers will often have Elvis impersonators. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. In addition to the classics, Im throwing in some songs Elvis did onstage that arent heard as much. CONTINUE ON TO: The first night, Wise was singing Love Me Tender and passing out scarves la the King when a woman in the crowd came up and grabbed him in the crotch. He was always looking for his new project, says Patten. "[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. And you have the fans who want to see that artist continue., ODay would never be on the level of Colonel Tom Parker, but he was something else entirely rocks own P.T. He would say, We ought to do this! and I would be, Oh, my gosh!. All rights reserved. Cruise kept asking James if he had any songs that would be right for Elvis. It was late 1977, Elvis had just died, and maybe there was a market for a tribute act. Hes great.. Eric Lott, "All the King's Men: Elvis Impersonators and White Working-Class Masculinity." I got up one night and did Heartbreak Hotel and the fans liked it, Wise says. Dennis Colt, the first famous Elvis impersonator, circa 1978. This I dont know where it went or if somebody didnt get paid.). Collect, curate and comment on your files. In the Sledge Hammer! Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. The international guide I am Elvis, for instance, contains "photos, repertoire, and personal testimonies that serve to materialize the phenomenon of Elvis impersonation and further institutionalize it, including female Elvii, child Elvii, Black Elvii, El Vez the Mexican Elvis, and scores of British, German, Greek and Indian Elvii. In Many Shapes and Colors: King's Spirit Infuses Multicultural 'Elvi' - Trin Yarborough, Page 1 Elvis devotee ready to perform - Stephen Forbes, Samoan Elvis sings his last, Alphonso Keil dies, Talking with an Angel, Page 1 - 4, By Ruth Jackson, 20,000 for one day Elvis Festival in New Zealand by Gail Bartley, Thousands 'all shook up' at Auckland's Elvis in the Gardens - TARANNUM SHAIKH, Pasifika programme Sunday 13 March, Sunday programme, > Samoa, 2.10pm Elvis of Samoa, "Hong Kong legend 'Melvis' dead at 68, local branch of International Elvis Presley Fan Club says", Warren makes time for grandson by Stuart Michael, LIFESTYLE, Tony Warren still rocking by Sonja Mustaffa, From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis, Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas, From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee, Amazing Grace: His Greatest Sacred Performances, Command Performances: The Essential 60s Masters II, Suspicious Minds: The Memphis 1969 Anthology, The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50's Masters, From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential '60s Masters, Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential '70s Masters, Peace in the Valley: The Complete Gospel Recordings, The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elvis_impersonator&oldid=1139034895, Articles lacking reliable references from June 2020, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 February 2023, at 00:58. In Fallout: New Vegas, the Kings are an Elvis-themed gang based out of the "King's School of Impersonation". After the tape was mixed, James and Chips flew to New York, where James's manager had contacts with Scepter Records. I bless you, Daniel ODay, she says, for opening up such a large part of my life that came out of that.. He heard ODay was now working with a country band something about tributes to country singers and tracked them down in a bar. He spent years touring the U.S., living a rock and roll lifestyle while playing his favorite music. Impersonator impresario Ed Franklin boasts, 'We've had every type of Elvis there is in the world. Its got to be wrong. The plot of the Father Ted episode "Competition Time" revolves around the three main characters Father Ted Crilly, Father Dougal McGuire and Father Jack Hackett entering the "All Priests Stars in Their Eyes Lookalike Competition". But several weeks later, he made his post-surgery television debut on Good Morning America, and at press conferences began imitating Presleys Southern drawl and polite use of maam and sir. His brother Jim watched one of his TV appearances in a bar. 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 . Since I was 5 Ive been acting like him he was kind of like a father figure to me because my dad was gone all the time. The results could be comical: Caywood recalls a drive when some of them were pulled over by cops, who thought the bandaged people in the van were thieves. ODay later admitted the idea was also suggested by Rhyne and that he had his own doubts: I said, What, are you crazy? 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. 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.. One of the first books to document the phenomenon was, I Am Elvis: A Guide to Elvis Impersonators released by American Graphic Systems in 1991. In 2003, at age 54, ODay succumbed to non-Hodgkins lymphoma. RAINBOW UMAMI: a Queer Club Remix Series: Celebrating Somewhere Sounds: Download Free Sample Packs. Wise was doing an Elvis show in Hawaii. It was very fresh at that point compared to now. Know more in just minutes with our free newsletters. (Read the full story, which has plenty of photos.). EXCELLENT CONDITION, SIGNED SLEEVE SAYS, "SHIRLEY BEST WISHES, DENNIS WISE". Elvis Presley performs in Providence, R.I., on May 23, 1977. . Dennis can recreate the songs, moves and looks from all Era's of Elvis' career, 50's, 60's, and 70's. His heavy show schedule of an average of 200 shows a year with tours in Colorado, California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Florida, Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa in the past year alone proves that Dennis is the most sought . Get ready, music lovers, because Record Store Day 2023 is right around the corner! The guys in the band were all laughing.. He saw his idol in concert four times, the last in Kansas City, Mo., in 1974. 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. Kenny had a really unique voice. Last year, he earned $54 million, topping the list of dead performers who are still making money. A major post-mortem event in Elvis history occurred in Orlando on Jan. 31, 1978, when Dennis Wise underwent six hours of plastic surgery to look more like The King of rock 'n' roll. Other honors bestowed upon Wise When Wise reexamined his contract at the time, he realized hed signed with ODay for 50 years and that ODay was entitled to half his earnings. Croce hadnt heard of the tribute until contacted by Rolling Stone, and neither the Joplin estate nor the surviving members of the Doors remember these clones from more than 40 years ago. Must be 21 to attend this Las Vegas event. In 40 years, its become more acceptable to do something like that, compared to back then, says Eyellusions Pezzuti. All of a sudden, it started hurting real bad, Wise recalls. From left: Rhyne, ODay, and Hazebrouck performing as Linda Ronstadt, Kenny Rogers, and Jim Croce at a Florida club in 1981. 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. 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). As it turned out, Duke OConnell, the drummer in an ODay-managed cover band called the Copycats, had been singing Doors songs in that group. Hazebroucks lips were enlarged and lowered, and his straight hair was given a Croce-style perm. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Dennis Wise - King for a Night - A Tribute to Elvis Presley Las Vegas Entertainment. His performance may be considered the first significant Elvis impersonation. Dennis's He Despite ODays high hopes, and a decent amount of news coverage, the Rock and Roll Heaven tour didnt quite make the impact hed imagined. New York-native Erin Feinberg is a master observer of musical subcultures, and has snapped diehard tribes of metal-heads, prog-rockers, and punks. released "Just Pretending" by Kurt Burrows is full of tips on how to talk, sing and dress like Elvis. Dad hated Elvis. How would Danny come up with that? she says. Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect the correct date that Elvis Presley died. [3], Many impersonators sing Presley's songs. 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 hired and began working at it full-time in November 1977. Following the transformation, he made his TV debut on Good Morning America in early 1978. 1970's Dennis Wise Enterprize ELVIS Impersonator jacket Men's Large satin look . 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. When ODay proposed the idea of surgical transformation to them, the newly hired hands were either eager or puzzled, depending on the singer. And lastly, Dennis is a bit aged these days and many of his promo photos are of younger years. He envisioned a world in which celebrity worship would rule, everyday people could be elevated to stardom, and there would be no shame in any of it. His admiration for Elvis has spanned over forty years. They were bombs, man, says Caywood of the earliest, sparsely attended Rock and Roll Heaven shows. ", "Arkansas Libertarians select candidates lineup; Elvis Presley among nominees", Kiwi Elvis impersonator to take on the Aussies, This man makes snake anti-venom by day and is Ceredigions only Maori Elvis tribute artist by night By Rachael Misstear, Andy Stankovich is Elvis for six New Zealand shows - Courtney Martin, 5-B Mr. Fatu And The Coastal Connection At Colonial Inn, Page 14/LA GACETA/Friday, June 9, 2006 . He says he was patched up after the assassination in Dallas, dyed black, and abandoned by Lyndon B. Johnson. Me go in and have my face carved? But I was pretty ugly anyway. And the hype factor, always important to ODay, appealed to him, too: Man, the monster maker himself onstage. The author, professor of American Studies at the University of Virginia, has also written a long piece on Elvis impersonators and the EPIIA (Elvis Presley Impersonators International Association) to be published in his next book. In the Digimon Adventure anime, one of the main villains, Etemon has the character of an Elvis impersonator. 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.