In our travels all over the country, performing for all kinds of people, no matter where we are or whom we are talking to everyone seems to have the same questions about the world of “Elvis”. “How much do the costumes cost and where do you get them?” How do you learn all those songs and dance moves?” and “How do you get your hair to do that?” These are just a few of the most commonly asked questions so I thought I would take a few moments and describe A day in the life of an “Elvis”. When you encounter an E.T.A. (Elvis tribute artist) he or she (yes she) will be one of many different degrees of “Elvis”, from JOKE to Serious Performer. Hopefully this will help you to be able to tell the difference between someone who thinks being “Elvis” is a joke and someone that puts a lot of work into their craft and what it takes to be a serious E.T.A.
Why be Elvis in the first place? I have been a fan for as long as I can remember. The first time I heard his voice on a 45 my dad played I was fascinated with his story. I began reading all I could (I hated reading), seeing every movie and finding every record available. It is fascinating to me that 30 plus years after his death more and more people are becoming fans. He was more then just a singer. To a lot of fans their memories of him are very dear. I was seeing more and more “impersonators” destroying those memories by making fun of this beautiful soul that it made me sick. So I decided to bring my memories to life in my tribute to someone who is loved by many people all over the world. Many of the top E.T.A.’s that I have met feel the same way. This is a Labor of Love not just a way to make a living.
Elvis was easy to spot from day one. He was never compared to anyone. He wore his hair different, his clothes were different and his performance style was something no one had ever seen. So if you want to dress the way he did you can imagine that these clothes cant be easy to find. The Gold jacket in 1957 and the white jumpsuits in the 70’s were all made especially for Elvis. During Halloween you can go to Wal-Mart and buy a cheesy white suit but you will be laughed off the stage. So if you are serious about your tribute then you too must have the costumes made special for you. You can employ a seamstress to replicate these famous clothes or go to one of the few stores that specialize in the costumes of The King of R n R. Some of these stores have the actual designs and some of the people that made the originals for the real Elvis. No matter how you decide to recreate these designs it will not be cheap. You will pay as little as $600 and in excess of $5000 for a good costume. The average price for the famous Aloha from Hawaii “Eagle Jumpsuit” is $2800 and this doesn’t include the belt or cape. These costume are also not what you would call wash and wear outfits. They take a lot of time and care. I have yet to find a dry cleaner that will clean them for me. These costumes must be hand washed and hung to dry. So just to simply clean it will take you an hour to wash and several hours to dry. Due to the fact that this is a high-energy show I wash my suit between every show. Contrary to popular belief the jumpsuits never had any sequins on them. The designs were created using metal studs and jewels. Sometimes these studs can fall off so they must be replaced on a regular basis. The other problem that you will face is due to a combination of sweat, detergent and humidity. These factors will cause the studs to tarnish. This is not an easy fix. I can be found spending an hour scrubbing the studs with a toothbrush and a secret solution to remove the tarnish and not damage the material. A dingy dull suit would not look good on stage so I am willing to do whatever it takes to keep this from happening. So when your Elvis shows up in his jumpsuit and before he sings one single note he has already spent several hours just caring for his costume and thousands of dollars obtaining it.
The hair is another area of concern for all E.T.A.’s. Some Elvi must wear wigs for obvious reasons. If your Elvis has a wig that looks real he spent about $500 so it doesn’t look cheap. He probably had to buy his sideburns as well and they are not cheap either. I saw a guy once that actually purchased indoor-outdoor carpet from Wal-Mart cut triangles and glued them to his face. He looked ridiculous. I am lucky enough to have a full head of hair and the ability to grow my own sideburns. Like the real Elvis, I also have light brown hair so I to must die my hair black to achieve that true Elvis look.
Elvis was one of the most talented self-taught vocalists in the history of music. Learning his singing style and lyrics takes a lot of research and time. Yes you have to really sing. Lip sinking is against copyright laws and you can be fined heavily for not using you own voice. The dance moves are also very important to the illusion and that also takes a lot of research and practice to master not to mention singing while dancing like Elvis isn’t easy, you have to be in good shape.
If your Elvis has a live band they too must be paid. It also takes a lot of rehearsal time to get the sound right. If not he is using backing tracks. You might think this is the cheap way out but you would be wrong. To get good quality music costs about $15 per song now multiply that by the fact that Elvis recorded thousands of songs. Cheap I don’t think so. The sound Equipment (speakers, microphones etc…) costs hundreds to thousands of dollars as well. This equipment can be heavy and difficult to set up. For a small show someone will spend at least 30 minutes before and after a show to set it up and tear it down.
Due to many months on the road eating the wrong kinds of food I found myself about 30 pounds over the perfect “sexy” Elvis weight in February of 2009. Within a few months I had returned back to Elvis’ measurements of 5’10” and 170 lbs. I spend about 2 hours per day to stay that way. No one likes a fat lazy Elvis. Well that’s not the Elvis I want to be so I don’t mind the work.
This is a whole different lifestyle for you and your family. The many miles driving from town to town, the hotel rooms and the bad food make it hard at times It gets even harder when you end up with the past 5 shows saying the checks in the mail. So far this year I have spent an average of 2 weeks every month on the road. I am in no way complaining this is the life I chose and I love it I am only trying to show you that regardless of how much fun this looks its not easy. All us E.T.A.’s go thru this and its part of the territory so we learn to take the good with the bad but it’s all worth it.
Hopefully this has given you a little idea as to what it takes to become Elvis. So the next time an E.T.A. shows up to do a show for you, you will know that it took him a lifetime of research and practice, thousands of dollars recreating the look and sound that was Elvis and several hours just getting ready for that one show. Is this job easy? No it is not! Is it worth it? Yes it is! So on behalf of E.T.A.’s everywhere I would like to Thank you for allowing us to pursue this labor of love of being “Your Elvis Tribute Artist".
