Elvis impersonator

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Elvis Impersonators

An Elvis impersonator is someone who impersonates or copies Elvis Presley either as a hobby, career in entertainment or occasionally for fun. Elvis Impersonators can range in ethnic background, size and talent.

Professional Elvis impersonators can work all over the world as entertainers and are in great demand due to the unique iconic status of Elvis. There are even a number of Radio stations^[1]^[2] that exclusively feature Elvis Impersonator material.

1 Origins
2 Types of Elvis Impersonator
3 Contests, Festivals and Events
4 Trivia
5 References
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Origins

The first Elvis Impersonators started to appear whilst Elvis was still alive, evolving mainly out of small town talent competitions which took their influences from major music artists of that time. It wasn't until Elvis's untimely death on August 16, 1977, that impersonating Elvis started to become popular in the mainstream. The large growth in Elvis impersonators seems tightly linked with his ever-growing iconic status.

Andy Kaufman was perhaps one of the first Elvis impersonators. In his act he would use his famous "Latka" voice while dressed in the 1970s Elvis style jumpsuits to discourage guests and attendants, only to reveal that he has singing and guitar playing talents. As Kaufman gained fame, the act was used less and less.

[edit] Types of Elvis Impersonator

There are differing types of Elvis Impersonator. Most fall under the following main types which are:

Look alikes who concentrate more on visual elements of Elvis fashion and style using accessories such as wigs, costumes and jewellery.
Sound alikes who concentrate on changing their voice to sing or talk like Elvis.
Combination who try to use a hybrid of both the visual and aural methods listed above.

The are also differing levels of impersonation which depends largely on who is doing the impersonation and for what purpose. They mainly fall under three main levels of impersonatation which are:

Professional Full time entertainers who usually do it to earn a living.
Amateur Enthusuiasts or people who do it for a hobby.
Fun / Comedy Usually done as part of a parody.

[edit] Contests, Festivals and Events

There are many Elvis contests, festivals and other events held across the world celebrating Elvis and his many impersonators. Events tend to attract large numbers of Elvis Impersonators and fans.

Collingwood, Ontario Canada holds an annual Elvis festival^[3] that features an Elvis impersonation contest. Florida also holds an annual competition called the Elvis Invasion of Florida.^[4] In Las Vegas, there is an Elvis competition called the Elvis Extravaganza^[5] which attracts many fans and Elvii from around the globe, they compete for a title of the "Worlds Finest Elvis Impersonator".

In the UK, the seaside town of Blackpool in England is home to Europe's largest Elvis impersonator contest and convention.^[6] It is held annually in early January to coincide with Elvis's birthday. Blackpool also features a busy Elvis Wedding Chapel^[7] based at the Queens hotel on the south promenade where couples can have their wedding vows renewed by Martin Fox.^[8]

Every year there is an Elvis Festival in Parkes, New South Wales in early January. This festival has look alike competitions, parades, concerts and markets with memorabilia.

[edit] Trivia

Elvii is a plural for Elvis impersonators (this, however, is not grammatically correct, as the name "Elvis" derives from Old English. Even if it somehow were a third-declension Latin noun, the plural form would be Elves). This term was popularized by a Saturday Night Live sketch where Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi respectively impersonated the younger and older versions of Elvis.
In Memphis, Tennessee, the term Elvira (plural, Elviras) has been used to refer to female Elvis impersonators.
There is a lot of speculation as to how many Elvis impersonators are out there, with experts reckoning that the number of Elvis Presley impersonators has reached an all-time record high.

"There are now at least 85,000 Elvis’s around the world, compared to only 170 in 1977 when Elvis died. At this rate of growth, experts predict that by 2019 Elvis impersonators will make up a third of the world population." - The Naked Scientists 3rd December, 2000.

Some professional Elvis impersonators have taken a dislike to the term "Elvis impersonator" and prefer "Elvis Tribute Artist" instead. The reasoning behind this is to try and distance themselves from very bad amateur attempts that might harm their professional image. These requests have had little effect over the years and "Elvis impersonator" still remains the most popular phrase used.
Billionaire Robert Sillerman, owner of the TV show American Idol, bought an 85% stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises in 2005. Among other things, this gives him control of Elvis Presley's name and likeness in the US, this however does not include Britain (where the Elvis image is in the public domain), Europe and most other countries in the world.^[9]

[edit] References

^ LadyLuck Music Tribute Artist Radio Station. LadyLuck Music (2006). Retrieved on 2006-06-02.
^ Elvii.com Radio Station. Kitty Coyne (2006). Retrieved on 2006-06-02.
^ Collingwood Elvis Festival. Collingwood Chamber of Commerce (2004). Retrieved on 2006-06-02.
^ Elvis Invasion of Florida. Magic Moment Productions (2005). Retrieved on 2006-06-02.
^ Elvis Extravaganza. The Jamie Coyne Company (2006). Retrieved on 2006-06-02.
^ Elvis Impersonator Contest. FoxKing Productions (2005). Retrieved on 2006-06-02.
^ Elvis Weddings. Elvis Weddings (2003). Retrieved on 2006-06-02.
^ Elvis Impersonator. Martin Fox (2003). Retrieved on 2006-06-02.
^ Robert Sillerman comments about likeness rights. NME (2006). Retrieved on 2006-06-02.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

List of Elvis Impersonators Extensive list of Elvis Impersonators at the Open Directory Project
Elvis Is In The Browser Open database of worldwide Elvii with forum and blog.
A.P.EP.T.A The Association of Professional Elvis Presley Tribute Artists

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Category: Elvis Presley