Elvis Presley – Ramblings of a Lifelong Fan Part 4 – Impersonators

I do not care for Elvis impersonators. I have always found them a bit cartoonish and unsettling. That is not to say I don’t enjoy a respectful tribute, even if the singer is dressed as Elvis. But, I find it very annoying when people think they sound like Elvis. No one sounds like Elvis. He was the one and only, always and forever.

Often imitated, but never duplicated:

I will have to say, though, I do have a few fond ‘impersonator’ memories. Not long after Elvis passed away, an impersonator put on a show in Oklahoma City. I don’t even recall his name, but he was respectful, and he did a good job. My sisters and I soaked up every radio show, every interview, every tv special, etc, after his death. So, of course, we had to attend that. One thing that sticks out clearly in my mind is when the guy sang “It Won’t Seem Like Christmas Without You.” The line in the song is, “If I get the one thing I’m wishing for, then I’ll see you tonight in my dreams.” The impersonator changed it to say, “Yes, Elvis, we’ll see you tonight in our dreams.” Which, of course, made my sisters and I sob uncontrollably. 🙂

For my fortieth birthday (which, it’s kind of odd that I celebrated since I’m only twenty-five, but anyway…), my sister and brother-in-law, Ruth and Tom Zimmerman, took me to Memphis for my birthday. We were on Beale Street and a young guy dressed in a gold lamé suit was performing. He was adorable and respectful, and he sang very well, but he didn’t try to make his voice sound like Elvis.  Those are the kind of ‘impersonators’ I can enjoy. Not the fat guys with black wigs and ridiculously bushy sideburns who lower their voice and think they sound like the King.

Below is a photo of my son, Presley. Some of you probably saw it on Facebook, but I still thought I would share it here. He is not an Elvis impersonator, and he normally does not wear Elvis Presley jumpsuits. 🙂 He does, however, love Elvis music. I didn’t force it on him, I swear. He was on a cruise, and he entered a Karaoke contest singing Elvis songs. I didn’t get to see it, but I would imagine, based on his personality, he really gave them a show. He ended up winning the contest, and they gave him an Elvis costume to wear and brought him on stage for the finale.

Although I wasn’t there to see it live, he brought home a DVD, and I watched that. It was so much fun! He did a really good job and put on quite a show. And, you guessed it, he made his mama proud. 🙂