There are also three "how to" guides, Be Elvis! 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! 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. Palaios, v.8, pp.623624. It took a long time to get over that.. ", "Guinness book of records - Largest gathering of Elvis impersonators", Gadfly Online: David McNair and Jayson Whitehead, "Love and Theft. This fabricated myth was featured as a news item in the Weekly World News, and has been misunderstood to be factual by people who do not realize that the Weekly World News is well known to publish outlandish and often unbelievable articles. A husband hired them to perform at his wifes 40th birthday party, since she was a Rogers fan. Cruise kept asking James if he had any songs that would be right for Elvis. "PM Magazine," "Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon" and "American
The new-tech twist is the hologram, which has brought Michael Jackson, 2Pac, Frank Zappa, and Whitney Houston back to a semblance of life. Danny was flabbergasted I said that, says Wise. Hired as: Elvis Impersonator Sharon T. March 17, 2014 Aster Retirement Community wants to thank you Elvis, John! He appeared in episode 3 of the BBC Two Wales documentary, Cardigan Bay Coastal Lives. In The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, a dancer named Tott with a striking resemblance to Elvis Presley appears on Windfall Island. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Hes lead singer for the dance band Deja Vu, which performs from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays at South Point. It was like the stream of consciousness off the top of his head. [54] He was born in Samoa in 1944, came to New Zealand as a boy. (I knew it wasnt the original, the woman said of ODay. From 1982 to 1984 he had a nightclub across the street from Graceland in Memphis. 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. Honeymoon in Vegas is a 1992 comedic movie which was directed by Andrew Bergman. 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. She wouldnt let go, he chuckles. [59][60] Like Alphonso Keil before him,[61] Angel regularly performs at the Parkes Elvis Festival, an event that now attracts 20,000. When ODay proposed the idea of surgical transformation to them, the newly hired hands were either eager or puzzled, depending on the singer. ODay already knew the limitations of tribute bands. Now, he travels the world with his Elvis Tribute Show. It was perfect, but it was a lot of trouble, Wise says. Wise isnt totally focused on Elvis. According to Rolling Stone, less than 50 people turned up to their debut show in Atlanta. 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]. David stayed with Elvis at Graceland for 17 years, and traveled with him until the end, August 16,1977. Im impersonating her, but I was the same age she was when she died. But some of that melted away when ODay landed them a residency at Harrahs in Lake Tahoe, followed by a similar stint at that same casino in Reno in the early months of 1979. Its no longer a wrap: the Rock and Roll Heaven band after the bandages came off. How would Danny come up with that? she says. Admission is $10. 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. Wise is the ultimate fan and the ultimate Elvis performer, with more
The mementos may be gone. 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. A promoter was looking for an Elvis act, says Wise, who auditioned by singing Trying to Get to You., I sang a few lines and the guy said, Thats enough, Wise says. 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. So O'Day moved on: to "Rock and Roll Heaven," a tour he dreamed up that would feature not just an Elvis, but Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Jim Croce, too. It just took off, Wise says. We were on the road, home-schooling our son, Shane, and he wanted to play ball and do things like normal kids do, Wise says. episode "All Shook Up", Hammer (David Rasche) investigates a string of Elvis impersonator murders by participating in a contest as one. "First of all, you don't. [6], The second known impersonator was a 16-year-old boy named Jim Smith. James at the time was married to his first wife, but still had feelings for his childhood sweetheart, who was married back in Houston. 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. I dont know where it went or if somebody didnt get paid.). During
However, its been rumored that they may have inspired this funny Saturday Night Live sketch, Behind the Music: Rock & Roll Heaven., News and Entertainment from Australia's favourite youth publisher, The Nirvana Nevermind babys lawsuit has been dismissed, A study compared celebrity worship and cognitive skills and the results arent good. It was amazing. He Used Plastic Surgery to Raise Rock Stars From the Dead, These Musicians are Supplying Ukraine With Drones, Burt Bacharach, Master Pop Composer, Dead at 94, New Bootleg Series Installment Maps The Long Road To Dylans Resurrection. Its got to be wrong. Francesca Brittan, "Women Who 'Do Elvis': Authenticity, Masculinity and Masquerade", published in the. [45] The following year in August 1977, he was appearing at the Colonial Inn, fronting a nine-piece band called Coastal Connection. Elvis has spanned over forty years. By Clicking "OK" or any content on this site, you agree to allow cookies to be placed. Only after Elvis' untimely death on August 16, 1977, did impersonating Elvis start to become popular in the mainstream. Following the transformation, he made his TV debut on Good Morning Americain early 1978. Cruise and James thought of \"Suspicious Minds\" and James began urging others to get Elvis to hear it. They bought us out as well. Saturdays show will be a family affair. >Las Vegas Entertainment Today Home Page
The pub and everything in it, including Hamilton Beach mixers, towels, and soap dispensers was sold in 1988. He says he and the band werent paid in full for their work. 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. In later levels of Theme Hospital, patients arrive at the hospital suffering from "King Complex". For Elvis tribute artists like Trent Carlini, Jesse Garon, Darren Lee and Pete "Big Elvis" Vallee, the message they try to relate on stage is one of fun energy and high intensity, a routine that Elvis himself would be proud of. Know more in just minutes with our free newsletters. The shows are on the weekends before or after the dates so fans can sleep in. "That was a very strange day," Wise says. I wasnt able to travel.. Drive. (Read the full story, which has plenty of photos.). Dennis
The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. >Las Vegas Leisure Guide. He also has an Elvis tribute act. That was a very strange day, Wise says. We all went, What the hell? But for Patten, who attended the service, it was ODays new normal: Again, it was Danny doing what Danny did., A month later, ODay popped up at a Rogers press conference in Virginia, where he and a seemingly amused Rogers good-naturedly tugged at each others beards. would play the song much too loudly and much too often. Marcia is a schoolteacher, teaching the history of music. "Michael Chapa, an Elvis impersonator who works in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, helped entertain more than 2500 of his relatives at what is believed to be the country's largest Hispanic family reunion "[14], There are also some Elvis impersonators who specialize in experimenting with gender, sexuality, race, taste and decency. This is a publicly distributed handout. He did say, Well, what can we do? According to a popular myth, Presley himself entered an Elvis lookalike contest at a local restaurant shortly before his death, and came in third place. It was such an odd thing. '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. Events tend to attract large numbers of amateur Elvis impersonators and Elvis fans. It was a Method-acting thing, says Caywood. Dennis Colt, the first famous Elvis impersonator, circa 1978. Dennis expertly recreates Elvis's movements, phrasings, and
I would see a morbid aspect if we were being crassly commercial in cashing in on dead people. They didnt know they were talented musicians. In Miami, the tour was booked into the Persian Room at the Marco Polo Hotel, but when not enough tickets were apparently sold, it was downgraded to the Swingers Lounge Disco. He talked about re-creating Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, and the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd whod died in a plane crash the year before. There must have been 100 people from the press all over the world taking pictures, he says. 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. He was always looking for his new project, says Patten. The large growth in Elvis impersonators seems tightly linked with his ever-growing iconic status. Hes consistently at the top of its top-earning [11][bettersourceneeded] This joke may have its origins in Charlie Chaplin, who once did enter a lookalike contest and is often reported to have also placed third, although Chaplin's actual ranking in the contest is not known.[12]. In Fallout: New Vegas, the Kings are an Elvis-themed gang based out of the "King's School of Impersonation". Dennis Colt, the first famous Elvis impersonator, circa 1978. What ODay himself dubbed his clone army only wound up fighting a few minor skirmishes: a handful of TV appearances, and gigs at clubs, state fairs, and casinos, earning enough notoriety to have possibly inspired not one but two Saturday Night Live parodies. There Wise lay, on a table in an Orlando hospital, surrounded by photos of the King. He would just come out with that stuff, you know?, Newspaper headline writers reveled in the weirdness of Rock and Roll Heaven, dubbing it the cloneheads and referring to ODay as the clone ranger. ODay brushed off any and all skepticism. The TV appearance was a mixed bag: Dr. Joyce Brothers, the star psychologist and talk-show regular, accused ODay of being a Manson-style cult leader. Elvis taxa. Elvis cant die. Often, the shows would start with OConnell as Morrison, vamping through the Doors Light My Fire, Love Me Two Times, and Touch Me, before Hazebrouck came out with Croce hits like Time in a Bottle and Bad, Bad Leroy Brown. After a brief intermission, the band launched into a stomping groove, and Caywood stuck her hand through a curtain holding a bottle of Southern Comfort before emerging feathers flying, she says and starting her Joplin set, which included Ball and Chain and Piece of My Heart. Then, Gamble would re-enter, karate-chopping his way through a medley of Elvis hits, before everyone reconvened onstage for a grand finale. [3], Many impersonators sing Presley's songs. At an early stop on the tour, one reviewer noted that few of the performers resembled their dead counterparts that much. Wise had come to Orlando at the request of a newly acquired personal manager, Danny O'Day of Ocala. All rights reserved. For example, an ETA may open his show with a 50s set dressed in appropriate attire (such as a gold lame jacket), reenactments of musical scenes from Presley's movies, and/or reenactments of segments from the '68 Comeback Special; and after an intermission closes his show with a full-blown 70s concert dressed in an appropriate jumpsuit. 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." But more than 40 years ago, Danny ODay took imitation to a place no one imagined before or since. Also recently[when?] If you cant read the first three lines on an eye chart, then I suppose physically he might fool you, he wrote of Croce, also pointing out that the clearest resemblance came by way of the bands non-altered lead guitarist, a dead ringer for Peter Frampton. Dennis Wise is the ultimate Elvis Presley fan. It was late 1977, Elvis had just died, and maybe there was a market for a tribute act. Wise was doing an Elvis show in Hawaii. there are currently no upcoming events. After spending the next two years on the road, he and his wife, Marcia, decided to settle down in Las Vegas. ODay had what felt like a foolproof method of making the operation seem as routine as possible. He uses a sophisticated lighting system to help convey the many moods of the Elvis oeuvre: rock, blues, country, gospel, and R&B. Dad hated Elvis. He died at the end of 2020. His admiration for
Update information for Dennis Wise More at IMDbPro Contact Info: View agent, publicist, legal on IMDbPro Known For The Alaska Experiment Self 2008 The Mike Douglas Show Self - Elvis Presley Impersonator 1978 Hide all | | Edit Filmography Hide Self (3 credits) 2008 The Alaska Experiment (TV Series) Self - Take the Long Way Home (2008) . Original faux-Elvis Dennis Wise practices post-surgery with promoter Danny O'Day, 1978. [65], Malaysia has Tony Warren who is known as "the Tom Jones of Malaysia". Some of these impersonators go to Graceland on the anniversary of Presley's death to make their personal tribute to the artist. Wise heard a story maybe apocryphal that ODay had booked pop star B.J. Wise has been performing his Elvis act longer than almost anybody since 1977. 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. Hes great.. That landed him appearances on Good Morning America and The Mike Douglas Show., Cosmetic plastic surgery was just a novelty back then. The man who played Elvis' boss at the Crown Electric company was Red West, a real life schoolmate and best friend of Elvis. In Annalee Newitz and Matt Wray, eds.. Sweeney, "The King of White Trash Culture," p.262. [36], Steve Fitter is an Elvis impersonator from Waikato. '"[27], In the 2011 novel Donations to Clarity by Noah Baird, one of the main characters the town's sheriff is an Elvis impersonator.[28]. international record is an honor shared only by Las Vegas entertainers
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. Sight unseen, always. And just like ODay, each was hungry for recognition and success, a very different type of American dream. "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. I just thought, Well, I dont know what does that mean? says Gamble. 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. ODay also landed them an appearance on Tom Snyders late-night network talk show. Other Samoan Elvis's include Elvis of Samoa,[64] and Nifae Fepuleai. 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. choose a career that pays tribute to the King of Rock and Roll. Following the transformation, he made his TV debut on Good Morning America in early 1978. A lot of guys stick to your basic Elvis songs, like Jailhouse Rock, but what I try to do is to expand it to let people know this is what Elvis did gospel, rock n roll, R&B. Dennis Wise, 54, has been an Elvis impersonator for more than 30 years, beginning with a garage band he started with his brother. A lot of us in the entertainment business dont get a chance to do some of the normal things. It's almost like being in your zen, your spot.". Despite matching his attire, hairstyle and voice, the Kings are unaware of Elvis as a historical musician, not even knowing what his name was - only that he must have been worshiped for there to be a building dedicated to teaching people to imitate him. Thanks to an unstable household his mother had several husbands ODay eventually left home for California, where he hustled his way into other bands. Debbie loved all that. True impersonators don't 'do Elvis' for monetary gain, but as missionaries to spread the message of The King. And I wasnt being paid anywhere near what Jim Morrison was. He has taken part in the Porthcawl Elvis Festival. In an episode of Married with Children, the character Peggy Bundy claims to have seen Elvis at a mall, prompting a large number of Elvis impersonators to come to her home so she can share her "experience.". 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. ", O'Day landed him a week-long gig in Florida for an eye-popping $15,000 (roughly $60,000 today), but the professional relationship soured after Wise said he never got paid and sued. A more scholarly examination of Elvis impersonation is, Impersonating Elvis by Leslie Rubinowski released in 1997. 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. Guess where the money went? Wise wound up suing ODay for negligence (claiming his professional reputation has been damaged) and breach of fiduciary duty, demanding a minimum settlement of $2,500. Graceland started buying up everything in the area. He said, Give me something! and a nurse came over and plunged this needle into me. Wise soon went under. 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). Dennis's television credits include appearances on "Good Morning
They dont know what theyre getting into. But nothing would stop them, or ODay. Kwok Lam-sang, known as Melvis, was a long-time Elvis impersonator in Hong Kong. Somebody hit him in the face and knocked him out. This time, the surgeries werent quite as invasive as theyd been with Wise. Each show is an electric, high-energy performance backed by a full
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.. 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. Jesus Christ thats some twisted shit, says Croces son A.J., who was only a grade schooler when ODay hired an upstart to be resculpted as Croces father. I do two annual shows one for his passing and one for his birth (Jan. 8), the 54-year-old tribute artist says. favorite song was "Heartbreak Hotel", and to his father's chagrin, he
Tickets are $18 and can be purchased at the casino cashier or by calling 702-507-5980 starting January 7, 2020. There have been at least three prominent Elvis impersonators of Samoan descent. And I said, Well, you know, I guess I could do something. Caywood was up for singing Joplin tunes: I thought, Cool, that sounds fun! Im famous for picking up and moving my entire life. Returning to Ocala, he found his marriage falling apart and began working construction jobs. 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. He is played by Frank Wagner. Playwright Charlotte Jones' award-winning play "Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis"[32] opened 15 April 1999 at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. His mother introduced Joplin, Missouri native Dennis Wise to the music
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. In the Sledge Hammer! The band shifted into Also Sprach Zarathustra (the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey), the traditional orchestral opener for Presleys shows, and Gamble, in full Elvis sunglasses and jumpsuit, welcomed everyone to the performance.