He and his brother formed a garage band in the early 70s. By Clicking "OK" or any content on this site, you agree to allow cookies to be placed. [33] A humorous example of mathematical extrapolation posits that if the growth of Elvis impersonators continued at the rate it did since 1977, by 2043, all humans on earth would be Elvis impersonators. ODay wasnt there, so Gamble had to content himself with walking off with a piece of stage gear. '"[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]. Dennis Wise shows off his reconstructed face to talk-show host Mike Douglas. He said this guy is putting together a show and they need a Janis Joplin, Caywood recalls. Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect the correct date that Elvis Presley died. (Read the full story, which has plenty of photos.). Croce had perished in a plane crash in 1973, but Marc Hazebrouck, a former truck driver and psychology major from Rhode Island, was already playing songs by Croce and had a droopy mustache to match. It's only fitting that he would Dennis Wise, 54, has been an Elvis impersonator for more than 30 years, beginning with a garage band he started with his brother. First of all, you dont believe it. In Fallout: New Vegas, the Kings are an Elvis-themed gang based out of the "King's School of Impersonation". How would Danny come up with that? she says. by Rick Marino, a well-known tribute artist, released in 2000 by Sourcebooks and the more recent, The Elvis Impersonation Kit by Laura Lee, released in 2006 by Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers. [36], Steve Fitter is an Elvis impersonator from Waikato. Mark portrays the 1950s rock-a-billy era complete with exact replicas of all of Elvis' performance guitars and stage clothes from 1954 to 1958, as well as old 1950s RCA microphones and even a full-size Nipper dog statue on-stage (Mark is the only impersonator that uses RCA's Nipper). [4][5], Contrary to popular belief, Elvis impersonators have existed since the mid-1950s, just after Elvis Presley himself began his career. The final Elvis impersonator made a splash by parachuting in on top of a car. By 1978, Elvis wasnt the only rock star in the grave; the body count was rising. To make himself feel better about the idea, ODay ran it by his mother: What if his younger brother, whod passed away at 21, had been an entertainer and died and had been resurrected by way of plastic surgery? Climaxes of the play are surreal fantasy scenes in which Dad's hallucinatory Elvis dreams are bursting into popular Presley songs as a reminiscence of his one-time persona of Elvis impersonator. "[26] According to Marjorie Garber's academic study, Vested Interests: Cross-dressing and Cultural Anxiety (1992), Elvis impersonation is so insistently connected with femininity that it is "almost as if the word 'impersonator', in contemporary popular culture, can be modified either by 'female' or by 'Elvis. "[17], However, the Elvis industry includes "professional Elvis impersonator registries." 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. His brother had arranged an Erwin, D.H. and Droser, M.L., 1993. 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. Dennis began his professional tribute to Elvis in 1978, a year after the There are even several radio stations[1][2] that exclusively feature Elvis impersonator material. ODay also landed them an appearance on Tom Snyders late-night network talk show. The 10-piece band will include his wife, Marcia, as a backup singer; their son, Shane, on drums; and Dennis brother, Jim, on guitar. An advertisement for State Farm Insurance featured four Elvis impersonators, each of which performed the company's "magic jingle" in succession, causing representatives from the company to appear out of thin air. BY THE NUMBERS $52 million Amount the Elvis estate made. What if, instead of one altered rocker, he had an all-star ensemble of them? Danny has played music all over NC ,SC & Parts of VA. Danny has played many venues such as: The Barn Dinner Theate. international record is an honor shared only by Las Vegas entertainers In February 1980, friends, family, and roller-disco ushers gathered at the Fifth National Banque, a club in Norfolk, Virginia, for what ODays business manager would call the first clonehead marriage. Their faces covered in bandages, ODay and Rhyne took their vows; even the bride and groom figurines on the cake were swathed in bandages. My first gig was in March 1978 in Florida. [54] He was born in Samoa in 1944, came to New Zealand as a boy. Wise had come to Orlando at the request of a newly acquired personal manager, Danny O'Day of Ocala. The film version also stars Ossie Davis as Jack, a black man who claims to be John F. Kennedy. Shawn Klush. The shit hit the fan. When the run ended in March 1979, Caywood recalls a big blowup over money, and the band broke up. 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. O'Day made sure there was fanfare around itWise recalls exiting the plastic surgeon's clinic in a wheelchair to find "100 people from the press all over the world taking pictures. If it turns out [the chemist] can deliver the goods, then well give the kid the pigment. Hearing those comments again, Gamble sighs: That sounds like sitting down and talking to him. After spending the next two years on the road, he and his wife, Marcia, decided to settle down in Las Vegas. EXCELLENT CONDITION, SIGNED SLEEVE SAYS, "SHIRLEY BEST WISHES, DENNIS WISE". [16], According to Gael Sweeney, Elvis impersonation offers a spectacle of the grotesque, the display of the fetishized Elvis body by impersonators who use a combination of Christian and New Age imagery and language to describe their devotion to The King. The play features a Chinese Elvis impersonator called Timothy Wong, who transforms the lives of the characters in the play. Francesca Brittan, "Women Who 'Do Elvis': Authenticity, Masculinity and Masquerade", published in the. 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). ODay started by taking Wise to a Florida dentist, who shaved his teeth down to resemble Presleys and closed up the gap in his two front teeth. Durston was the fifth houseguest evicted, lasting 37 days in the house. I feel weird saying this, but basically I was the hit of the show, says Caywood. There must have been 100 people from the press all over the world taking pictures, he says. Elvis Has Left the Building a film in which a woman kills multiple Elvis impersonators. Bandstand.". The new-tech twist is the hologram, which has brought Michael Jackson, 2Pac, Frank Zappa, and Whitney Houston back to a semblance of life. One of his biggest fans is Dennis Wise, a man who even had his face and hairline changed through plastic surgery to look more like Elvis. (Singing) Wise men say only fools rush in, for I can't help falling in love with you. to earth and that separates a lot of entertainers", states Dennis. He was a former dancer with a Polynesian troupe. In an episode of Due South, Season one, episode 10, "The Gift of the Wheelman", It's Christmas time and the police station is filled with Santas, elves and Elvises. Luckily, Gamble says, he was able to point to a Rock and Roll Heaven billboard with his face on it, and he got away with just a warning. ODay scrambled and found a replacement after several tries. He did say, Well, what can we do? Arona Mane Shows Off His Production on Thandi Phoenix's new single 'Hot Sauce'. This ", "Guinness book of records - Largest gathering of Elvis impersonators", Gadfly Online: David McNair and Jayson Whitehead, "Love and Theft. Hazebroucks lips were enlarged and lowered, and his straight hair was given a Croce-style perm. Dave Ehlert from Waukegan, IL began performing as Elvis in 1967 a full 10 years before Elvis died. A more scholarly examination of Elvis impersonation is, Impersonating Elvis by Leslie Rubinowski released in 1997. SUMMERS: So it is deep cuts and classics all weekend at the Birmingham Hilton. This has seen some impact on what Elvis impersonators and contests have on the media and marketing industry. ", 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. In "Wedding Card," an episode of the Canadian sitcom Corner Gas, Oscar and Emma Leroy admit to having no photos of their wedding because "it was an Elvis wedding". To become the Gambler balladeer, ODay had a hair transplant, dyed his hair gray, and had his jowls tightened. But once she arrived for the job, she realized what her new boss had in mind. (AP Photo, File), Leonard Cohen's Kids: Dad's Ex-Manager Fiddled With Trust, Ed Sheeran on His 2022: 'I Felt Like I Was Drowning', After 'Grotesque Conduct,' $29M for Kobe Bryant's Family, Radio Station Shares 'Incredibly Worrisome' Update on Missing DJ, God Save the King From Trying to Find a Band to Play Coronation, Man Who Worked for Disney Longer Than Anyone Has Died, Manager on Sizemore: 'There Is No Further Hope', Chris Rock Gets Ready to Discuss 'The Slap', Judge's Sentencing Remark Shows Murdaugh Family Pull, 2 Familiar Faces Were on Turbulent Lufthansa Flight, Woman Declared Dead Decades Ago Suddenly Turns Up. [10] As Kaufman gained fame, the impersonation was used less and less. Halfway through the 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. Once again, ODay arranged for the operations, forked over the money (supposedly in the area of $500,000, partly from loans), and alerted the press. ODays experience with Wise may have ended badly, but it gave ODay a taste of big-time showbiz, and he wanted more. He was on hand for the first year anniversary of Elvis' death at the Prince William County Fair in Manassas, VA on August 16, 1978. This is a publicly distributed handout. include being named by Dick Clark as one of the three best Elvis Some people thought it was very bizarre, but people were interested in it from the standpoint of business.. This tribute to 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. I got up one night and did Heartbreak Hotel and the fans liked it, Wise says. He talked about re-creating Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, and the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd whod died in a plane crash the year before. And with that, another lightbulb flicked on. 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. Dennis Wise has been paying tribute to Elvis for more than 30 years. Self Musician who performs in the style of Elvis Presley. The requisite jumpsuits and jewelry are there too. (Actually, they didnt go on the road so fast: The first gig, at a club in St. Petersburg, Florida, perhaps aptly named J.P. Bottoms Lounge, never happened. 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. In pop music, the tradition of the tribute band, the imitator, the impersonator, is now as durable as the concert T-shirt or the demand for an encore. Dennis Wise knows exactly where he was when Elvis Presley died Aug. 16, 1977. From as early as five years old, Dennis can remember I was a small kid growing up in Joplin, Mo., he says. I wanted to give him some stability, so we decided to find a home in the Entertainment Capital.. Im sure he didnt have the money. 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. Ehlert performed throughout the Chicago Metro Area until Elvis died, then traveled the country with his act. There are many different types of Elvis impersonators and Elvis tribute artists. He was popular in the South, but not so much around the rest of the country. These days, O'Day (who died in 2003) is "the smallest of footnotes in pop history books," but he was also remarkably prescient, writes Browne: "Long before Las Vegas residencies, biopics, and massive publishing buyout deals, ODay imagined a world in which classic-rock nostalgia would be a lucrative business." Another popular theater event has been the "Elvis Story" over the last five years. Impersonating a dead pop star, or reviving them virtually, is one thing. Whether he knew it or not, ODay saw the future our future. 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. >Article Archives The comedy centers on the family life of Dad, an Elvis impersonator who was paralyzed in a car crash and is forced to spend the rest of his life in a wheel chair. 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. 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. The group (not to be confused with the Upsetters who gigged with Little Richard) released a full LP as well as a tribute album to the late Otis Redding, whom they backed up on tour for a short period. I kind of took after him.. He wanted all the glory. '"[13] Professional Elvis impersonation can be called a special branch of the entertainment industry. What Danny is doing with his new idea is just not right, he told the Miami News. 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. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. The Joplin, Mo., native had been an Elvis fan since age 5, when his mother would put on stacks of records and play them all day long. The King is as popular today as he was when he died suddenly at the age of 42 in the Memphis mansion on Aug. 16, 1977. Dennis Wise, 54, has been an Elvis tribute artist since before Elvis died (or allegedly passed on if you are one of those who believe he is in hiding). With more than 600 Presley tunes in his Elvis Extravaganza is a 60-minute 2009 Elvis impersonator documentary featuring amateur Elvis impersonators and their quest for the title of the "World's Finest Elvis Impersonator.". The first thing that comes to my mind is that plastic surgery is the highest form of flattery., He was way ahead of the curve, says Jeff Pezzuti, founder of Eyellusion, responsible for recent hologram tours of Frank Zappa and Dio. When ODay proposed the idea of surgical transformation to them, the newly hired hands were either eager or puzzled, depending on the singer. 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. James said that late one night, he was fooling around on his Fender guitar and using his Hammond organ pedals for a bass line and came up with what he thought was a catchy melody. At a hotel pool in Florida, an on-message ODay introduced his clones to a writer from the Miami News and regaled the reporter with tales from his rock & roll crypt. Wise says he never saw a dime, nor ever saw ODay again. He has every album Elvis ever recorded and pictures by the thousands. "First of all, you don't. RAINBOW UMAMI: a Queer Club Remix Series: Celebrating diversity and creativity in the queer music community. Shane will be drumming for with his dad on Saturday night. roll, gospel, pop, and country. [37] In February 2013, he was set to appear at the annual fourth tribute to Elvis Presley event, held at the Auckland Botanic Gardens in Manurewa, Auckland. Even though James's recording initially had not been commercially successful, upon reviewing the song Elvis decided he could turn it into a hit. However, some ETAs may utilize both a live band and karaoke (either one or the other, in most cases depending on the type and size of the venue). Another Filipino Elvis impersonator is singer businessman Chito Bertol who also impersonates Elvis Presley mostly at Bistro RJ Bar in Makati City, and sometimes occasionally performs every year with Filipino singer businessman Ramon Jacinto who was the founder of Bistro RJ and his radio station DZRJ 100.3 FM & his TV station DZRJ TV 29 in the Philippines. That was the start of a career that has lasted more than 30 years. To this day, you can easily see tributes to ABBA, Rush, or Eighties and Nineties hip-hop. But more than 40 years ago, Danny ODay took imitation to a place no one imagined before or since. In 40 years, its become more acceptable to do something like that, compared to back then, says Eyellusions Pezzuti. Elvis impersonators set to appear besides Fitter were Brendon Chase, Melissa Perkins and Kerryn Winn. Original faux-Elvis Dennis Wise practices post-surgery with promoter Danny O'Day, 1978. Hazebrouck, who was still performing as Croce, rejoined ODay and Rhyne for a Kenny, Linda, and Jim show. 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. It is cured by visiting a psychologist, who tells the patient how ridiculous he/she look[31]. The idea was to say I was trying to develop the sneer, I guess, he says. Dennis's television credits include appearances on "Good Morning (Photo by Getty Images) Save PURCHASE A LICENSE Get personalized pricing by telling us when, where, and how you want to use this asset. James felt Elvis needed a mature rock 'n' roll song to bring him back as Tom Jones was a hot artist at the time. [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 the late 90s he started up a group called Alphonso Keil and the Kavaliers. In later levels of Theme Hospital, patients arrive at the hospital suffering from "King Complex". listening to the recordings of Elvis on the family phonograph. of Elvis Presley. He saw his idol in concert four times, the last in Kansas City, Mo., in 1974. (I wasnt there, but he wouldnt do that, counters Effie. Dennis Wise began listening to Elvis at the tender age of 5, often belting out his favorite song "Heartbreak Hotel." His tribute to Elvis turned professional just one year after the. I got more publicity over that than John Travolta did in 1978. Travolta was popular at the time because of Saturday Night Fever and Grease.. Thanks to an unstable household his mother had several husbands ODay eventually left home for California, where he hustled his way into other bands. 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. Besides performing throughout New Zealand, he has performed in Australia, Hawaii, Fiji and the United States.[42]. He was there in 2016 for the event,[62] and in there in 2018.[63]. Smith's physical resemblance to Elvis and his mannerisms happened to catch the attention of DJ Norm Pringle of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, who had been playing "That's All Right, Mama" and "Heartbreak Hotel" on the radio. ), Billed occasionally as The Worlds Greatest Clones, ODay, Rhyne, and sometimes Hazebrouck soldiered on for a few more years, playing clubs in their new home base of Virginia and nearby Pennsylvania. [6], The second known impersonator was a 16-year-old boy named Jim Smith. He appeared in episode 3 of the BBC Two Wales documentary, Cardigan Bay Coastal Lives. They wanted the whole property to themselves.. i.e., the Chilean version of the European show My name is featured at least three of them. The article has been published in the anthology The Oxford American Book of Great Music Writing and the anthology Louise Brooks, Frank Zappa, & Other Charmers & Dreamers by Tom Graves. "He was way ahead of the curve," says Jeff Pezzuti, founder of Eyellusion, responsible for recent. He was so popular because he was kind and down He was hired and began working at it full-time in November 1977. "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. 'Rolling Stone' has the story of 'rogue '70s promoter' Danny O'Day. Dennis expertly recreates Elvis's movements, phrasings, and 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) . Dennis Wise has been paying tribute to Elvis for more than 30years. Some of the performers had reservations about what they were doing. The voice, the lip curl, the jumpsuit he's a dead ringer. And I wasnt being paid anywhere near what Jim Morrison was. They dont know what theyre getting into. But nothing would stop them, or ODay. Wise was doing an Elvis show in Hawaii. My mother has been singing with him for j. The first singer to go through the surgery was Elvis impersonator Dennis Wise; a former car salesman from Hawaii who traveled to the U.S. to try his luck as a tribute act. Some of his contemporaries included Rick Saucedo of Chicago and Johnny Harra, a Kansas City native who moved his show to Texas in 1977. Jeff Yagher played an Elvis impersonator (as well as Elvis himself) in an episode of The Twilight Zone called "The Once and Future King". some memories. I do two annual shows one for his passing and one for his birth (Jan. 8), the 54-year-old tribute artist says. Cruise and James thought of \"Suspicious Minds\" and James began urging others to get Elvis to hear it. "PM Magazine," "Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon" and "American From left: Hazebrouck, Caywood, Rhyne, Gamble, and OConnell at their post-surgery press conference, 1978. In the Sledge Hammer! The main character of Cartoon Network's Johnny Bravo is heavily influenced by Elvis along with James Dean and Michael Jackson. in Roxy's at the Fiesta Rancho located at 2400 N. Rancho 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 . Mom was the fan in the house. In Annalee Newitz and Matt Wray, eds.. Sweeney, "The King of White Trash Culture," p.262. We started playing in clubs in Joplin and in Oklahoma and Id do a little Elvis skit in the act, Wise says. Rock and Roll Heaven opened with the backup band playing an instrumental version of the Righteous Brothers dead-rocker hit of the same name. Admission is $10. 2023 Getty Images. 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. The film was directed by Don Coscarelli. The atmosphere and show itself proved to be too much for Rhyne. 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.. Jim called Dennis, who was then selling Toyotas at a Honolulu dealership, and asked if hed want to come to Arkansas and try out for their band. 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.

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