Elvis reappeared as "Elbis" after an extreme makeover. He decided to come back as a Filipino. It was quite a challenge for the surgeons especially when it came to his hair. Elbis re-appeared in the same jumpsuits he wore in 1980 before he disappeared. He promised his fans that he would come back for other appearances. Some fans had a rare opportunity to be photographed with the "Hari" (King) Other body doubles attended and performed their favorite Elbis tunes.
Remember Eddie Mesa? Well...he won't be there but we will have better Elvises. Show how we have evolved from the Musikeros to Elvisios
Wear your sideburns and jumpsuits, bring your favorite Elvis velvet painting and other memorabilia to share it with the fans. Sing your favorite Elvis songs.
*A Filipino Elvis impersonator performed Saturday night in downtown Raleigh, decked out in a yellow beaded pantsuit, white leather shoes, flashy jewelry, purple-tinted shades, and a headset. Between each song he would retreat to the back of the stage, fumble with his mp3 player, turn back around with a big smile on his face, and begin to croon. Beads of sweat formed on his brow as he jerked back and forth, tassels swaying this way and that, and he'd point his index finger at the end of his outstretched arm as he hit a lasting high note. He looked like he was enjoying himself.
The word is that his daughter is disabled, and he performs in order to help pay the bills. In any case, he is not the only Elvis impersonator in the family; on Saturday, he sang a duet with his similarly employed cousin via speakerphone, via the Philippines.
*Would-Be Kings
Shrines aren't enough for some, and for those folks, we have Elvis impersonators, who come in all shapes, sizes, genders, and abilities to sing. Or lip synch.
Elvis impersonators cover the years from Elvis' 1950s start through the glitzy Vegas years.
There's the now-famous sky-diving Flying Elvi (remember the movie "Honeymoon in Vegas?" Nicholas Cage isn't really a member, but the group does exist -- and they jump in, what else?, jumpsuits). There are also the legendary Legends in Concert shows in Vegas, Atlantic City, Honolulu, Myrtle Beach, Branson and on a Bahamas cruise ship. "Elvis" closes the show at these extravaganzas.
In north Georgia, a restaurant cook at the Lantern Inn entertains his customers with rousing Elvis renditions, and in North Carolina the "world's foremost" Filipino Elvis impersonator serves up his own versions.
We put the question to Minnery: Why do so many Elvis impersonators do the Vegas look and skip the younger Elvis? Her answer, quite simply: It's easier.
In Ontario, eight women called The Graceliners reign supreme. Group coordinator and manager Joan Minnery says the group -- the members range in age from 27 to over 50 -- had been country line dancing together for five years, and took the plunge to Elvis impersonation one evening at a show in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
"The mostly American crowd went berserk," Minnery says.
The rest is history. The group has performed in more than 150 shows since then, both singing live and lip synching.
We put the question to Minnery: Why do so many Elvis impersonators do the Vegas look and skip the younger Elvis? Her answer, quite simply: It's easier.
"His costumes were flashier and the public can easily recognize and identify with the Vegas period," she says.
The younger Elvis, with his wild gyrations, says Minnery, is a little harder to copy. But there are, she says, a number of good young Elvis impersonators out there. The Graceliners cover the earlier period as well as the Vegas years.
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Gus Alzona and Trademark Band rocked the Tutubi Cultural Center all night long. Julian and Linda showed up after the Leyte Fund Raising event at Bishop O'Connell School dragging some of the audience with them.
Elvis reappeared as "Elbis" after an extreme makeover. He decided to come back as a Filipino. It was quite a challenge for the surgeons especially when it came to his hair. Elbis re-appeared in the same jumpsuits he wore in 1980 before he disappeared. He promised his fans that he would come back for other appearances. Some fans had a rare opportunity to be photographed with the "Hari" (King) Other body doubles attended and performed their favorite Elbis tunes.
Visit the newest and most colorful Filipino-American art gallery in the country and possibly own some original art by world renowned Tutubi artists Tanya Owens Nuchols, Ernie Cordero, Kevin Owens, Nikki Oteyza, Linda Pirrone, Julian Oteyza, Frank Redondo, and one of the "13 Moderns", Victor Oteyza. Many more guest artists to come.
