Elvis Tribute Artist Eddie O'Rourke presents A Tribute to The King

The spirit of Elvis is alive and well in New Jersey

New Jersey's premier Elvis Tribute Artist, Eddie O'Rourke

I’m honored to be known as “Bayonne, New Jersey’s Musical Ambassador of Goodwill”

My tours have taken me to many interesting parts of the country, but I’ve always considered New Jersey my home base. Some of the Jersey locations I’ve played include: The Blue Piano, Robin’s Inn and The Pointe in Jersey City…The Chandelier, Cafe Bello, De Noi, Rincon, The Coffee Garden, Amici’s, Sarelli’s and, of course, my Town Center Elvis Summer Festival in Bayonne…The Wilsey Pub, Ridgewood…Wagon Wheel, Bergenfield…The 288 Club, North Arlington…Beef & Bottle and Lamb’s, Livingston…The Valley Regency, Clifton…Huddle Inn, Fairfield…San Carlo, Lyndhurst…Friar Tuck Inn, Montclair…The Casablanca,Garfield…Teddy’s, Kearny and so many more. Sadly, some of the venues no longer exist, but the memories of good times and fantastic audiences linger on!

I’m currently in the midst of my “Elvis Summer Festival”, which runs June through September, here in New Jersey. However, my performing schedule fills the entire year. When I’m not giving a concert, you’ll often find me rehearsing for the next one.

Even though I work from a set program…I still believe in the need for rehearsals. Although I perform the various renditions of my concerts often, I rarely repeat the same show twice in a row. I’ve always felt that alternating programs helps to keep the performances fresh. Since I’m not always singing the same songs, my rehearsing gives me that extra edge that makes my delivery sharper. In an effort to give my voice a chance to rest up,  I prefer to have several days between performing. During the “Vegas” years, Elvis developed a large amount of production numbers that can be quite taxing on the vocal chords. Unfortunately, scheduling doesn’t always cooperate…leaving me to make do with whatever time I have between performances. I try not to be complacent, when it comes to the format of my shows. When you do an Elvis Tribute, it’s so easy to fall into a rut. I like to think if Elvis was still performing he would have progressed to things we can’t even imagine. He was forever changing. The image he projected in the fifties was different from his look and style for most of the sixties and different again as he moved through the seventies. There’s no reason to assume he would have stopped growing and experimenting with new material at that point. In that spirit, I’m forever tweaking each program so the structure and musical arrangements can vary as I move forward. Bottomline…I’m never finished rehearsing!

July 16th I performed the latest concert of my ‘09 Elvis Summer Festival in New Jersey…a hot  and humid classic car show!

It never ceases to amaze me how the crowds at these outdoor events will endure sweltering heat for these hour long shows. There was a multitude of very young fans at this event and they were really into the whole Elvis thing. I’m not certain if it’s the flashy costumes, the karate-style moves or the music that attracts them, but these kids like “The King”. It always amuses me when they think I’m really him, but then again, there are some adults who take that “leap of faith” and react  to me as if I’m Elvis! I’m never quite sure how to handle that. It is definitely a credit to Presley’s talent that such a wide range in age still respond to his music.

I opened the concert with a short medley of  “Long Tall Sally” and “Whole Lota Shaking”. Along the way I did some vintage Elvis like “Love Me” and “One Night With You”. Midway another medley from the ‘68 NBC Special…”Heartbreak Hotel”, “Hound Dog” and  “All Shook Up”. I closed the concert with “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling”…originally recorded by The Righteous Brothers, but I’ve always liked Elvis’ rendition more. And of course, my final number at all of these Vegas recreations, “Can’t Help Falling In Love”. Post concert…lots of chatting and photos with the fans. All in all, a satisfying show. I think the audience had as much fun as I did!