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

This endless fascination with The King of Rock “n’ Roll has surely taken this Tribute Artist in a direction I never would have contemplated at the outset of my musical career.

The serious business of doing an Elvis Tribute.

I’m well aware of the jokes made about Elvis Impersonators and many are well deserving of the ill remarks. It’s unfortunate, but the media does little to dispel the negative image. More often than not, TV and printed articles take great fancy in depicting the absolute worst and comical of the genre. In an effort to avoid the stigma connected with the title, a growing number of the more professional Elvis Artists choose to call themselves anything but an “Impersonator.” There are hundreds of Elvis performers doing quality, respectful tribute shows. The fact that Elvis Presley Enterprises has embraced the concept with an official “Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest” is proof of that. Most Presley fans are very accepting of the Elvis Tribute Artist and make for an enthusiastic audience. I also find the less avid fans appreciating the nostalgia of these shows. The whole “Elvis Thing” seems to transcend the age barrier as well. My classic car events attract young and old alike and, post performance, I wind up doing photos with fans of every age.

Photos with the fans are an important part of every show.

Elvis had his personal demons…WE ALL DO! However, he was the consummate entertainer and his talent was gigantic. For this reason his aura looms larger than life and I proudly pay homage to that talent.

A duo with the "Birthday Boy" Mat Conroy.

Another private gig this past Saturday with my new friend Mat Conroy. A “Jersey Boy” celebrating his birthday in style with a party for sixty of his closest friends. I was in good company ’cause Mat loves Elvis. Mat loves to sing Elvis and joined me, in song, for Suspicious Minds and The Wonder of You.

The action took place in the well appointed Alexa Clubhouse which is part of the new City View development, adjacent to the Royal Caribbean dock at the Cape Liberty Cruise Port here in North Jersey. The affair was catered by my favorite local Asian restaurant Ten East and I got to do some photo ops with some of the gang from that eatery.

As part of my Elvis tribute I, almost always, make a surprise entrance to the strains of the “2001 Theme.” There was a twenty minute technical delay that left me waiting, in forty degree weather, outside the club. Aside from that and a problem with mic feedback, the evening went extremely well. I joked with the crowd and they were good natured and enthusiastic.

Mat proved to be a great singing partner and an even better host. Top it all off with dozens of photos with lots of attractive females and this Elvis Tribute Artist was a happy camper.

Here I am with one of those pretty girls!

Nashville, Tennessee is home to one of the most well known recording studios in the United States…RCA’s Studio B. Legends of the music world such as Elvis Presley, Floyd Cramer, Boots Randolph, Willie Nelson, The Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chet Atkins and Eddy Arnold recorded there. Atkins also produced hundreds of hits with stars of the country and pop charts at Studio B.

On a session break outside Studio B.

The studio was built by Dan Maddox in 1957, at the request of guitarist Chet Atkins and Steve Sholes of RCA Victor Records. Chet said the plans for the studio were drawn on a table napkin by RCA’s chief recording engineer Bill Mittenburg. The building, located at 222 5th Avenue South, took four months to construct and opened in November of 1957. The studio is a single story building with offices in the front half. The area of the studio and control room has a second story which contains an echo chamber.

In the late 50″s and through the 60’s, Elvis did a substantial amount of recording work at Studio B. Chet Atkins was producer at those dates and also played guitar on many of Elvis’ early hits. Chet quickly learned that Elvis preferred to begin recording later in the evening and on through the next morning. Consequently, Atkins got into the habit of being on hand to over-see the start of those midnight runs and left to go home and sleep while Elvis and the other musicians were creative into the wee hours.

Studio B gained fame in the 1960’s for being in the vanguard for what many refer to as “The Nashville Sound.” A style promoted by Chet Atkins and a handful of Music City musicians and characterized by the use of lavish string sections and vocal backgrounds. The style became very popular and helped to open country music to a whole new audience of up-town listeners. It also established Nashville as an international recording mecca.

Recording session in 'The House That Chet Built."

I had the pleasure of recording at Studio B on a few occasions. Mostly demo records for songwriters and as a guitarist in sessions for commercial release from time to time. It was not uncommon on such dates to jam a little as set-up was in progress. So there I sat, on one of those sessions, playing all my best Chet Atkins finger-picking riffs. As I came to the close of the piece, I got a tap on my shoulder and a voice drawled “gee…you sound just like Chet!” I swung around on my stool, preparing to greet my new fan…only to discover that I was face to face with “Mr. Guitar” Chet Atkins in the flesh. As I did my best to recover from my chance meeting with a childhood idol, Chet proceeded to tell me about a recent meeting of his own. Seems he’d been on the road and was filling some spare time at a local music store. A guitar caught his fancy and he sat down to play a few licks. A young, budding guitarist came along and stopped to give a listen. When Chet finished playing, the kid declared “you’re pretty good…, but you’re no Chet Atkins!” Chet, not having the heart to introduce himself, simply accepted the critique and went on his way. Fact is, you can’t talk about RCA’s Studio B and The Nashville Sound without recognizing the dominant force that Chet’s playing and management were in shaping Music City as we know it today.

In 1977 the studio became available to The Country Music Hall of Fame for tours. In 1992 Studio B was donated to The Country Hall of Fame by the estate of Dan Maddox. The facility is currently co-operated by The Country Music Hall of Fame and Belmont University. Tours are still conducted daily.

I have to admit that, as an Elvis Tribute Artist I view the 75th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s birth, on Friday, January 8th, with mixed emotions. In the same way it is difficult to imagine Marilyn Monroe, John Kennedy or John Lennon as a senior citizen…Elvis is forever frozen in our minds as young and vibrant.

Despite the physical and emotional difficulties in his final years; fans choose to remember The King in the 50’s, 60’s and conquering Vegas in the early 70’s. On the one hand, fans were robbed of the possibilities of what might have been. On the other hand, for guys like me, an entirely new career doing tribute shows became an overnight reality. I can’t speak for other ETAs and the myriad reasons they have for becoming a Tribute Artist. I can tell you that I never take to the stage, in that jumpsuit, without remembering that at least some of the attention I receive is borrowed glory. I’m always cognizant of the fact that I’m helping to fill a void left by his passing. The memories I evoke are the main reason I have an audience. Other personalities have taken the same first name, but let’s face it…there’s ONLY ONE ELVIS!

The attention is not all mine!

Some of the birthday related tie-ins include: RCA/Legacy’s four disc “Elvis 75-Good Rockin’ Tonight” which includes one hundred of Elvis’ greatest hits. Also, there is Elvis: The Complete Masters, containing over seven hundred songs offered by The Franklin Mint. “Viva Elvis” by Cirque du Soleil  debuted in Las Vegas in December of ‘09. Birthday Headquarters however will certainly be his home Graceland in Memphis. Friday at Graceland Plaza, just across from the iconic mansion, Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley will kick off a year-long celebration of The King’s 75th Birthday. Also, a week of events, hosted by the estate, will include: a day tour of Tupelo, Elvis’ childhood hometown, panel talks with close friends and associates, a gospel concert of Elvis songs and a performance of Elvis tunes by The Memphis Symphony Orchestra. On Saturday, January 9th Beale Street will offer an Elvis Birthday Bash. A night of drink specials, live music and partying at clubs up and down the famed Memphis street.

The idea of an elderly Elvis runs contrary to our very image of The King. Elvis, having created a whole new category of performer, had no competition. He was bigger than all his combined contemporaries and was left to reinvent himself from one decade to the next. In a way, Elvis was his own first ELVIS TRIBUTE ARTIST!