My whole life I always knew who Elvis was, but never really grasped it. I did know my whole life that something big was going to happen. I just never knew when.... I've always enjoyed music my entire life. In February 2006, I wasn't finding anything that I wanted to listen to anymore. I couldn't find anything good on the radio. Seemed as if I had no groove..... I was "groove less".
I was in the process of cleaning my apartment, getting ready to move and I found an old shoe box in my closet. In that shoe box I found some compact disks: Elvis, Patsy Cline, Dwight Yoakam and many more. I picked up this Elvis CD. It had a broken case and was quite worn. I figured, "what the hell", I haven't heard anything good in a long time. I put the CD in, and hit random on my stereo. The song "It's Now or Never" began playing. Right then and there, I felt an instant connection, an instant love, almost like love at first sight. I didn't know what it was. The music brought me somewhere. I knew that I found what I'd been searching for. I was intrigued, so I began collecting as much of Elvis' music as I could. I listened religiously. I can honestly say I felt connected to the music, the words, the orchestra, the hurt in his voice in some of the songs. Songs like "My Way", "What Now My Love", "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Hurt" - these songs were just so powerful, the way they were written and the way they were sung.
What I love about Elvis is that he can match any one of your moods. If you are feeling young and energetic, loot at his 50's stuff. If you want powerful ballads, the 70's - such moving music, makes you want to cry! If you want a life changing experience, listen to his gospel music.
In July 2006, my friends were starting to notice how much I was enjoying Elvis’ music. They invited me to First Ave where I saw Bill Fix pay tribute to Elvis. I consider Bill to be my first real experience seeing an Elvis Tribute Artist. He was having so much fun on stage, and that’s what sparked the idea. My birthday was coming up, and my father threw me a surprise party. He had hired an entertainer for the night. It was really special for me. A few days later at a dinner with my family, I found out that my father had performed as an Elvis tribute artist on Halloween night in 1980! So we decided to throw our own Halloween party and reenact that night in 1980, but this time with me as the Elvis tribute artist.
Oct. 31st came around and we threw at the Isle’s with the help of some hired entertainment. I was the headliner doing an Elvis set. The show was a hit! Deep down I really wanted to continue doing this but realistically I didn’t think anything would come of it. Little did I know … A lady by the name of Linda, who owned a local tavern called The Roadhouse, was a huge Elvis fan and she wanted me to play at her bar! At that very show, I was approached and booked for another show, and then another one and at that show and on, and on and on…… From there, every show I’ve ever done has lead to another.
In June 2007, I competed in the preliminary Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist contest in Marion, KS. It was my first contest, and I placed first place! This earned me entry into the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist finals in Memphis, TN! This is the biggest highlight of my career thus far. The competition was a week long event, where I performed 4 times. I was able to meet so many amazing people while there. I was on Good Morning America and USAtoday.com! The week was full of many great memories. In the finals I placed in the top 5 which earned me a chance to perform on the first ever Elvis Cruise sponsored by Elvis Presley Enterprises.
