I just thought, Well, I dont know what does that mean? says Gamble. Thomas into a local club, took the money, and then disappeared; it turned out he didnt actually rep Thomas at all. He wound up in one called the Flim Flam Band, where his future wife Effie saw him perform covers in her hometown of Ocala, Florida, in the early Seventies. 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. He uses a sophisticated lighting system to help convey the many moods of the Elvis oeuvre: rock, blues, country, gospel, and R&B. Often, the shows would start with OConnell as Morrison, vamping through the Doors Light My Fire, Love Me Two Times, and Touch Me, before Hazebrouck came out with Croce hits like Time in a Bottle and Bad, Bad Leroy Brown. After a brief intermission, the band launched into a stomping groove, and Caywood stuck her hand through a curtain holding a bottle of Southern Comfort before emerging feathers flying, she says and starting her Joplin set, which included Ball and Chain and Piece of My Heart. Then, Gamble would re-enter, karate-chopping his way through a medley of Elvis hits, before everyone reconvened onstage for a grand finale. Somebody hit him in the face and knocked him out. According to a popular myth, Presley himself entered an Elvis lookalike contest at a local restaurant shortly before his death, and came in third place. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. From left: Hazebrouck, Caywood, Rhyne, Gamble, and OConnell at their post-surgery press conference, 1978. He plays original music with Enjoy the Zoo, a group whose members grew up in Las Vegas. Joplin had overdosed eight years before, and Caywood knew the repertoire well. He knew the time was coming when the bond between rock icons and fans would grow so intense that an industry could rise to exploit that union. I got up one night and did Heartbreak Hotel and the fans liked it, Wise says. Caywood wound up taking the gross heap home with her, with the thought of encasing it in glass and turning it into a coffee table. 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) . From 1982 to 1984 he had a nightclub across the street from Graceland in Memphis. "[25] In her paper, "Women Who 'Do Elvis'", Case Western Reserve University researcher Francesca Brittan deals with female Elvis Presley impersonators and finds them to be "campy, cheeky, and often disturbingly convincing. That was the start of a career that has lasted more than 30 years. It is cured by visiting a psychologist, who tells the patient how ridiculous he/she look[31]. Now, he travels the world with his Elvis Tribute Show. Some ETAs record CDs to sell at their shows, which of course contain many of the Elvis standards, but could also include some of their own songs as well as songs of other artists. In the Summer 1997 issue of The Oxford American magazine author Tom Graves wrote an acclaimed article, Natural Born Elvis, about the first Elvis impersonator, Bill Haney, the only tribute artist Elvis himself ever went to see perform. But 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. It's almost like being in your zen, your spot.". The atmosphere and show itself proved to be too much for Rhyne. Thats up from $49 million in 2007. In the aftermath of the collapse of Rock and Roll Heaven, Danny ODay went in search of an encore. Dennis Wise sang Trying to Get to You for ODay and the band, and ODay told him that was all he needed to hear. Dennis Wise shows off his reconstructed face to talk-show host Mike Douglas. You can see Dennis Wise on Friday, August 16 and Saturday, August 17 at 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. Jack Singer, played by Nicolas Cage, encounters a group of "Flying Elvises" (skydiving Elvis impersonators) while trying to reunite with his fiance. The film was directed by Don Coscarelli. 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). He did say, Well, what can we do? My whole life has been dedicated to Elvis.. [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]. He has every album Elvis ever recorded and pictures by the thousands. In a lengthy piece for Rolling Stone, David Browne digs into the "rogue '70s promoter," who decided to try to make a living by putting cover artists on stagewith faces surgically altered to look something like the late singer they were mimicking. Decades before hologram tours, one rogue '70s promoter found another way to put Elvis, Janis, Jim Morrison, and other late icons back onstage. As she later told the Orlando Sentinel, the whole show gave her the creeps due to real weird girls who started hanging out during my shows, biker types. She complained to ODay about her female-Elvis role, but he wasnt listening: Nothing I said seemed to sink in, Rhyne said. Admission is $10. Must be 21 to attend this Las Vegas event. They were bombs, man, says Caywood of the earliest, sparsely attended Rock and Roll Heaven shows. Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account. James's wife has suspicions of his feelings. 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. mannerisms. [55] During the 1960s, he played drums with Sonny Day and The Sundowners. '"[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]. I was heartbroken, very upset. [46] Among the LP albums he recorded were his 1976 album, Mr. Fatu Sings Elvis, which was recorded live at The Hawaiian Inn,[47] and Manatua Mai A'u (Remember Me), released on the Tam-Bay label. There are also three "how to" guides, Be Elvis! The music will be all Elvis, from the Vegas years. So O'Day moved on: to "Rock and Roll Heaven," a tour he dreamed up that would feature not just an Elvis, but Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Jim Croce, too. The plan was scuttled when someone accidentally tossed out the whole mess. In "Meltdown," an episode of the British TV series Red Dwarf, Clayton Mark portrays a 'wax droid' version of Elvis who, under the command of Arnold Rimmer along with other 'wax world' historical figures, is engaged in battle with the evil historical figures. Events tend to attract large numbers of amateur Elvis impersonators and Elvis fans. Talent shows focused on imitating already famous singers will often have Elvis impersonators. choose a career that pays tribute to the King of Rock and Roll. According to Rolling Stone, less than 50 people turned up to their debut show in Atlanta. I really hated him then. On New Years Eve 1979, during the tours Reno run, she tossed down 50 sleeping pills and some champagne and hoped it would all end. One of the most popular modern plays dealing with Elvis impersonation is Lee Hall's Cooking with Elvis (1999). This has seen some impact on what Elvis impersonators and contests have on the media and marketing industry. For more information, please call (702) 631-7000. He was a former dancer with a Polynesian troupe. Professional Elvis impersonators, commonly known as Elvis tribute artists (ETAs), work all over the world as entertainers, and such tribute acts remain in great demand due to the unique iconic status of Elvis. first song, he got the job. The small western New South Wales town of Parkes in Australia has been hosting the Parkes Elvis Festival since 1993, which includes a special "Elvis Express" train from Sydney to Parkes. Dad hated Elvis. Hes great.. [59][60] Like Alphonso Keil before him,[61] Angel regularly performs at the Parkes Elvis Festival, an event that now attracts 20,000. ODay had what felt like a foolproof method of making the operation seem as routine as possible. Despite ODays high hopes, and a decent amount of news coverage, the Rock and Roll Heaven tour didnt quite make the impact hed imagined. It was very fresh at that point compared to now. For this paper, he interviewed many impersonators and draws parallels with minstrelsy. His performance may be considered the first significant Elvis impersonation. I do two annual shows one for his passing and one for his birth (Jan. 8), the 54-year-old tribute artist says. Elvis Has Left the Building a film in which a woman kills multiple Elvis impersonators. Original faux-Elvis Dennis Wise practices post-surgery with promoter Danny ODay, 1978. Arona Mane Shows Off His Production on Thandi Phoenix's new single 'Hot Sauce'. 2016 Rampart Casino at The Resort at Summerlin. Eric Lott, "All the King's Men: Elvis Impersonators and White Working-Class Masculinity." In the late 90s he started up a group called Alphonso Keil and the Kavaliers. But the fans gave their tender love to Shawn Klush of Pittston, PA, crowning him King in the finale. Mom was the fan in the house. During Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. 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. Marriott and the JW Marriott system are not associated with any part of The Resort at Summerlin (the Resort) other than the JW Marriott Las Vegas hotel (the Hotel) at the Resort. As far back as the Seventies, touring and club acts meticulously did their best to look and sound like the Doors or the very much alive Bruce Springsteen, and tourists in Manhattan flocked to Beatlemania, a Fab Four tribute that ran on Broadway for two years. I feel weird saying this, but basically I was the hit of the show, says Caywood. Dennis Colt, the first famous Elvis impersonator, circa 1978. in Roxy's at the Fiesta Rancho located at 2400 N. Rancho 3000 Miles to Graceland is a 2001 thriller film, starring Kurt Russell, Kevin Costner, Courteney Cox Arquette, David Arquette, Bokeem Woodbine, Christian Slater, and Kevin Pollak. [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. The Complete History of Elvis Impersonators in 10 minutes [from the documentary Almost Elvis] BlueSuedeFilms 1.65K subscribers Subscribe 43K views 14 years ago The complete history of Elvis. He knew what was coming, but the reality of it didnt really hit him until the doctor, who seemed like a nice enough guy, started carving into his face. In the "Boo Haw Haw" Halloween special of Cartoon Network's Ed, Edd, n Eddy, one of the titular characters named Eddy is dressed-up as a zombie Elvis for trick-or-treating. It just took off, Wise says. Since I was 5 Ive been acting like him he was kind of like a father figure to me because my dad was gone all the time. The voice, the lip curl, the jumpsuit he's a dead ringer. Dennis Wise, 54, has been an Elvis impersonator for more than 30 years, beginning with a garage band he started with his brother. Shed previously worked in a health-food store, but for Rock and Roll Heaven, she developed a fleeting taste for Southern Comfort, Joplins drink of choice. In the mid-1970s, Andy Kaufman made an Elvis impersonation part of his act. Its become the most collected U.S. stamp with more than 124 million saved and more than 500 million sold. The plus sides, he still has some good moves, accomplishes an acceptable Elvis appearance and performance, but his voice doesn't sound much like Elvis. Growing up, he dressed like Elvis and answered to Elvis in the school halls. It was his seventeenth and last number-one single in the United States. James had written three songs that became number one hits in the Southern United States. include being named by Dick Clark as one of the three best Elvis There are even several radio stations[1][2] that exclusively feature Elvis impersonator material. There Wise lay, on a table in an Orlando hospital, surrounded by photos of the King. "That was a very strange day," Wise says. Session guitarist Reggie Young played on both the James and Presley versions.The song is about a mistrusting and dysfunctional relationship, and the need of the characters to overcome their issues in order to maintain it. Barnum, a man who could, in Wises words, sell ice cream in hell. If that meant hiring someone to turn living singers into facsimiles of deceased ones, so be it. There are disputes about what happened next. 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. But thanks to that original operation, Wise still makes a respectable living re-creating Elvis in the Deja Vu Dance and Show Band, a multi-artist tribute act in Vegas. About then Wise began managing a band that included his brother, Jim. Elvis Presley: The King's best impersonators. Some ETAs perform with a live band in the style of the TCB Band, complete with a brass ensemble and background singers to add to the originality; while others rely solely on karaoke for their performances. American protest singer Phil Ochs appeared in concert in March 1970 at Carnegie Hall wearing a 1950s Elvis-style gold lam suit, made for him by Presley's costumer Nudie Cohen. What followed was anything but conventional, even during an era, the Seventies, when genuine rock stars would pop up on campy network TV specials. (Singing) Wise men say only fools rush in, for I can't help falling in love with you. Fans who wish to pay homage to the King of Rock n Roll might enjoy attending Wises annual show commemorating the passing of Elvis. Even though James's recording initially had not been commercially successful, upon reviewing the song Elvis decided he could turn it into a hit. The original unaired pilot even had Johnny Bravo as a literal Elvis Presley impersonator. Swipe your Rampart Rewards card at the door and receive 1,000 points! Its pretty common now, Wise says. To become the Gambler balladeer, ODay had a hair transplant, dyed his hair gray, and had his jowls tightened. The plot of the Father Ted episode "Competition Time" revolves around the three main characters Father Ted Crilly, Father Dougal McGuire and Father Jack Hackett entering the "All Priests Stars in Their Eyes Lookalike Competition". Wise is the ultimate fan and the ultimate Elvis performer, with more After James' recording failed commercially, the song was handed to Elvis Presley by producer Chips Moman, becoming a number one song in 1969, and one of the most notable hits of Presley's career. A few months after Elvis died Wise traveled to Little Rock, Ark., to audition as an Elvis tribute artist. 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. A major post-mortem event in Elvis history occurred in Orlando on Jan. 31, 1978, when Dennis Wise underwent six hours of plastic surgery to look more like The King of rock 'n' roll. some memories. He and Effie were divorced in 1979. Danny was flabbergasted I said that, says 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. This time, the surgeries werent quite as invasive as theyd been with Wise. Especially interesting are those who do not perform, per se, that is, they don't do an Elvis act, they just 'live Elvis,' dressing as The King and spreading His Word by their example. Get ready, music lovers, because Record Store Day 2023 is right around the corner! Item Information. 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. The label loved the song and put it out, but Scepter did not have the money to promote new artists, and the song did not make the charts. At Gambles suggestion, his girlfriend, a North Carolina native named Deborah (or Erin) Rhyne, had her nose straightened and hair dyed black to resemble a female Elvis. (Im going to be Elvis in the early 1950s, when he was feminine-looking, she said.). In paleontology, researchers D.H. Erwin and M.L. ", 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. \"Suspicious Minds\" was widely regarded as the single that returned Presley's career success, following his '68 Comeback Special. Nelson even performed alongside Presley when they first met, also in 1954. Wise channeled Elvis for years, performing with Brenda Lee in a concert in Chile and appearing on shows with Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin and Dick Clark. [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. Described as the original and best-known Elvis Presley tribute artist, Dennis Wise has performed more than 10,000 shows in all 50 states and in other countries including Peru, England and Japan. At the time, he was referred to as the greatest Elvis impressionist around. In 40 years, its become more acceptable to do something like that, compared to back then, says Eyellusions Pezzuti. He Used Plastic Surgery to Raise Rock Stars From the Dead, These Musicians are Supplying Ukraine With Drones, Burt Bacharach, Master Pop Composer, Dead at 94, New Bootleg Series Installment Maps The Long Road To Dylans Resurrection. They mainly fall under three main levels of impersonation, which are: Enacting a typical 70s Elvis concert is a preferred choice of most ETAs; however, some ETAs may portray various phases of Presley's career in a single show. Bandstand.". We called him the flim-flam man with the Flim Flam Band.. In an episode of the American sitcom The Golden Girls, the characters of Blanche and Rose are considering hiring an Elvis impersonator for their "Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love Fan Club," yet Rose mixes up the Elvis list with the guest list for the wedding of the character of Sophia. His admiration for Elvis has spanned over forty years. In The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, a dancer named Tott with a striking resemblance to Elvis Presley appears on Windfall Island. Saturday, January 18 at 8:30 pm Cascade Lounge. [65], Malaysia has Tony Warren who is known as "the Tom Jones of Malaysia". 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. Since Wise was persona non Presley in ODays world, a new King was needed. In Reno, Gamble saw ODay handing out five-dollar bills to people at the door to lure them inside. I would tell those people not to do it. [52], During the early 1990s, Sam Leilani from Reseda, L.A. made the news briefly. ODay scrambled and found a replacement after several tries. He was popular in the South, but not so much around the rest of the country. His mom said shed be fine with it as long as it was done in good taste, and that was good enough for her son. A husband hired them to perform at his wifes 40th birthday party, since she was a Rogers fan. He Jeff Yagher played an Elvis impersonator (as well as Elvis himself) in an episode of The Twilight Zone called "The Once and Future King". Las Vegas Sun, 2023, All Rights Reserved, Less Elvis in Vegas doesnt mean no Elvis in Vegas, Elvis has yet to leave the building (5-15-2008), Bartender mixes Elvis moves with Santa Fe drinks (4-13-2001), Vegas Vipers Home Opener Against DCDefenders, Durango Beats Liberty, 57-47, in Boys 5A BasketballChampionship. He was there in 2016 for the event,[62] and in there in 2018.[63]. Morrison had been found dead in a Paris bathtub seven years before. Dennis Wise has been paying tribute to Elvis for more than 30 years. So the surgery was an improvement., Wise made his debut onstage so soon after the surgery that black rings still encircled his eyes. A.J. i.e., the Chilean version of the European show My name is featured at least three of them. My dad has been an Elvis Tribute Artist for over 30 years. [3], Many impersonators sing Presley's songs. It was amazing. 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. Wise has been performing his Elvis act longer than almost anybody since 1977. Eric Lott, "All the King's Men: Elvis Impersonators and White Working-Class Masculinity," in Harry Stecopoulos and Michael Uebel, eds.. See Gael Sweeney, "The King of White Trash Culture: Elvis Presley and the Aesthetics of Excess." RAINBOW UMAMI: a Queer Club Remix Series: Celebrating diversity and creativity in the queer music community. 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. With more than 600 Presley tunes in his And lastly, Dennis is a bit aged these days and many of his promo photos are of younger years. We just want to bring back They began using the contest along with their Elvis brand, licensing anyone wanting to charge a fee to hold an Elvis contest. Dennis Wise is the ultimate fan and the ultimate Elvis performer, with more than 10,000 shows honoring the king. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. At the recording session, James sang the lead vocals, and the studio band backed him with Momam producing. We did a couple of state fairs where there were, like, four people in the audience.. He is played by Frank Wagner. We were traveling the country, doing two shows a night six and seven nights a week.. Hired as: Elvis Impersonator Sharon T. March 17, 2014 Aster Retirement Community wants to thank you Elvis, John! Some of the performers had reservations about what they were doing. The main character of Cartoon Network's Johnny Bravo is heavily influenced by Elvis along with James Dean and Michael Jackson. He said, Give me something! and a nurse came over and plunged this needle into me. Wise soon went under. Professional Elvis impersonators, commonly known as Elvis tribute artists (ETAs), work all over the world as entertainers, and such tribute acts remain in great demand due to the unique iconic status of Elvis. It was a Method-acting thing, says Caywood. 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.. (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. What Danny is doing with his new idea is just not right, he told the Miami News. (When the ceremony was over, they had some difficulty eating the wedding cake.) 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.". He is a published author and has appeared on New Zealand television in ads, Like Minds, Like Mine. Palaios, v.8, pp.623624. David stayed with Elvis at Graceland for 17 years, and traveled with him until the end, August 16,1977. Something nobodys ever done before, recalls Effie. BY THE NUMBERS $52 million Amount the Elvis estate made. This tribute to "We're not here to try to take his place. Cruise kept asking James if he had any songs that would be right for Elvis. lvis Presley had been dead for six months when the plastic-surgeons knife plunged into Dennis Wise. But that doesnt mean his interest in the King has waned. [50][51] Another single of his, released on the Fire Mountain label in 1980, "Just One Look" by "Darling" is a sought after collectors item. Dennis began his professional tribute to Elvis in 1978, a year after the Dennis F. December 14, 2015 We enjoyed Elvis John Verified Review Tyler E. May 20, 2014 A great experience with Elvis John Hired as: Elvis Impersonator Verified Review Terri K. April 27, 2014 Great Job! These talented artists can pose for photos, perform Elvis's greatest hits, emcee corporate events, and sometimes officiate weddings just like in Vegas. 91 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. When the band broke up my brother returned to the mainland but I stayed on in Hawaii a couple of years. 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, the touring extravaganza he conceived and promoted, didnt just pay homage to one deceased icon, but four of them: Elvis, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Jim Croce. They dont know what theyre getting into. But nothing would stop them, or ODay. 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. Danny has played music all over NC ,SC & Parts of VA. Danny has played many venues such as: The Barn Dinner Theate. In the Sledge Hammer! covering all phases of Presley's recording career, including rock `n' >Article Archives Guess where the money went? Wise wound up suing ODay for negligence (claiming his professional reputation has been damaged) and breach of fiduciary duty, demanding a minimum settlement of $2,500. Im sure he didnt have the money. 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. (Read the full story, which has plenty of photos.). Wise trekked to ODays home in Ocala, just in time to see his boss roll up, living large. Wow your guests with a visit from the King of Rock and Roll! 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. He was always looking for his new project, says Patten. His marriage to Rhyne fell apart. Most fall under the following categories: There are different levels of impersonation, which depends largely on who is doing the impersonation and for what purpose. Thousands of "Elvi" gave it their best shot in the 2007 BBC competition show World's Greatest Elvis. Wise had come to Orlando at the request of a newly acquired personal manager, Danny O'Day of Ocala. favorite song was "Heartbreak Hotel", and to his father's chagrin, he He has performed more than 10,000 shows as an Elvis impersonator. However, its been rumored that they may have inspired this funny Saturday Night Live sketch, Behind the Music: Rock & Roll Heaven., News and Entertainment from Australia's favourite youth publisher, The Nirvana Nevermind babys lawsuit has been dismissed, A study compared celebrity worship and cognitive skills and the results arent good. The next night, they and a new batch of clones appeared onstage, and suddenly ODay was Kenny Rogers and Rhyne was looking a bit like Linda Ronstadt, then at the peak of her pop career. He once sang some songs on Karaoke at a 30th birthday party which his mother in law loved. My mother has been singing with him for j. Symptoms of the condition included the patient dressing up like Elvis, wearing a white/grey jacket with a red music note at its back, matching trousers, sunglasses and Elvis' famous hairdo. ODay was finally the headlining star attraction hed always longed to be, if not the way hed quite planned it. In Harry Stecopoulos and Michael Uebel, eds., "The Pedant's Return: Why the Things You Think Are Wrong Are Right" By Andrea Barham. The idea was to say I was trying to develop the sneer, I guess, he says. He had previously wanted to manage a Barbra Streisand impersonator but soon realized the audience wouldnt buy his first choice: At five feet two and 160 pounds, she didnt conjure Streisand physically. The films also featured many real Elvis Tribute Artists from Las Vegas as background players, dancers and extras. 1970's Dennis Wise Enterprize ELVIS Impersonator jacket Men's Large satin look . It wasnt Vegas, but it was close, and it came with perks, like all the alcohol and Perrier anyone wanted. 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. I was there in 1977 when Elvis died.. ACCESS RIGHTS ONLY. Sight unseen, always. And just like ODay, each was hungry for recognition and success, a very different type of American dream. 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.