He died at the end of 2020. In the Sledge Hammer! He performed regularly at the Elvis in the Park concerts at Cranwell Park in Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand, New Zealand. He uses a sophisticated lighting system to help convey the many moods of the Elvis oeuvre: rock, blues, country, gospel, and R&B. A.J. A promoter was looking for an Elvis act, says Wise, who auditioned by singing Trying to Get to You., I sang a few lines and the guy said, Thats enough, Wise says. From left: Hazebrouck, Caywood, Rhyne, Gamble, and OConnell at their post-surgery press conference, 1978. He was the winner of the competition. Dennis Wise Tickets, 2022-2023 Concert Tour Dates | Ticketmaster 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. Elvis was only the beginning. The three songs he sang were, "If I Can Dream", "Kentucky Rain" and "Polk Salad Annie". There are even several radio stations[1][2] that exclusively feature Elvis impersonator material. It was a Method-acting thing, says Caywood. Returning to Ocala, he found his marriage falling apart and began working construction jobs. He did say, Well, what can we do? The Joplin, Mo., native had been an Elvis fan since age 5, when his mother would put on stacks of records and play them all day long. 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. Cruise and James thought of \"Suspicious Minds\" and James began urging others to get Elvis to hear it. It is a story of theft and betrayal, revolving around a plot to rob the Riviera Casino during a convention of Elvis impersonators in Las Vegas. He needed those people if we were going to play in Las Vegas, says Caywood. It was not for money purposes. Just as he arrived, ODay was hauled off to jail for being behind on his child-support payments. Self As it turned out, Duke OConnell, the drummer in an ODay-managed cover band called the Copycats, had been singing Doors songs in that group. 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. >Las Vegas Entertainment Today Home Page Dennis Wise - Elvis Tribute Artist - That's alright mama | So twice a [38], Des Perenara, a Maori Elvis comes from Auckland but is now based in Cardigan, Wales. Rock and Roll Heaven opened with the backup band playing an instrumental version of the Righteous Brothers dead-rocker hit of the same name. Shane will be drumming for with his dad on Saturday night. People loved it.. Lilo and Stitch is a 2002 animated Disney movie that has Stitch, a blue alien, impersonate Elvis for a scene. Wise says he never saw a dime, nor ever saw ODay again. i.e., the Chilean version of the European show My name is featured at least three of them. Drive. Dennis Wise shows off his reconstructed face to talk-show host Mike Douglas. "That was a very strange day," Wise says. Dragging along the white suits theyd been forced to wear onstage, the musicians piled them atop one another and set the clothes afire, resulting in what Caywood recalls as an unholy muck of cow patties, dirt, and melted polyester.. [21], Blackpool in the UK, features a busy Elvis wedding chapel[22] based at the Norbreck Castle Hotel, Queens promenade, where couples can have their wedding vows renewed by Martin Fox. This has prompted other impersonators, like Mark Lee Pringle of Ohio, to include these details in their shows. The new-tech twist is the hologram, which has brought Michael Jackson, 2Pac, Frank Zappa, and Whitney Houston back to a semblance of life. Wise trekked to ODays home in Ocala, just in time to see his boss roll up, living large. There are also three "how to" guides, Be Elvis! 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. appealed to everybody. The atmosphere and show itself proved to be too much for Rhyne. ELVIS LIVES! Local impersonator keeps 'em all shook up In addition to the classics, Im throwing in some songs Elvis did onstage that arent heard as much. Playwright Charlotte Jones' award-winning play "Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis"[32] opened 15 April 1999 at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton. (When the ceremony was over, they had some difficulty eating the wedding cake.) In Annalee Newitz and Matt Wray, eds.. Sweeney, "The King of White Trash Culture," p.262. Hazebroucks lips were enlarged and lowered, and his straight hair was given a Croce-style perm. Ive got this kid who does a great Otis Redding, but hes white, he said straight-faced. Hired as: Meet the World's Greatest Elvis Impersonator By Nick Greene, the mag Mar 9, 2015 Ambassador Talent Services / Ambassador Talent Services by Shawn Klush, as told to Nick Greene Even when he's not. 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. RAINBOW UMAMI: a Queer Club Remix Series: Celebrating diversity and creativity in the queer music community. In the following month, he was off to compete at the Wintersun Festival in New South Wales. 2016 Rampart Casino at The Resort at Summerlin. [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. But a drinking problem that had developed on the road soon overtook him. Priscilla Presley's favourite Elvis impersonator - YouTube James's wife has suspicions of his feelings. Joplin had overdosed eight years before, and Caywood knew the repertoire well. What Danny is doing with his new idea is just not right, he told the Miami News. episode "All Shook Up", Hammer (David Rasche) investigates a string of Elvis impersonator murders by participating in a contest as one. He also has an Elvis tribute act. It is cured by visiting a psychologist, who tells the patient how ridiculous he/she look[31]. He was only 42 years of age. Each show is an electric, high-energy performance backed by a full Shawn Klush - Top 10 Elvis Impersonators - TIME than 10,000 shows honoring the king. My parents come to talk about our unique musical family. [43][44] Following a break, he was back December 1976. Droser in a 1993 paper derived from the Elvis impersonators the term Elvis taxon (plural Elvis taxa), which denotes a taxon that has been misidentified as having re-emerged in the fossil record after a period of presumed extinction, but is not actually a descendant of the original taxon, instead having developed a similar morphology through convergent evolution. But he hit a snag: According to his musicians, the Vegas casino establishment wanted ownership of the idea and were less interested in working with ODay himself. 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. He has continuously performed his Elvis tribute act for almost 50 years, including performances in Las Vegas and headlining an Elvis tribute show in Branson, MO for almost 20 years beginning in 1993. 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). Another popular theater event has been the "Elvis Story" over the last five years. SINGER TOOK THE KING AT FACE VALUE - Orlando Sentinel to earth and that separates a lot of entertainers", states Dennis. Dennis Wise knows exactly where he was when Elvis Presley died Aug. 16, 1977. The 10-piece band will include his wife, Marcia, as a backup singer; their son, Shane, on drums; and Dennis brother, Jim, on guitar. favorite song was "Heartbreak Hotel", and to his father's chagrin, he Also recently[when?] Getty Images provides access rights only and does not license the copyright in the image. The 24th season of the American adaptation of Big Brother featured Daniel Durston, an Elvis impersonator from Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. Dennis Wise thought that was the end of it all and he would return to Hawaii, but instead, ODay asked him to meet at his hotel. Wise will perform his annual Elvis birthday concert Saturday at the Chrome Lounge at Santa Fe Station. A fast and unbiased roundup of whats happening in the world today. Ehlert performed throughout the Chicago Metro Area until Elvis died, then traveled the country with his act. Elvis impersonators set to appear besides Fitter were Brendon Chase, Melissa Perkins and Kerryn Winn. He was there in 2016 for the event,[62] and in there in 2018.[63]. If I could still do two shows a night, six nights a week, Id do it, Wise says. A '70s Promoter Used Plastic Surgery to Bring Back Elvis, Janis Joplin From a standpoint of being original and doing something that wasnt being done, I give him credit for putting his neck on the line. He could have made a killing in Atlantic City., Some involved in Rock and Roll Heaven wanted to forget it ever existed. The four singers he found also got surgery (it was said to have cost O'Day $500,000, though Browne also notes the surgeries were less invasive than what Wise experienced) and press, but the audience didn't materialize and a planned Vegas run allegedly fell apart over O'Day's unwillingness to let "the Vegas casino establishment" take the reins of the show. Episode 26 - My Dad is an Elvis Impersonator - Feat. Marcia and Dennis Wise "[18] According to George Plasketes, there are "legions of impersonators. I would tell those people not to do it. At the recording session, James sang the lead vocals, and the studio band backed him with Momam producing. Hire Everywhere Elvis - Elvis Impersonator in Las Vegas, Nevada - GigSalad A lot of us in the entertainment business dont get a chance to do some of the normal things. By Clicking "OK" or any content on this site, you agree to allow cookies to be placed. He has taken part in the Porthcawl Elvis Festival. 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. A number of books are available on the topic of Elvis tribute artists. It was perfect, but it was a lot of trouble, Wise says. It was his seventeenth and last number-one single in the United States. Longtime Elvis impersonator to go beyond the standards Musician who performs in the style of Elvis Presley. And I wasnt being paid anywhere near what Jim Morrison was. lvis Presley had been dead for six months when the plastic-surgeons knife plunged into Dennis Wise. This is a publicly distributed handout. Hes Elvis. We want to hear it. It was just not right. The Reno Gazette-Journal agreed, noting, Caywood-Moores Ball and Chain is a showstopper., As the Reno run began winding down, ODay planned to take Rock and Roll Heaven to its natural destination: Las Vegas. Debbie loved all that. One of his biggest fans is Dennis Wise, a man who even had his face and hairline changed through plastic surgery to look more like Elvis. international record is an honor shared only by Las Vegas entertainers Ive never missed a year, says Wise. I feel weird saying this, but basically I was the hit of the show, says Caywood. He was having to be with the band, and the kids were in school. O'Day made sure there was fanfare around itWise recalls exiting the plastic surgeon's clinic in a wheelchair to find "100 people from the press all over the world taking pictures. Dennis Wise has been paying tribute to Elvis for more than 30 years. 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. An advertisement for State Farm Insurance featured four Elvis impersonators, each of which performed the company's "magic jingle" in succession, causing representatives from the company to appear out of thin air. "First of all, you don't. Gary James' Interview With Elvis Impersonator Dennis Wise Dennis Wise made Page One news in papers across the country back in 1978 when he under went 6 hours of cosmetic surgery to re-construct his face to resemble Elvis Presley. For the first and not last time, his boss, Danny ODay, could boast, with one of his robust laughs, that he was the monster maker.. Besides performing throughout New Zealand, he has performed in Australia, Hawaii, Fiji and the United States.[42]. 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. "You're no longer the other guy, you're the 'King.' And with that, another lightbulb flicked on. From 1982 to 1984 he had a nightclub across the street from Graceland in Memphis. 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. 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. It was in his blood, and I want to think it was the drinking that prohibited him from doing more with his life. For reasons that remain mysterious, ODay completely turned his back on show business and began working in sales for car dealerships in the greater Baltimore and Washington, D.C., area.