08/22/2025
Reflections of an Elvis Tribute Artist
8.22.25
I did not dream of being an ETA (Elvis Tribute Artist), but I am admittedly the real deal.
I’ve never won any contests that I can boast about that I am the best ETA or even one of the best. I have lots of 5 Star reviews but maybe it’s just people being polite or really nice. 5 Star reviews don’t mean that much when everyone gets a 5 Star review.
I had a reel(video) go viral a few years ago and it went world wide. Much of it was hate mail. I had people criticizing me; pointing out my weaknesses and how much I did not look, sound, or anything like Elvis. I got a couple of million views, but I deleted it because I was insecure and thought maybe they were right, that I wasn’t very good and I should just hang it up.
I spend a lot of time looking at other ETAs and some of them are incredible and some of them are awful. Some of them have dreamed of being an ETA, some are full time, some do it for fun, some do it to honor the memory of Elvis, and some do it to make extra money.
I do it to make extra money, more or less. I do other tributes like Neil Diamond, Engelbert Humperdinck and Sinatra, along with singing in a Doors tribute band and Stones tribute band.
If any of these other tributes were major money makers, I would drop Elvis, but I have been doing this for 20 years and Elvis is the fastest horse in my stable. It is amazing to me that Elvis is still the most popular thing I do.
I don’t take this too seriously. It’s fun. I don’t worship Elvis. He was a very talented man in the right place at the right time, and his overwhelming success was also a major reason for his early death.
I turn 62 this month, and I’m not sure how much longer I will do this. For sure for a few more years. I do enjoy doing it.
You probably won’t ever see me on a big stage with 1000s of fans, but more likely in someone’s backyard, or their grandmother’s retirementhome.
I think i look more like Dewey Cox than Elvis:)
It’s all good