3 Great Elvis Presley Tributes!

The King is dead long live the King! Never has a phrase been uttered more truthfully than when referring to the master himself, Elvis Presley! Although popular when alive, the legend that is Elvis is now held in such high-esteem that he is quite possibly the most loved tribute act on the circuit today.

When looking at the UK there are at least 300 Elvis impersonators roaming the clubs and corporate circuit today. Then, multiply that by amount a gazillion (a genuine number!) in the USA... then triple a gazillion to give you 400 squibillion in Japan and you have an idea that, yep, he is still the King! In this case though, the king of tributes.

So, I thought that I'd knock up a quick top 3 list of the Elvis tribute singers I have stumbled across in my time that I view as the best that the UK currently has to offer. Feel free to agree, disagree or just put lots of spam and stuff in the comments box... anything would be nice though so I don't just feel that I am rambling inanely to myself :)

Right, onwards...

At number 3 I would like to say congratulations to.... Mark Keeley. Mark provides a show that will leave you safe in the knowledge that Elvis will be backed by "Good Rockin` Tonight", one of the most popular Rock`n`Roll bands on the circuit today, with the added feature of keyboards and backing singers. Check out Mark being The King here: http://www.markkeeley.com/elvis.php

Lee looks and sounds the part... the UKs best Elvis Tribute

At number 2..... It's our old friend Darren! I already talked quite a bit about Darren in an earlier blog, which you can find here, which also includes a video. Darren is truly awesome as an Elvis Presley tribute... but.... there can only be one number one... and, that place goes to.......

The Ultimate Elvis Presley Tribute... LEE! You have to watch Lee's videos, which you can by following this link: http://www.warble-entertainment.com/elvis-presley-tribute-lee

The best young Elvis Tribute act in the UK today, Lee has received awards on behalf of Elvis and modeled Elvis costumes for Elvis Presley Enterprises and appeared on many TV shows (such as 'Heartbeat') and toured the world in various Theatre Shows.

The King is dead, but long live Lee!

I thank you....

Mick Hucknall Meet Elvis Presley...!

OK, so I'm going to get this going somehow and here's the start... and, it's strange. Well, at least when you read it or write it down it does. Last year I was lucky enough to be invited to a Golf Club in Louth, Lincolnshire to watch a tribute called Darren Alboni. Now, Darren is a git... well, that's my term for him because he is just so talented that he goes above being just good.

A good few years ago Darren appeared on 'Stars in their Eyes' as Simply Red's Mick Hucknall. And just to show how long ago it was, Leslie Crowther was still  hosting the show!

Pretty impressive huh. Well, Darren really is a fantastic live singer and from the way he worked the limited performance space, a consummate professional. I'm not a big Simply Red fan, so the songs didn't really do anything for me, but Darren himself executes the songs in such a way that you can feel the emotion of the tracks and there really are some 'hairs standing up on your neck' moments at just the right times. Great stuff...

Songs performed included: A New Flame, Aint That A Lot Of Love, Every Time We Say Goodbye, Fairground, For Your Babies, Holding Back The Years, If You Don’t Know Me By Now, Moneys Too Tight, Something Got Me Started, Stars, The Right Thing and a couple more I can't remember.

So, after 45 minutes of watching Darren perform a tribute to Mick Hucknall he took a short break before returning to the stage as... ELVIS! Yep, that's what I was wondering... how could a Mick Hucknall tribute singer come out and do a tribute to the King himself?

Well, I have to be honest, he pulled it off brilliantly. I love Elvis, Elvis really is the King to me and after growing up on a diet of everything from the early stuff to the Vegas years I do feel in a good position to pass a little judgement. Darren was great! Even now thinking back about it I can't get over that he could do such a great performance to Simply Red and then come out again clad in leather and pull off such a convincing Elvis tribute!

It was clear as well that it wasn't just me who was enjoying the show because everyone was singing dancing and showing all the signs of having a great time.

Songs that got everyone in the mood for a great time included: That's Alright Mama, Wonder of you, I Just Can't Help Believing, Suspicious Minds, Always On My Mind, Burning love, Devil in Disguise, Teddy Bear,  My Way, Can't Help Falling in Love, Viva Las Vegas, A Little Less Conversation, Hound Dog, Blue Suede Shoes.... and I think that was it :)

Here's a video of Darren performing as Mick Hucknall on 'Stars in their Eyes' and there is also one of Darren as Elvis below as well.

I didn't get any footage myself on the night as I was actually far too busy just enjoying myself and getting lost in the awesomeness of Darren as Elvis. Surprisingly enough, the Mick Hucknall part of the show proved a great warm-up so as odd as it may sound, it worked brilliantly.

Anyway, if anyone is interested on learning more about Darren, and I would heartily recommend you do becasue these 2 tributes are just the tip of the iceberg... again, I reiterate... GIT! check out his website here: www.theultimatetribute.co.uk