Hail to The King, baby

June 19, 2008

Arlington, Mass. -
Glittering in a maraschino red and gold suit, the man who wanted to be The King slid one leg out and lowered his hips to the stage floor.

“Satisfy me,” he repeated, becoming more and more insistent until the final chords of the song.

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Dana Zagoreos was one of eight performers to make it to the final round of the Greater Boston Area Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest, held at the Regent Theatre this weekend.

The contest started Friday night and lasted through to Sunday afternoon, where the team of judges chose Leo Days, Jr. to move on to the finals in Memphis, Tenn.

Days wore a white jumpsuit with red fringe that his mother made for him, and stopped along the way to the lobby to sign autographs and pose for pictures.

A 27-year-old who lives in Corunna, Mich., Days said his mom makes most of his Elvis outfits, and she was there when he got his start.

When Days was a teenager, his parents bought him a karaoke machine for the basement.

One day his mom heard an Elvis song coming from the speakers downstairs, so she rushed down and asked her son if it was really him singing, Days said.

From there, Days took the Elvis tunes he’d grown up with to places far from home, in nightclubs, festivals, and tours to Europe.

Days and the other performers had accompaniment from tribute band FEVER and backup singer Ashley Hart, who’s from Nashville, Tenn.

Others came from out of state to see the show at the Regent this weekend, bringing their memories of The King with them.

Percy Doiron saw the real Elvis Presley perform years ago in Tampa, Fla., and traveled from Florida to Arlington this weekend to see the tribute artists.

“I always go see all of them,” said Doiron, who wore a T-shirt from another Elvis tribute show. “I’m retired. I’ve got plenty of time.”

Phyllis O’Hara, of New Hampshire, didn’t pay attention to Elvis when he was alive, because she was too busy raising a family, but two years ago, at 87, she started listening, and now she knows all the lyrics and mourns his death, she said.

“I love Elvis dearly,” said O’Hara, who got the tribute tickets as a Mother’s Day gift. “My heart’s broken because he’s gone.”

If he were still alive today, Elvis Presley would be 73 years old.

Some tribute artists at the Regent had the young Elvis look, while others had the more full-bodied look of Elvis in his later years.

The performers prefer the term Elvis Tribute Artist – which can be shortened to ETA – over the term Elvis impersonator, according to Kevin Kern, the director of public relations for Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

This is the second year Elvis Presley Enterprises has done the competition and the first year for Arlington, Kern said.

Winners of the more than 20 preliminary rounds will compete in the Memphis finals for a yet-to-be-determined cash prize and all the glory, during Elvis Week, which runs from Aug. 9 through Aug. 17, Kern said.

Judges give points to tribute artists for their ability to look and sound like the real thing, said Arlington judge Doug Bell, a 60-year-old musician who picked up the guitar to try to play like The King.

Days nailed it, Bell said.
“We were amazed. When he came out as the ‘50s Elvis, you could hear the gasps in the audience,” Bell said. “He had it. That’s it.”

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