'Elvis' bringing his act to Imperial Theatre

Entertainment Show begins at 7 p.m. on Sunday

Marty Klinkenberg
Telegraph-Journal
April 16 2009

A decade ago, Thane Dunn was doing landscaping for a living, and selling pre-planned funerals. Now, the Moncton native ain't nothin' but a hound dog, rockin' all the time.

"If you told me 10 years ago I'd be doing what I am doing, I would have called you the craziest guy on the planet,'' Dunn, who entertains audiences across North America as an Elvis impersonator, said recently. "To be honest, I can't believe I am able to do it.

"I feel very fortunate doing something I enjoy, and making a living at it."

A die-hard Elvis fan since he was young, Dunn earned extra income by imitating the King of Rock 'n' Roll until he finished as the runner-up in the world's largest Elvis impersonator contest in 2002.

Since then, Dunn has been on the road full time portraying the late rockabilly legend from Tupelo, Miss., the last eight years with his own back-up band, the Cadillac Kings.

"It went from me doing something small, like high schools, and took off from there,'' said Dunn, who brings his show, Unforgettable Elvis, to the Imperial Theatre in Saint John on Sunday night. "It keeps getting bigger and better."

Tickets for the tribute show, Unforgettable Elvis, are $32.50, $35 and $39 and can be purchased at the Imperial Theatre box office, or by calling 1-800-323-7469. His show starts at 7 p.m., with a Roy Orbison impersonator as the opening act.

Dunn's show includes songs from throughout Presley's career, and includes costumes fashioned by Elvis' tailor. The singer, who sold more than one billion records, died in 1977.

"I like knowing that die-hard Elvis fans, and even those close to him, approve of my show and have complimented me on my portrayal," Dunn said. "I make a living making people happy, reliving memories of the world's greatest entertainer, and actually get to turn some on to Elvis as far as the younger generation goes.

"I get a real kick out of it."

Dunn grew up listening with his parents to classic country songs by the likes of George Jones and Hank Williams Jr., but became smitten with Elvis after listening to an eight-track tape in his father's car.

His dad bought an old Pontiac in 1972, and the car came with a tape, Elvis Live in Memphis, stuck in its recorder. Dunn sat in the back seat and listened during trips from Moncton to his grandparents' house in Amherst, N.S., and learned the tunes right away.

"After a couple of trips, I knew all the words,'' he said. "I'd stand up in the back seat, start shaking my legs and sing."

The late great King was famous for his generosity, and donated money to children's charities throughout his career.

Dunn has kept that legacy alive, raising $5,300 for the Boys and Girls Club with proceeds from ticket sales for a performance in Moncton earlier this year. Proceeds from ticket sales for the show in Saint John have raised about $3,000 thus far for Hockey for Everyone, a program that helps pay registration fees and buy equipment for needy kids between the ages of eight and 12.

"Elvis came from nothing, and never forgot where he was from,'' Dunn said. "Me, I realize I am just lucky, no better or worse than anyone else."

A decade ago, Dunn was getting up at 6:30 in the morning and heading to work as a landscaper.

These days, he is shaking, rattling and rolling across Canada and the United States, and is entertaining the possibility of putting on a full-time Elvis cabaret in Branson, Mo.

Now, he ain't nothin' but a hound dog, rockin' all the time.

Article Source: http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/city/article/636741