I have to be honest with you, if you would have told me ten years ago that I would be doing what I am doing as
a hobby/second career, I would have told you that you were crazy. I HATED Elvis® impersonators. Literally I
would cringe when I would be at a show and an Elvis® impersonator would come out. They would either be
extremely overweight and stuffed into a jump suit, and/or couldn’t sing at all-let alone sing a little bit like Elvis®
, and/or they would “pump and grind” like a male stripper.
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A word from Rich Vickers about Elvis®
Impersonators/Elvis® Tribute Artists.
Fall 2006
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After I attended my first “Elvis”® competition my thoughts started to change. People would come up to me and
thank ME for keeping Elvis’® music and sound alive. Here I was the “cynic” all these years and all of these fans
(like me) coming up to me and thanking me and wanting their picture with me…some with tears in their eyes. It
started to change my perspective.
Then I started meeting a handful of good “professional” Tribute Artists who really did have a good sound, could
sing, and actually had some illusion of Elvis® . After talking with some of them, becoming friends with some,
and getting help and advice from others, I started to loose some of my pessimism and started enjoying
recreating ELVIS® for the fans- and really for my self. I guess the old saying is true if you don’t like our
education system-become a teacher. If don’t like our government-get involved with politics. In other words, Be
part of the answer instead of complaining about the problem.
Bottom line, I found out all of the things that I didn’t like about “impersonators” were things that many Elvis®
fans didn’t like too! So, I made a commitment to be more than a “thank ya, thank ya very much” and “uh huh
uh huh”, circus Elvis® show. I wanted to re-create some sounds, songs, and the image of what Elvis® was and
what his music was. Give some history of his music during my show. Make people laugh and remember.
In conclusion, the entire reason that I didn’t like Elvis® Impersonators is the opposite of what I try to bring to
each of my Elvis® Tribute shows. I want to bring a good sound and hit the notes and try my best to sound
similar to Elvis® . I want to present energy, charisma, and fun that Elvis® brought to all of his shows. And
finally, I don’t want to take myself to seriously…because first of all-I am not Elvis® , and secondly Elvis® never
took himself too seriously. He always wanted to sing and do his best in the studio and in concert, not because
he was Elvis® …but because the fans deserved a good song, a good sound, a good show.
"When I was a child, ladies and gentlemen, I was a dreamer. I read comic books, and I was the hero of the
comic book. I saw movies, and I was the hero in the movie. So every dream I ever dreamed has come true a
hundred times...I learned very early in life that: ‘Without a song, the day would never end; without a song, a
man ain't got a friend; without a song, the road would never bend - without a song.' So I keep singing a song.
Goodnight. Thank you." -From his acceptance speech for the 1970 Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation
Award. Given at a ceremony on January 16, 1971. (Elvis® quotes from copyrighted material with lines from the
song "Without a Song")
Elvis® and Elvis Presley are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc.