'I enjoyed the music, the passion and stage presence that Elvis had and realised that I could sing like him' says 20-year-old Derbyshire entertainer
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Alex is the new kid on the block as far as Elvis impersonators go but he’s already standing head and shoulders above the veterans, not least because he is 6ft 4ins tall! He said: “There aren’t many Elvis tribute artists who are that tall.”
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Hide AdThe 20-year-old entertainer is hitting the heights of fashion as takes his lead from an inspirational performer. Alex said: “I first saw Jason Dale as a tribute act at the New Inn in Newton, I liked what he was doing, his stage presence and followed him around for nearly two years. I ended up buying my suits off him.. funnily enough, we’re both 6ft 4in.
"I've got a red jumpsuit, a GI Army uniform and some black leathers. My big goal is to get an Aloha from Hawaii jumpsuit which you have to get personally made – it’s about £2,500 for the jumpsuit, the belt and the cape.”
Alex, who lives in Tibshelf and works at The Bakehouse in South Normanton, has dyed his brown hair jet black to match Elvis. He has watched numerous films and concert videos to mimic the moves and mannerisms of the legendary superstar.
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Hide AdHis show is so in tune with Elvis that many thought they were watching the real deal when Alex made his debut. “My very first gig was in a care home at Maun View in Mansfield on July 4 this year,” he said. “It was amazing, I just loved to look at all the smiles – they were happy and they loved it. Most of them thought I was the real Elvis!”
Alex’s grandmother, Lynn Porter, is in the care home and it was her late husband, Martin, who helped set their grandson on the path to becoming an Elvis tribute artist. He said: “I’ve always been around music since my nanna and grandad owned the George & Dragon in Newton for 14 years. I grew up around the music of Queen, Marc Bolan, T-Rex and David Bowie.
“I wasn’t the biggest Elvis fan until my grandad passed away five years ago. The song for his funeral was American Trilogy by Elvis Presley.
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Hide Ad"I enjoyed the music, the passion and stage presence that Elvis had and started listening to him more and more and realised that I could sing like him.
"I did karaoke singing around pubs in Derby and Nottingham and everyone suggested that I did Elvis, so I did."
Peforming under the name of Young ELVIS, Alex has secured a bumper number of bookings since his first show. He said: “I have lots of gigs in Derbyshire - I like supporting local businesses.” His bookings include Great Yarmouth, Cardiff and Oxfordshire.
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Hide AdAlex said: "One gig booked me six hours before the show. It was in Weston Super Mare and a three-hour drive! It was a lovely venue called Watchfield Inn and a lovely crowd; they’ve now booked me back for New Year’s Eve.
"You've got to be a fan to have the true passion to be a performer of Elvis. Every Elvis song is a favourite, I don’t think he made a best one but my personal preference to sing is If I Can Dream and American Trllogy. I just love If I Can Dream, the song sounds so dramatic and theatrical. When I sing it, I look out into the crowd and it’s like you’re looking into their souls – they get upset and emotional.”
The smiles soon return when Alex imitates the moves of his role model who was nicknamed Elvis The Pelvis. Alex said: “The fans love the hips moving – I stand on tables doing it.
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Hide Ad"My dream is to be a true authentic Elvis impersonator/tribute artist and carry on the passion and music of Elvis for the next generation. I do believe that Elvis shouldn’t be a generational thing – it should be an all-time thing.”
A permanent reminder of the king of rock ‘n’ roll is tattooed below Alex’s collarbone and shows Elvis’s signature, date of birth and date of death. He has signed Elvis photos which were gifts from his parents, a handpainted picture of Elvis on his bedroom wall and a guitar strap with Elvis’s face on it.
Alex shares his home with social media designer Jack Newton, who is his partner of 18 months. He said: “I've told Jack that if he ever wants to propose to me, he's got to propose to me at Graceland (Elvis’s home), otherwise I'm saying no.”
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Hide Ad*Young ELVIS will be performing at the Black Swan, Ashover on October 25, Boot and Slipper, Swanwick on December 8, The School House, South Normanton on December 14, Royal Oak, Tibshelf on December 15, Star Inn, Lower Pilsley, near Clay Cross on December 20 and The Carnfield Club, South Normanton on December 21.
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