UNCASVILLE, CONN. — The legacy of “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” lives on 48 years after his death through his groundbreaking music, films, and his influence on popular culture.
Today, for those who never got to see one of Elvis Presley’s high-energy performances live, tribute acts around the world — like Shawn Klush at Mohegan Sun Arena this weekend — are helping to bring back memories for fans old and new who may or may not have seen “The King” live in concert.
The Elvis Tribute Artist Spectacular starring Shawn Klush hits the stage in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Friday at 8 p.m.
When Elvis last performed to a crowd of 10,000 people at the New Haven Coliseum on July 17, 1975, small by large stadium standards today, tickets were $12.50. A sign of modern times, tickets for the tribute concert at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn., range in price from $30 to $60 and are available online at mohegansun.com.
If awards mean anything, Klush has earned many. In the early days, of performing, he won the Worldwide Elvis Competition in Montreal, where he earned $5,000.
On Elvis’ 70th birthday, Klush earned $25,000 when he was named grand champion at the World Elvis Tribute Artist Competition. He received The People’s Choice Award from Gibson Guitar Co. in Nashville for “Best Concert Elvis,” and was later named the World’s Greatest Elvis by 6.5 million international viewers on BBC1 Television in the United Kingdom.
The ultimate award came on the 30th anniversary of Elvis’ passing, when Klush was named the first ever Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist by Elvis Presley Enterprises in Memphis.
“It wasn’t about the money for me, but it was nice. However, more importantly, it told me I was on the right tract with what I was trying to say and do and that it made sense for me to continue with what I was doing,” Klush said.
It all began, Klush noted, with his dad at their home in Pittstown, Penn.
“My dad was a DJ at WPTS Radio which was one of the radio stations back then that the cool kids listened to. He did his production at home, had almost every record known to man, mostly Elvis stuff alongside the Four Seasons and The Beatles. So, I heard all of that as a young child as well as Frank Sinatra, Dino and the Rat Pack, and that kind of stuff stuck with me because I was little and following my daddy. And that is how I got hooked on the more energetic types of music that began with Elvis,” Klush said.
“Elvis did if first. Nobody knew that sound, that energy. It was the coolest thing and I used to emulate him as a kid and grab my mamma’s broom and make believe it was a guitar,” he said.
Klush’s fate as an Elvis tribute artist was sealed as an eighth-grade student performing in a school play where he sang “Memories,” which was written by Mac Davis for Elvis to perform during his triumphant ’68 Comeback special on NBC.
“I couldn’t believe the response it got from the audience and realized at the time that my instincts were right about Elvis,” Klush said.
He later took his boyhood fascination with Elvis to performing in venues an adult. His big break came with the award-winning Las Vegas show, “Legends in Concert,” where for ten years he starred as Elvis in their Myrtle Beach, Las Vegas, Branson and Atlantic City show rooms. Each year he stars in the Elvis Tribute Artist Spectacular Birthday Edition Tour, an extravaganza with Elvis’ own musicians, back-up singers, and friends, in major venues in the United States.
Klush has recorded five of his own CDs of Elvis music which are available on his website. He has performed with Elvis’ closest friends, musicians and singers including JD Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, The Jordanaires, The Imperials, DJ Fontana, Charlie Hodge, Jerry Scheff,The Sweet Inspirations, Joe Guercio, Jerry Schilling and Joe Esposito.
Klush portrayed Elvis in the hit TV miniseries “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” which aired on CBS and VH1, and on HBO’s “Vinyl,” produced by Martin Scorses and Mick Jagger.
“I’d like to do more things like that,” he said about the world of film and television, which was a part of Elvis’ world when he wasn’t busy on stage performing.
Like many people who know exactly where they were when someone famous died, Klush vividly remembers the day of Elvis’ death.
“I was getting out of the car to go to football practice,” he said.
For more information about Mohegan Sun and Friday’s tribute show, visit mohegansun.com, and for more information on Klush, visit his website shawnklush.com.
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