'There will never be another Elvis'

The sideburns, the hips, the jumpsuits and the hits will be on display when Elvis tribute artist Donny Edwards takes the stage tonight at the Orpheum.

They're the trademarks of an entertainer who shook up the world like no one before or since, Edwards said.

"There will never be another one like him," Edwards said. "There will be guys like me, but there will never be another Elvis."

A Texas native, Edwards has parlayed his lifelong love of Elvis Presley — and an uncanny physical resemblance — into a living and recognition as one of the top Elvis tribute artists and impersonators anywhere.

Edwards, who was 2 years old when Elvis died, said he first started imitating Elvis as a child listening to his parents' record collection. By junior high school, friends were commenting on his resemblance to Presley.

But it wasn't until he went to a couple of get-togethers of Elvis fans in Memphis and Las Vegas and heard the same thing that he decided to give performing as Elvis a try.

He entered his first competition in Lake Jackson, Texas, and won. Before long, he was able to quit his job as a Target manager and make his living bringing Elvis back to life for fans.

He's toured the United States and performed in Europe, Australia and Japan. He had a three-year gig at the Elvis-O-Rama museum in Las Vegas and has played with some of the same musicians who backed Elvis.

In 2007, he came in third on the ABC reality show "The Next Best Thing: Who Is the Greatest Celebrity Impersonator?" This is his first appearance in Kansas.

Getting to the top of the heap of Elvis-inspired performers wasn't easy.

Edwards said it's clear to him from his travels that there are more people imitating Elvis than Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe and Michael Jackson put together.

Edwards' current show runs about two hours and covers the whole of Elvis' career, from the then-scandalous rocker of the '50s to the glamorous movie star of the '60s to the Vegas headliner of the '70s. He's backed by Fever, a band from Dallas. Wayne King, a Roy Orbison tribute artist, will open the show.

Edwards said he and the audiences at his shows share many of the same favorite Elvis hits, including "Suspicious Minds," "Hound Dog," "An American Trilogy" and "Can't Help Falling in Love." He'll sometimes slip in a gospel tune and take requests from the audience.

He's studied every Elvis movie and bit of concert footage he could get his hands on to get the look and moves just right. He said sounding like Elvis "actually came fairly natural." Like Elvis, Edwards noticed his own voice changing, from a "throaty" delivery like Elvis used when starting out to a deeper, more mature sound later in his career.

Between songs, Edwards educates the audience a little about Elvis.

Edwards says there's a distinction between Elvis tribute artists and Elvis impersonators. He puts himself squarely in the first category.

"A tribute artist is actually out there trying to pay tribute to someone," he said. "An impersonator can be awful, dressing up in a costume and playing a kid's birthday party. I want to do my best because I want to honor Elvis."

"He was a guy who put everything into every performance."

As does Edwards.

His goal today is a long-running show in Vegas, where he lives with his wife and business partner, Donna.

Not surprisingly, the couple married at Graceland in 2007.

Edwards doesn't address Elvis' untimely demise in his show, ending instead on an upbeat note. But he says the King had nothing to apologize for.

"One thing people need to realize is that if you look at the log of Elvis' work, you realize that nobody had ever really done anything like that," Edwards said. "He accomplished so much in so little time. I think it just caught up with him."

If you go

donny edwards' 'one night with elvis'

Where: The Orpheum, 200 N. Broadway

When: 7 p.m. today

How much: Tickets: $18 to $28. For information, visit wichitaorpheum.com.

Kansas.com

Follow a link to this story at Kansas.com/entertainment to watch a video of Donny Edwards.

This story was originally published July 29, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "'There will never be another Elvis'."