An Elvis impersonator headlining in Las Vegas is coming to Olds.
Donny Edwards will be doing his musical tribute to Elvis Presley on Jan. 26 at the TransCanada Theatre. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $40. They're available at Rockin' Retro Antiques & Collectibles or online at www.tcblegends.com.
Edwards is backed up by a nine-piece band, the Cadillac Kings. The special guest is Cassandra Friskie as Marilyn Monroe.
Edwards, 41, was raised in Texas.
“Ever since I was a kid I just was always drawn to Elvis,” he says. “I was almost 3 when Elvis died. So I can actually still remember the day he died, because I remember my mother's reaction on hearing the news. It was like ‘oh my God, Elvis is dead,' you know.
“I had an uncle who was over there helping us out at the house. I remember he kind of started crying. He loved Elvis.
“So it's always been a family trait; we're big Elvis fans. My oldest aunt passed away several years ago. Her first husband actually served in the army and met Elvis in Germany -- Frankfurt.”
Edwards has been doing Elvis tributes ever since he won his first Elvis impersonation contest in 2002.
One of his highlights was working in the Elvis-A-Rama museum and showroom, owned by a man who has $6-million worth of Elvis memorabilia.
“It was great, because some people who knew Elvis would come by and check it out,” he says.
Those people included Darlene Tompkins who starred with Elvis in Blue Hawaii and Cynthia Pepper, Elvis's love interest in Kissin' Cousins.
In 2006 Edwards toured with the Jordanaires who provided background vocals for Elvis for 16 years, and DJ Fontana (Elvis's drummer for 14 years).
“That was pretty amazing – the stories and all the history. Just being on-stage and having those guys back you up as Elvis was just surreal,” he says.
“The first time I went on I thought I was going to throw up because I was so nervous, because you're trying to be as close (as possible) to their friend, performance-wise.”
Over the years, Edwards has toured the world, from Japan to Europe. He started performing in Canada in 2008-09.
This will be his first visit to Olds.
“The closest I've been to Olds is to Red Deer,” he says.
Edwards says in order to cater to his audiences, he covers all the different eras and styles of Elvis's music.
“There are some who love mostly (songs from) the '50s, and there are others who love (performances depicting Elvis in) the '70s. They love the jumpsuits and the elaborate, beautiful suits that he wore,” Edwards says.
In the first half he performs some of Elvis's hits from the '50s and '60s. After an intermission, he performs hits from what he calls Elvis's “complete concert years.”
“That way, we give them everything we've got – ‘50s, '60s and '70s, covering all the bases of Elvis's career,” he says.
Edwards says in 2013, he was the first artist to be allowed to perform on land owned by the King across from his Graceland mansion.
He says this show is similar to that performance and the shows he does in Las Vegas.
"Ever since I was a kid I just was always drawn to Elvis." DONNY EDWARDSELVIS PRESLEY TRIBUTE ARTIST
