If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, no one man has been more flattered than the late, great Elvis Presley.
From weddings in Vegas to halloween costumes, Elvis’ outfits, dance moves and unique vocals have been a fixture of American culture since he first gained popularity. But can an Elvis imitation be “great” in and of itself?
Elvis impersonator and frontman of tribute band The King’s Men, Lloyd Aron Douglas — set to perform Saturday at Journey Downtown in Vacaville — hopes to prove that it can.
Douglas, a natural storyteller with a voice that emulates the rasp and drawl of Elvis’ Mississippi and Tennessee roots, is from Kentucky and Florida, a southern man at heart. He remembers fondly a conversation with his mother from years ago, when she told him she kept a photo of Elvis underneath her pillow when she was pregnant with him, hoping when he was born, he would look like her favorite singer.
From there, by the time Douglas had grown up and joined the police force in the Bay Area, his coworkers were calling him Elvis. Then, on a trip to Reno with work friends, Douglas was approached by an event producer and talent agent, who later hired him to dress up and walk around as Elvis at Disneyland.
Still, Douglas never considered himself a professional singer.
“I was singing in the bathroom for a long time, during my showers. Does that count?” he laughs. It wasn’t until he performed a karaoke version of “If I Can Dream,” in a bar and sent it to the talent agent, that the gigs started rolling in.
Next, he won first place at an Elvis look-a-like contest at Thunder Valley Casino Resort. Eight years later now, Douglas’ free time is largely Elvis-related, performing shows like the one at Journey Downtown and even using his status as an ordained minister to marry couples.
Saturday’s show is broken into three segments of Elvis’ career. Roughly, it’s the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, which covers his early works, the comeback era and the ’70s glitz, respectively.
This will be the first time Douglas performs three eras of Elvis back to back, which he says is an exciting challenge, trying to perfectly match the vocal tone and quality of Elvis as he got older.
Douglas’ favorite era to perform is the ’70s, because it offers the most opportunity to wow the audience.
“The ’70s have got those big, big songs,” he says. “I sing some of those high notes because it shows the audience that I’m going to showcase my vocals.”
The visual performance aspect of the ’70s is also a draw for Douglas. In fact, he has his jumpsuits custom made to be exact replicas of Elvis’ real ones, despite their high price point.
“They’re very expensive, so I have a big investment in this,” he says.
The Elvis experience is not a straightforward impersonation show, says Douglas. It’s an illusion he hopes to give the audience. The best compliment he’s ever gotten is when an audience member came up to him after the show and said “‘You know what, for a minute or two there, I lost it, I thought I was watching the real Elvis,”’ says Douglas.
Bandleader Frank Sityar says one of the most important parts of a tribute band is the frontman, praising Douglas for his spot-on Elvis: “I’ve seen thousands of Elvis impersonators. Objectively speaking, he’s the closest to the King.”
Learn more and purchase tickets at journeydowntown.com
If you go …
- WHAT: It’s Now or Never…an Evening with Elvis
- WHEN: June 21, 7-9 p.m.
- WHERE: Journey Downtown Theater, 308 Main St., Vacaville.