As ‘Elvis Lives’ spans decades, trio pays tribute

WHEN ELVIS PLAYED THE FOX

“Elvis Lives” at the Fox Theatre on Jan. 31 brings Elvis back to the building. Well, almost.

But when the young king began blazing his world-changing trail in the late 1950s, the newfound star performed underneath the Fox’s own celestial sky.

Flash back to March 1956. Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel” had the charts all shook up. He’d play two days at the Fox before heading to New York City to continue infecting America with a return live performance on “The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show.”

A life-size cardboard stand-up of a guitar-slinging Elvis stood on the edge of Peachtree Street next to the Fox’s ornate ticket booth. Presley’s name displayed prominently on the blindingly bright marquee above.

With guitarist Scotty Moore, bassist Bill Black and drummer D.J. Fontana in tow, Presley headlined three shows each day on March 14 and 15. A long list of countrified performers opened the shows. Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters, featuring Johnny Cash’s future wife June, were there. Homespun comedians and Elvis’s soon-to-be backup vocal group the Jordanaires helped line the roster.

But the screaming young girls, many likely wrapped in cardigan sweaters with scarves knotted around their necks and circular skirts hanging from their hips, were there to see the man whose unique voice had been crackling over their radios and whose image had been gyrating on their black-and-white TVs.

Ticket prices ranged from 50 cents to $1. According to authors Peter Guralnick and Ernst Jorgensen in their book “Elvis Day by Day: The Definitive Record of His Life and Music,” Presley’s shows flip-flopped with screenings of “The Square Jungle” starring Tony Curtis, one of the king’s idols. The singer walked away with $1,831.54, a total of 50 percent of the net proceeds across the two days.

After the first show, a tiny recap appeared in this paper with a headline that read: Teen-Agers Agog At Presley Show. According to scottymoore.net, it read like this:

“Teen-aged Atlantans turned out en masse to applaud Elvis Presley, semihillbilly singing sensation, who appeared on stage at the Fox Theater during matinee and evening shows Wednesday. Turnaway throngs, predominantly ‘rock and roll’ fans, are expected again Thursday, the final day here for the RCA-Victor recording artist.” — March 15, 1956

It was 1978. The cheering crowd and the darting spotlights struck a rock ‘n’ roll chord with Bill Cherry. While watching an Elvis impersonator channel the king at a St. Louis venue, a bulb beamed above Cherry’s head.

Or maybe it was a stage light.

“The energy in the room was unbelievable,” Cherry said. “I thought, ‘Wow. I do this in my bedroom at home.’ I didn’t know there was an audience for that. Ever since I was about 6 or 7 years old, I would sing along to Elvis records, because I liked him. I was training myself for something that I had no idea I’d be doing someday.”

Today many fans know Cherry as one of the world’s top Elvis tribute artists. That’s ETA in fanspeak. In 2009, he won the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest, the crown jewel on the belt of kingly competitions, officially sanctioned by Elvis Presley Enterprises. And since late ’09, he’s been one of the stars of “Elvis Lives,” a touring theatrical production-meets-concert that tips its pompadour to the celebrated entertainer.

A trio of performers, including Cherry and fellow Ultimate Elvis winners Dean Z and Jay Dupuis, each handle a specific decade of Elvis’ life performing songs from their respective eras. The show transports the audience through Presley’s late-1950s explosion, the movie years of the 1960s and the operatic, jumpsuit-laden concert experiences of the 1970s.

It’s all done in Broadway flash with backup singers and dancers, a live band and even a performer taking on the role of Ann-Margret, Elvis’ co-star in “Viva Las Vegas.” Videos and images of Elvis project on the stage backdrop, and archival audio of Presley himself helps tell the career-spanning tale.

To use the king’s trademark mantra, “taking care of business” remains serious business for Cherry. As a full-time ETA since his ’09 win, Cherry says karate kicking through negative stigma comes with the territory.

“A lot of people have been exposed to so many caricatures that they’ve lost who Elvis really was,” Cherry said. “They’ve seen Chippendales in jumpsuits and things like that, and I think that’s the farthest thing from what Elvis was. What we try to do with the show is bring it back to the real, as opposed to all of the silliness people have been exposed to.”

For Cherry, he’s playing a part, and the result comes off with the kind of meticulous dedication that someone like Robert De Niro displays when tackling a role. Every note, hip swivel and lip curl come from Cherry’s lifelong study.

“Of course, none of us are Elvis, and nobody will be,” he explained. “But we try to be as accurate as we can in what we do. We’re performers, we’re actors and we’re fans. I think it’s important that the public knows we’re not crackpots who should be wearing straitjackets. We’re paying tribute to the greatest entertainer of the 20th century. … We all enjoy it and love what we do. And hopefully that shows in the performance.”

Performing countless “Elvis Lives” shows means Cherry and company often find themselves playing venues such as Atlanta’s Fox Theatre and standing on stages where Elvis once stood. Those experiences prove to be exciting and special, according to Cherry, but the most rewarding part of his job comes from audience reaction.

Cherry and his co-stars often see non-fans leave the show with a newfound respect for Elvis. And when fans who actually saw Elvis live give their kudos, Cherry says it’s the ultimate thumbs-up.

“They were there and experienced Elvis firsthand,” he said. “When they compliment you and say you took them back, it really makes you feel good.”