Andreas Beck The Kings

Antonio Ortis, 52. Italy.
I have been singing all my life. I remember being a child and singing in the shower. In Italy, we have many beautiful songs, but Elvis’ songs are just better. I really like his modulations and voice. I really like it, when I hit the high notes. When I sing Elvis songs I get these strong emotions. My heart starts to pump heavily and in my mind, I can dream. At some point, you feel strong and suddenly you are vulnerable. When I sing I want to pass those feelings further on to the audience. For me, it is like telling a story.

Brian Trøjborg, 37. Denmark.
I am just like Obelix, who fell into the pot with magic potion as a child. I just fell into in the Elvis pot.
I was 8 years old when I was sitting in my bed in my room listening to a new tape I had gotten. On the front of the tape was a picture of a man whom I did not know. The first song was "hound dog". An indescribable feeling rushed through my body. It was the coolest thing in the world. At that point in my life, I knew nothing about anything, but the music and voice that came out of the cassette touched me in an unknown way. It was a feeling of sitting with your hands over your head and waving them back and forth because it was so cool. Today, I also listen to other music, but I always return to Elvis. He's always there and has always will be.
Many people think it is easy to be an ETA. They think that all it takes is a couple of sideburns, saying "ah-haha" and a pair of golden sunglasses. But then it is a joke and it should not be. It's a tribute. It is about celebrating Elvis. To me it is about acting and practice. It really is about standing in front of the mirror with the hairbrush. I have done a lot of research on how Elvis as a person. I have studied his movements and I even bought a collection of CDs with only interviews. Then I listen to Elvis talking, push pause and try to sound like him. It is like the research an actor is doing leading up to a role. It is an act. You need to convince the audience with you performing.
My respect for Elvis should shine through my performance. I know I am not Elvis, but I hope people forget it when I am performing. That is what it is all about.

Eddy Popescu, 40. Romania
Back in Romania, I didn’t have the chance to do my Elvis show. People like Elvis, but it is not like in the UK. My brother in law had moved to the UK and noticed that everybody loved Elvis. He called me and told me to come and give it a try. I left my band and bookings in Romania and decided to move with my wife in 2010.
From the beginning, I had a feeling that I would stay in England, but it was very tough. I bought a small amplifier and a power generator and started singing on the streets. I was very shy in the beginning. I spent many hours in the rain and cold but after a while, people started booking me on the streets. Suddenly I became very popular in the area. I was awarded the best newcomer in a contest for all the agencies in Newcastle.
My full-time job now is doing my Elvis show. I am booked every weekend throughout the year for both public and private shows. Everybody like Elvis. In the northeast of England, I would guess that I am the only ETA selling out shows. Any other artist is struggling.

Fisher Stevens, 47. England.
When I was a kid I listened to Elvis all the time if I liked it or not. The music could be played in the garden or it could be played while having dinner. It was mainly because of my mother. Her teenage friends would even call her Elvis because she was such a huge fan. Sometimes my parents would bring friends back home after a night out in town and put Elvis records on. They would get me out of bed and get me downstairs to sing.
In 2001 when I visited Elvis’s grave I had no idea that 6 years later I would make a living on paying tribute to him all around the world.
The biggest highlight of my career was a 12-week tour in China two years ago. It was a 42-show tour in 31 different Chinese cities. No Elvis has ever done this. We played in huge theaters for 3000 to 4000 people every night.
It was an absolutely amazing experience to see the Chinese people go crazy. They were worst than the Americans. I really felt I was Elvis Presley.
Some of the places we went some people in the crowd had never seen a Western face. Let alone a show which was filled with light and sparkle and this guy called Elvis. They didn’t even know Elvis. They knew the person and the music, but the word Elvis doesn’t translate into Chinese They knew a guy called “Mawan”. After three shows, where I had said “Good evening Ladies and Gentleman. My name is Elvis Presley” where nothing happened I said, “Good evening my name is Mawan” in Chinese. Suddenly the crowd changed.
I think a lot of the people believed that I was the real Elvis. After a show, people would rush to the back of the concert hall to catch my car leaving or to get and autographs or a scarf.
My mother passed away August 13th last year three days before Elvis’ anniversary of his death. I am sure she would have loved to hang on three more days to die on the same day as Elvis.

Gonzalo Gea, 46. Uruguay.
When Elvis died I was seven years old and lived in Vienna, Austria. On the day of his death, I began to watch his movies and play his songs.
Today I live on Gran Canaria with my family. When I moved there I began working as a singer at restaurants, hotels, and different social clubs. Even after I had done three hours of music the only thing people would comment on was on my Elvis songs so I decided to do a show with only Elvis songs. The feeling I had after my first show only with only Elvis song was great. Then one thing took another. First, I bought a leather jacket and then a jumpsuit. Leading up to my first performance in a jumpsuit I was so nervous and I thought people would find it all totally ridiculous, but they loved it. Suddenly people wanted to have their photo taking with me. I really felt that I was the King.
When I sing a song close to the way Elvis sang it I get this special feeling and I can see that the crowd feels the same way. Every time I have done a show I can come home happy because I made somebody else happy with my Elvis tribute. That is something big.

John David Thomas, 49 . Wales.
Whatever Elvis sings you can to relate to in life. When my dad was buried on a sunny day in 2001 I sang his favourite song “How great thou art”. When I stood there at the end of his grave when they were lowering him down I had the feeling of Elvis standing by my right side and my father on my left side. My dad was listening to me singing it and Elvis enjoyed helping me sing the song. I felt a mix of warmth and comfort despite the feeling of grieve. I knew that it was making it a better place for him while going down. When I sing “How great thou art” at shows and competitions that song means more to me than it does to anybody out in the crowd. If you can relate to a song you will portray it at its best.
I have lost three important persons in my life to cancer and that made me lose all faith in God. None of them never did anything bad to the world. They were good to everybody and God struck them down. My father was 64, my auntie was in her early thirties and my best friend was in his twenties when he was diagnosed. Lately, I have started to look at Elvis’s song and trying to find a meaning in them. I started to sing his gospel songs and even if I am not a believer I start thinking about it. And it helps me cope with my three loses. Somehow there is a meaning to life.

Lee Alexander, 46. England.
I always wanted to be an ETA, but circumstances in my life never really allowed it.
Three years ago, I thought “I am getting old and if I need to do an Elvis show it is now or never”, and the passion was just too much. I don’t want to go through my life regretting the things that I don’t do.
When I was 21 years and used to sing karaoke, someone described me as an introverted extrovert. I am better on stage than off stage. Of stage I am just Lee again, married, two children and that is it. But something just takes over on stage. I come alive when I start singing. It’s an overwhelming feeling of getting into each and every song. It just an amazing feeling.
I have been married two times and I have had a lot of heartaches. A lot of Elvis’ songs takes me to a place where I am close to breaking down because it is so emotionally powerful. I identify the song with stuff that happened in my life.
When people ask me to sing “Memories” I choke up. It was played at my daughters funeral. We had twin girls and one of our daughters were stillborn. She survived 28 weeks.
Recently I just started singing “ All that I am” which is a beautiful love song and I sing it to my wife at home - “you are my heart, my soul, my dream come true all that I am I am because of you”.
She loves it.

Matt King, 51. England.
Being an ETA all started in 1991 when I went to Tenerife on holiday. I was 23 years old and I entered a singing contest for fun and things just took off from there. When I got back home I booked a ticket and went straight back to Tenerife. I started singing for food, but when I realized that the bars and restaurants were filling up when I sang, I thought I was ought to be paid.
Now my day job is working as a London black taxi driver but I can’t stop doing my Elvis tribute. It’s a love affair. You can’t do it unless you love Elvis.
When I see old recordings of Elvis perform and hear the sound of his voice I feel great. I feel a warmth and I want him to be my friend. That’s why thousands of guys keep paying tribute and respect to him.
When Elvis died in 1977 I was on holiday camp. Suddenly everyone went into the TV room. I did not know who he was, but when I got back home I put a bunch of his movies on and that was it. I got hooked since I was 12 years old.

Oliver Steinhoff, 46. Germany.
When I am on stage I lose my German accent completely. But it is only because I have practiced. In the beginning, I used to practice 2-3 hours every day. That is what you need to do to learn the lyrics, the melodies and how Elvis moved to the songs on stage.
After five years I had the confidence to go on stage. By then I had gained enough.
Back home in Germany, I play for big crowds. All between 500 to 4000 people. That was one of my goals when I decided to be a full-time ETA.
It is hard work being Elvis, but I love it. That is the difference between when I was working as a welder and now being Elvis. Now I love my job, I love my business and I love to be an ETA. And if I can earn money while doing it, then why not.
People have a hard time understanding that being an ETA is my full-time job. They keep asking me, how I pay my bills and I keep answering them that I am doing Elvis full time.
They simply cannot imagine it.
I worry about what is going to happen when I am in my mid-fifties. Then I am over-aged. We will have to see what happens in the next ten years. I didn’t expect that the last ten years would be so successful as they have been.
Everybody have a choice to go different ways. To go other ways. But the fear of failure is often too big. Instead of fearing failure people should instead start thinking” yes I can do this”. After practice and some lessons, the success will come. Always follow your dream. It’s your dream. It’s your life. You have your own path.

Tony Nilsson, 31. Norway.
Elvis has always been a part of my family. My grandfather was a big Elvis fan and so is my father. These days my dad sees me perform every time.
I normally practice one hour every day when I come home from working as a roofer. I practice in my basement which is fitted with a little stage, speakers, and microphone. That way I can practice just like it was a real live show. Sometimes I even imagine a crowd in front of me.
My children have grown up with their dad being Elvis and sometimes they join me in the basement and have song requests.
Just like Elvis, I too sang in my local gospel choir when I was a child.
My father is a preacher and I believe in Jesus too. I think it is very important to have something to believe in. I don’t go to church as often as I used to because I don’t have the time, but I miss it. Going to church means a lot to me
When I sing some of the songs my grandfather used to love I get really touched and get a tear in my eye. That is the most important part of being an ETA. To have a relationship with the thing you do. People like it when you are singing with your heart.