THE ORIGINAL ELVIS TRIBUTE (U.S.A.)
Booking period: early - mid May 2012
More than 33 years after his death, Elvis Presley remains one of the greatest icons in popular culture. With more than 1 billion records sold he remains the all-time best selling solo artist, and his albums still continue to sell in significant quantities. His movies and concerts have been reissued numerous times on DVD. His home Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee is visited by 600.000 tourists annually, and the new Circus Du Soleil production 'Viva Elvis' is doing brisk business in Las Vegas.
Following two wildly successful Europe tours in '09 and '10, the topnotch theater production 'THE ORIGINAL ELVIS TRIBUTE' (USA) will be returning for shows in May 2011. One of the things that makes this show stand out from the others is that it features several musicians who actually worked with Elvis. At present this is the only touring show worldwide that features his original musicians!
We are very proud to have BOBBY WOOD from the 'American Sound Studios' band with us on keyboard. Mr. Wood is one of the most accomplished keyboard players in the music industry, and he has worked with many great artists like Neil Diamond, Garth Brooks and Dusty Springfield. Wood played on Elvis' legendary Memphis '69 sessions which resulted in Presley's comeback album "From Elvis In Memphis", as well as Elvis' biggest hits like "In The Ghetto" and "Suspicious Minds".
Another great scoop is JOHNNY CHRISTOPHER on rhythm guitar from the same 'American Sound Studios' band. Mr. Christopher is another highly respected session musician, who has worked with artists like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. Johnny played rhythm guitar at Elvis' recording sessions in the 70s, on hit-singles like "Promised Land" and "My Boy". He also wrote several important songs for Elvis, including "Always On My Mind", which is widely regarded as one of the all-time greatest love songs. Johnny will be singing and performing his own songs at these shows, just as Elvis originally heard them. This coming tour marks the first time that Johnny participates in an Elvis tribute show, and it's also his first time in Europe.
Elvis' bassplayer DUKE BARDWELL did 181 shows together with Elvis, and also worked in the studio with him. With his Southern charm and his skillful playing, he's a tremendous asset to our show. Duke was very popular in our previous Euro tours, and we're glad to have him back in the show.
Leadsinger for our show is one of the world's finest Elvis tribute artists, ROBERT WASHINGTON. His voice and his magnetic stage presence are uncannily close to 'the real thing', even though he does not attempt to impersonate Elvis. Washington has won numerous awards with his dynamite performances, including "The World's Greatest Elvis" in Memphis. Even Elvis' own family and friends have praised him ("When I closed my eyes, I was amazed! Robert Washington sounded the closest to Elvis I have ever heard" - Sam Thompson, Elvis' bodyguard).
They will be joined on stage by the gorgeous Sue Moreno, a very successful singer in her own right, top Nashville session guitarist Chris Casello (a.o. Bo Diddley, Trisha Yearwood, Kid Rock), and Hollywood session drummer Marc Singer, who played on the original soundtracks of blockbusters like '"Star Wars" and "Raiders of the Lost Arc".
THE ORIGINAL ELVIS TRIBUTE 2011 is a one-of-a-kind celebration of The King's music, as performed by those who stood next to him when he shook the world. All his greatest songs are there, including "Suspicious Minds", "All Shook Up" and "Burning Love", all performed with fire and great authenticity. This is the one Elvis show that you can't afford to miss!
