The first Elvis Presley impersonators first appeared right after Elvis was beginning his career. Even in the 1950s, Johnny Cash would perform an imitation of his fellow Sun Studio alumnus during his shows.
After his death on August 16, 1977, the number of impersonators across the globe exploded from right at 2,000 to tens of thousands. They became known as Elvis Tribute Artists or ETAs.
According to Elvis Presley Enterprises, Elvis himself was aware of them and, in a complimentary letter to one such artist, wrote that “mimicry is a sincere form of being a fan.”
He also mentioned that his favorite was comedian Andy Kaufmann.
Not long after his death in Memphis, Elvis tributes came in the form of music, such as “The King is Gone,” by Ronnie McDowell and an album, “My Farewell to Elvis” by Merle Haggard.
Some of the most famous ERAs in the 1970s and 1980s included Johnny Harra and Alan.
In 2007, Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE) fully embraced the cultural phenomenon by hosting its first Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest during Elvis Week.
Today there are thousands of ETAs around the world who compete in officially licensed preliminaries sanctioned by EPE. Winners are advanced to the finals in Memphis during the Elvis Week contest each August.
♦Brandon Bennett from Louisiana won the ultimate title during Elvis Week 2008,
♦Bill Cherry from Illinois won in 2009,
♦Justin Shandor from Michigan won in 2010,
♦Cody Slaughter of Arkansas took home the 2011 title,
♦Ben Portsmouth from England was crowned the 2012 winner,
♦Dean Z of Missouri took home the 2013 title,
♦Louisiana native Jay Dupuis was the 2014 champion,
♦David Lee of Alabama was the 2015 winner,
♦In 2016, Dwight Icenhower from Florida took home the title.
♦Gordon Hendricks from England won the contest in 2017,
♦Ben Thompson, also from England, won the 2018 contest.
♦Taylor Rodriguez of Virginia won the 2019 contest.
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, many official preliminary contests in 2020 were cancelled or postponed, but 2021 events are underway.
Among the best are Al Joslin, Donny Edwards, and Diogo Light. Here are some of the most popular professional and amateur ETAs around the world:
Clever Journeys 
Great read, Wish I would have started earlier. I was in my mid 30s when I started performing professionally.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I`ve been doing shows for over 48 1 / 2 years and have traveled around the country and done many things in my career . i love doing shows rather than doing contests because to me its not really fair to judge a person on how they do Elvis , they do it because of the love they have for him and his music and many people don`t really look or sound like Elvis even tho they may put on a wig and sideburns plus make-up to make them look more like him but they do it for the love and respect they have for the man and his music and to want to keep the memory alive and dressing up to perform makes them and the people they perform for happy .
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Obie. I agree and have seen many such entertainers over the years that were as good as, or better than some of the ETAs of the day.
LikeLike
your right , but to me the will always be only 1 Elvis and no matter how good that ETA is he will never be better than the original . we all pale in comparison and yes there are some who sound similar and resemble but still it takes them awile to get like that by putting on make-up and wigs and sideburns and outfits to even look the part . now i`m not saying that all Elvis entertainers do that , i`m not but there are some who do and thats ok for them . but again there is only one Elvis and its a ETA`s job to keep his memory alive and i hope we do and also do him justice . because its not a easy job and not just anyone can do it , its like a calling and once that person gets up there and start singing and performing they will know i`m right .
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly. I did it myself from 1973 through 1978. After August 16, 77 it became just too hard emotionally. Of course, there was no such thing as an ETA back then. Thank you.
LikeLike
you are right because at that time they were called impersonators then the phrase Elvis Tribute Artist came later BUT there are others 1 is called a look a like – its a person who looks like a famous person but doesn`t have their talent , the 2nd type is called a sound a like – its a person who sounds like a famous person BUT doesn`t look like them , the 3rd type is the most popular its the impersonator – they incorporate the look and sound at the same time BUT the difference is that they will dress up in some fancy outfit and go around looking for attention and have a attitude thinking that they are something big and if a person goes up to them and ask them their name and they will say that they ARE the entertainer ( yea right ) , the 4th type is what i am , a Tribute Artist – one you know we do the act BUT the difference is that we only dress the part only when we perform and we know who we are , we know we are not the real thing and never claim to be , we do shows as a tribute and leave his personal life alone , plus we know how to turn it on and then turn it off , the 5th type is not a performer – its a person who does Tribute ART like paintings or some type of art . well i`m close to my 50th year as a Elvis performer and the body is telling me ” hey you ain`t 20 anymore ” so when i do hit my 50th year it might be my last ( maybe ) .
LikeLike