Alan "...Presents The Elvis Presley Story" (RelaSong Records, 1974-?) (LP)
(Produced by Lee Hansen)
One of the first professional Elvis imitators, Alan Meyer grew up in Southern California, where he started his career playing gigs around 1972, in and around Los Angeles. He led his own band and worked up an entire floor show modeled after Presley's own elaborate concerts, working in Seattle, Canada and eventually making his way to Las Vegas, where he followed in The King's footsteps, playing nightly shows at the Tropicana. What distinguished Alan from the armies of Elvis acts to follow is that his career played out before Elvis died... Indeed, as the legend goes, Meyer was playing the Tropicana the day Presley passed away, and decided right then and there to hang up his ducktail, in honor of his idol. He retired -- for a while -- in part because he disliked being characterized as "the king of the impersonators," and saw himself as a tribute act, not an imposter. There are tons of YouTube clips of his shows, and there are a lot of cool aspects worth commenting on. To start with, he didn't look that much like Elvis; a lot of these guys seem to have gotten into the imitator game because they shared a certain beefy, bohunk-y likeness to Mr. Presley, but Meyer was more of a slender, Rick Nelson/Rob Lowe-lookin' guy who had instead mastered the stagecraft of Elvis Presley, both the mannerisms and the charisma. He had a commanding presence, lit up with a glow of joyfulness and a slightly manic edge -- Alan was having fun and wanted the audience to have fun as well. But there were layers of mastery to the performance: as he bopped about, trembling and gyrating while focussing on the middle distance, Alan also recreated Presley's momentary visible flashes of barrier-breaking, in-on-the-joke self-awareness, the whole "hey, look at me being famous! look at me remembering to hit my marks" vibe that somehow punctured the veil of fame while also reinforcing his iconic status. That was all part of the act, of course, but it was part of Alan Meyer's act as well, and he pulled it off really well. Alan was a rock solid performer, genuinely sexy and magnetic, and fully in control of his presentation. He was also gracious in how he approached his schtick, talking a lot about Elvis, giving Presley his props and not trying to create the illusion that he was Elvis as much as just telling his audience, hey, we all dig The King, so let's all have some fun together. As far as I can tell, this was his only album, released perhaps around 1974, though possibly later. He's backed by Jim Boggs on bass, Chuck Doten (drums), Terry Pullman (guitar), Bob Scorenson (keyboards), Mike Stirn (guitar) and Dana Meyer providing backing vocals.

Cliff Anderson "Tribute To Elvis Presley" (RelaSong Records, 1981) (LP)
A French artist, or at least a French record. No producer or musician credits. alas, nor any biographical information about Cliff Anderson that I could find. I assume it's a made-up name, but, well... you never know. This album appears to have been his only record, and was also released under the title Rendering Elvis Presley -- which sounds a bit grim to English-speaking ears -- also on a French label. And he rendered Gary Glitter, too!

Con Archer "Elvis Is Gone But Not Forgotten" (Archer Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Con Archer & Don Lance)
Canadian country singer Con Archer was a big Elvis fan from way back, as seen in this Elvis homage, which came out a year after his death, but contains a bunch of Presley songs Archer recorded on several earlier albums, dating back to 1970, along with a few new tracks added for good measure. Along with all the "Hound Dog"-s and "Have I Told You That I Love You Lately"-s there's also the title track, "Elvis Is Gone But Not Forgotten," written by Con Archer, along with a Chuck Howard tune called "Easy To Say, Hard To Do," which has nothing to do with Elvis, but was ready to record anyway. Mr. Archer laments that a song he sent Elvis back in 1973, "Don't Go, I Beg Of You," was never picked up by The King, so five years later he revived it to kick this album off. Not forgotten, indeed!

Sherman Arnold "A Tribute To Elvis -- Live!" (Red Rum Productions, 197--?) (LP)
A deliciously manic, amateurish set with a surprisingly jittery feel. According to the sparse liner notes, lead singer Sherman Arnold was a farm kid from Rutherfordton, North Carolina, a small town about forty miles west of Charlotte, and was born in 1940, which would have made him prime material for Presley's original 1950's fan base. Mr. Arnold's enthusiasm and sincerity are easy to hear, although he was clearly pretty limited musically, and the same is at least equally true of his backing band, a modest trio made up of John Barker (drums), Danny Blankenship (lead guitar) and Danny Tyer (bass) who play all the songs in the same rushed, jangly style -- all drive and little melody. I think it's a hoot. And it's very, very ground-level and authentic, "real people" music, in the parlance of record collector hipsters. It's not very skillful, but it's kinda irresistible. Mr. Arnold was from North Carolina, though the album was on a label from Livonia, Michigan, so he may have moved up North at some point.

Black Paul "The King In Black Disco" (1977) (7")
One of the scariest and most cynical of the late '70s Elvis exploitation records, eight oldies brutally strung together with the tackiest, most generic, most trite disco backing tracks imaginable, including an extended instrumental section which may possibly include the melodies of some Elvis songs, but it's hard to tell amid the shrill, manic, merciless disco rhythms and piercing string arrangements. I'm not sure where "Black Paul" was from, though his disco bona fides may be a bit questionable: though the record features soul vocals reminiscent of The Spinners, Paul's guitar-totin' photograph looks pretty darn white. This medley track was released in multiple countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, and even an edition in Brazil. Mr. Paul may have been Dutch: he released a Latin-themed single ("Mr. Bandito") in 1971 that was credited in Dutch, although it came out in Belgium. At any rate, it's a fine line between hilarious pop-culture kitsch and dismal exploitation on this one.

Pat Boone "Tribute To Elvis Presley" (ABC Records, 1977) (LP)
Back in the day, pop crooner Pat Boone was often reviled by rock fans as a super-square white guy who "ripped off" Black R&B artists by covering their songs and scoring hits in the pop charts while they struggled to find work, or get proper royalty payments for their work. I always thought that narrative was a tad simplistic, though I also never gave much thought to Boone or his career, or whether or not he was a poseur. The "square" part always seemed pretty accurate. Anyway, in a way it's fitting that during his 1970s country phase, Pat Boone paid honor to his fellow 'Fifties idol, since Presley also got a lot of that same "white-guys-stealing-black-music" flak. The only edition of this album that I've seen of this album came out in the Netherlands, though I'm sure it must have come out in the States as well.

Eddie Brandon "...Presents A Tribute To The King Of Rock And Roll" (Artco Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Hartman & Carl Warren)
Not a ton of information about this guy, although Charles E. Corbett (aka Eddie Brandon, 1946-1998) was a well-established Elvis imitator who lived in Edmond, Oklahoma, a suburb on the northside of Oklahoma City. He played lots of live gigs around the region, throughout the 1970s and well into the 'Eighties. This was one of very few secular albums producer Carl Warren worked on for the OKC-based Artco label, and it seems possible that Eddie Brandon may have also been tapped into the local southern gospel scene. This live album was recorded at the Civic Center Music Hall, and includes a gospel medley and a cover of Mickey Newberry's dreadful patriotic potpourri, "American Trilogy," which was an Elvis standard. No mention of the musicians backing Brandon on this album, though he did have his own band, so it could have been those guys, or studio players provided by the label.

Billy Joe Burnette "Welcome Home Elvis" (Gusto Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Tommy Hill & Mike Stone)
Not to be confused with Johnny Burnette's rockin' rockabilly nephew Billy, Virginia-born Billy Joe Burnette (1941-2016) was a former teen popster who "went country" back in 1969, though he wound up being kind of a one-hit wonder. He's best remembered as a co-composer of Red Sovine's super-sappy trucker hit, "Teddy Bear," which was a huge chart success around the time this Elvis tribute came out. This appears to be Burnette's only full album, recorded with Elvis's former drummer DJ Fontana as part of the Nashville studio crew -- Burnette also had a string of singles, recorded both before and after this disc came out.

The Alan Caddy Orchestra And Singers "...Pay Tribute To Elvis Presley" (Avenue Records, 1971) (7")
(Produced by Alan Caddy)
A couple of brief medleys from British pop covers king Alan Caddy, who started his career as rock'n'roll guitarist in the Shadows-ish instrumental band The Tornados, and gradually drifted into a career running the house band at a British budget label called Avenue Records, where he produced and arranged countless pop and rock easy listening knockoff records. Apparently a pre-famous Elton John did a fair amount of session work with this group, though maybe not(?) on this disc.

Del Carter "Smash Hits 9: Tribute To Elvis Presley" (RTV Ljubljana, 1978) (LP)
Jeez, even Yugoslavia got in on the act when Elvis died! This was the only known album(?) from comrade Del Carter... who may have been Yugoslavian... orrrrrr.... maybe not. The cassette version of this album notes that it was "released under license from Arrowtabs Limited." Glad we cleared that up! (Though... what the heck is an arrowtab?)

The Cavaleers "Live On Stage: A Special Tribute To Elvis Presley" (Versha Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced By Vic Gabany)
The longhaired duo of Buddy Good and James Marvell hailed from Tampa, Florida and started out as Nuggets-style rockers who were still trying to make it as a psych-pop band when they made their way to Nashville to see what the country scene was like. They moved to Music City around 1970 and made some headway as The Country Cavaleers, an odd, outlawish novelty act that mixed Christian (and secular) country originals with a then-scandalous Stetsons-and-long-hair vibe ... (Though I think their down-the-shoulders hippie haircuts were actually women's wigs...) After recording briefly for MGM in '73 then released one uber-indie album in 1974 and had pretty much given up by the time this supposedly-live concert album was recorded at the Tri-County Club in Morganton, North Carolina in 1976. It sat in the can for over a year, and was probably not originally intended as an Elvis Presley homage, though they decided to Presley thing up after the King passed away... Though the set mixed country and rock oldies that weren't really associated with Elvis such as "White Lightning" and "Johnny B. Goode," etc.. they do plow through a medley of "Hound Dog," "The Wonder Of You" and Mickey Newberry's bland-but-popular patriotic mashup "American Trilogy" and the album ends with a studio recording of "The Prince Of The Valley," written by Edna Pierce. The chatty liner notes play this angle up ("...if you can imagine TWO Elvis Presleys you might have some idea of their acceptance on any stage in America!") though honestly it's a bit of a stretch. James Marvell, whose real name was Carlos Zayas, went solo for a few years and even recorded some Freddy Fender-esque bilingual twang, but he met with limited success, and later worked as a Christian country artist. (Many thanks to Edd Hurt for his informative article and interview on Perfect Sound Forever, which also includes a discography that includes the Cavaleers numerous singles...)

Ben Cash "A Tribute To The King -- Elvis Presley" (SR International, 1976) (LP)
A German rocker from the 1960s "beat" era, Ben Cash recorded a few singles back in the Beatlemania days along with his band, The Cash Tons. Mostly covers of English bands such as the Kinks and The Who, Pink Floyd, and the like. He returned to his roots on this homage to Elvis, his only full album, as far as I know.

Colin Crosby "A Tribute To Elvis" (ABA Records, 1991) (single)
A semi-anonymous budget-line tribute album produced in France... Not sure who Colin Crosby was, though this appears to have been the only album released under that name.

Jim E. Curtin "A Touch Of Presley" (Curtin/Condo Corporation, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Jim E. Curtin & Dave Kenny)
One of the 43,083 officially licensed, state bonded Elvis Presley imitators in the United States of America in the year 1980. Because, yes, that was a thing. Jim Curtin was an Elvis acolyte from Pennsylvania, performing live on August 17, 1979 at a club called Palumbo's, in South Philly, with backing by two different groups, Astrix and Graceland. Alas, no details of who the actual musicians were, though it looks like a good time was had by all. Uh-uh-huh!

Elvis Dean & The Desperadoes "Pay Tribute" (Lark Records, 1979) (LP)
An Elvis Presley tribute singer from Alexandria, Virginia, running through a bunch of oldies from the Elvis canon... This was recorded at John Major's regional label, the Major Recording Company, which included the Lark label as one of its imprints. For the most part, Dean's vocals are a little bit higher-pitched than one might expect from an Elvis clone, but he does dip down into lower tonalities, and does seem to be tapped into the King's vibe... I mean, I don't really "get" this whole genre, but I have to confess this guy kinda won me over, largely through his innate enthusiasm and persistence. The backing band alternates between exuberance and rote performance -- all of which adds up to some pretty prime 'Seventies kitsch. Don't quote me on this, but this is actually kind of a fun little record.

Robert Dolan "The Robert Dolan Road Show: Beginnings" (Celery Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Dick Spencer)
An Elvis imitator who worked a remarkably broad swath of territory throughout the 1970s, mostly the upper Midwest, with dips into New Mexico and up into parts of Canada. I'm not sure where Dolan was from -- this private release gives an address for the label in Hammond, Indiana, although it was a souvenir of an eight-week gig at the Hilton Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska and was recorded at the Century Recording Studio in Lincoln. Backing Robert Dolan are Dave Asher (keyboards), Tony Pratscher (drums), John Taylor (bass), and Don Tucker on lead guitar. Like his live act, the repertoire draws from a variety of sources, but mostly centers on Elvis and his own pop and countrypolitan leanings. By the way: anyone know if this was the same Presley-impersonating Robert Dolan who lived in Colorado Springs?

Robert Dolan "Memories: An Encore Performance" (Road Show Enterprises, 1980-?) (LP)
An early-'Eighties recording, with Dolan still plugging away. Apparently he was still doing live shows at last as recently as 2010(!)

Ral Donner "1935-1977: I've Been Away For Awhile Now" (Picadilly Records, 1979) (LP)
Chicago-born Ralph Stuart Donner (1943-1984) was a first-generation American rocker, although Elvis had already been drafted by the time Donner started recording his own singles in 1959. Like a lot of guys from this era, Donner idolized Elvis and to a large extent copied his act, and was noted for a strong vocal similarity to Elvis Presley. Donner's 1960 cover version of "The Girl Of My Best Friend" was originally an album track for Presley, although Donner's single version charted in Billboard, peaking at #19, with a lot of radio listeners mistakenly believing that it was an Elvis record. Donner's career faltered in the early 'Sixties, but revived briefly in the following decade, after Presley passed away. Donner released this immense, 2-LP tribute set which was packed with brisk covers of several dozen Elvis oldies, and he was cast as the voiceover narrator for a 1981 Elvis biopic documentary called This Is Elvis, released just a few years before Donner's tragically young death from lung cancer in '84.

Ral Donner "My Elvis Scrapbook" (Gone Records, 19--?) (LP)
Not exactly sure of the provenance (or release date) of this album, though Gone Records was Donner's old label from back in the Eisenhower/Kennedy era, and it's possible this was a legit release from the original owners. Anyway, it's Ral Donner doing his whole Elvis-y schtick, full tilt boogie, most likely vintage recordings from 1959-62-ish. What's not to love?

Elvis Duncan "Elvis Duncan" (TopSound Records, 19--?) (Cassette)
Elvis... Duncan? Sure, why not? This appears to be a cassette-only German release, also issued under the title A Tribute To Elvis. As with many of these European cheapo releases, this material may or may not have been released in other countries, or under different names. I personally don't have the capacity to run it all down and cross-check every possibility. But maybe we can get AI to do it for us?

Vince Eager "Pays A Tribute To Elvis" (Avenue Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Hal Carter)
A British rockabilly pioneer and graduate of the 1950's skiffle scene, rocker Vince Eager doffs his cap to the King. This set went through multiple editions in the UK, as well as reissues in Australia, France, and elsewhere. He appears to have been backed by the Avenue label's house band, led by guitarist-arranger Alan Caddy, who was himself a veteran rocker from a Shadows-like instrumental group called The Tornados.

El Vez "Not Hispanic" (Munster Records, 1992) (EP)
(Produced by El Vez & Earle Mankey)
Though billed as "the Mexican Elvis," pop culture prankster Robert Lopez was actually a California kid and a charter member of the West Coast punk scene, going all the way back to 1976 when he co-founded the legendary Chula Vista rock band The Zeros (one of my personal 'Seventies punk favorites...) Lopez played lead guitar for the Zeros up through late '78, when he moved to LA and joined another SoCal band, Catholic Discipline, which broke up in 1980. He apparently spent the following decade learning how to swivel his hips and curl his lips into the patented Presleyan sneer, emerging fully formed as "El Vez" in the early 1990s. This eight-song EP reprised (and/or "remixed," in the parlance of the time) several songs that had come out earlier as singles, setting the tone for his career parodying and adapting old hits from Elvis (and other artists) into his unique style of pun-filled bilingual boppers. He's backed here by a band called Los Memphis Mariachis, as well as an early edition of his backup singers, The Lovely Elvettes, listed here as Gladysita, Lisa Maria, Priscilita, and "Que Linda" Thompson.

El Vez "Graciasland" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1994)
(Produced by El Vez & Earle Mankey)
Leaning more heavily into latino themes, El Vez peppers his lyrics and song titles with references to Mexican and Chicano history and culture, singing about Cuauhtemoc, Cesar Chavez, Aztlan and Cinco de Mayo, parodying "Blue Suede Shoes" as "Huaraches Azules" and of course (brilliantly) covering "Mexican Radio." Lena Marie Aguirre and the (now "Beautiful") Elvettes provide vocal backing, while the instrumental backing includes fellow SoCal punks Chip Kinman and Tony Kinman, formerly of the cowpunk band Rank & File, more recently in a brother duo called Blackbird. Andale!

El Vez "Merry MeX-mas" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1994)
(Produced by El Vez & Earle Mankey)
1994 was definitely a banner year for El Vez... Did all these albums really come out at the same time? Amazeballs! Slight change in the billing, with the backup singers once again called Lena Marie and The Lovely Elvettes... though perhaps "Elf-ettes" would be more appropriate on this album? El Vez reclaims the holidays from the yanquis, joyfully belting out "Feliz Navidad" while bringing new color to classics such as "Brown Christmas" and informing us all that "Santa Claus Is Sometimes Brown." All this and "Sleigh Ride," too? Si, por favor!

El Vez "How Great Thou Art (The Greatest Hits Of El Vez)" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1994)
This is not actually a best-of set, just more clever packaging, mimicking the old Elvis catalog. And while there are a few Presley parodies -- "En El Barrio," "Esta Bien Mamacita," "Maria's The Name (Of His Latest Flame)" -- a hefty chunk of this set is devoted to covers of some Santana classics: "Black Magic Woman," "Samba Pa Ti" and a version of Hoyt Axton's "Never Been To Spain," which also fits into El Vez's whole schtick.

El Vez "Fun In Espanol" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1994)

El Vez "El Vez Is Alive" (Munster Records, 1995) (LP)
(Produced by El Vez & Earle Mankey)

El Vez "G.I. Ay, Ay! Blues" (Pop Records, 1996) (LP)
I'm not going to list all the El Vez albums, as they start yielding diminishing returns as far as the Presley tribute aspects go... But it keeps on going like this for a while. He gets extra points on this record for taking a shot at Mickey Newberry's dreadful patriotic medley "American Trilogy," which Elvis Presley popularized that , and it was a very popular song for many country lounge acts to follow, but it's a really dumb piece of music (it's just three songs strung together: never understood why Newberry got a composer credit for that!) "Mexican-American Trilogy" is a definite improvement.

G. G. Elvis & The TCP Band "A Punk Elvis Tribute" (Mental Records, 2008)
Pretty self-explanatory, though this disc functions as a double tribute, not just to Elvis Presley but also to punk rock madman G.G. Allin, who had a bit of an Elvis thing going himself, and who died in 1993 from a heroin overdose. The TCP Band -- whose name was a nod to Presley's TCB Band -- included guys from "real bands" such as Ill Repute and NOFX.

Elvis Junior "You Don't Have To Say You... Love Me" (Son Records, 1986)
(Produced by David Sandy Jr.)
Oh, dear. Phillip Stanic, who recorded and performed professionally both as "Elvis Junior" and "Elvis Aaron Presley Jr.," was, obviously, one of the many people who claimed to be an unrecognized heir to the Presley legacy. I'm sure there's an entire chunk of journalistic literature devoted to debunking or confirming his claims... For my part, I remain agnostic, although I do wonder if he was born wearing tinted aviator glasses...(?) If so, that would go a long way towards establishing paternity.

Elvis Junior "Christmas Blessings From Elvis Junior" (Son Records, 1986)
(Produced by David Sandy Jr.)

Elvis Junior "Elvis On My Mind" (Seven Seas Records, 1992)

Elvis Junior "The Majestic Millennium World Tour" (Son Records, 1995)

Elvis Junior "The Story Unfolds" (Access Promotions, 19--?)

Elvis Junior "Christmas Blessings From Elvis Junior" (Son Records, 1986)

Vince Everett "The Presley Sound Of Vince Everett" (Rockin' Records, 196-?) (7") (EP)
A rockabilly rebel from College Park, Georgia, Marvin Eugene Benefield adopted the stage name "Vince Everett" in homage to Elvis Presley, who played a character with that name in the 1957 teen flick, Jailhouse Rock. He cut a few singles in the early 'Sixties, as Marvin Fields, Vince Edwards and under his own name, Marvin Benefield, but never broke through as a national-known artist. On this five-song EP he covers "Baby Let's Play House," but the rest of the repertoire isn't directly Elvis-related, just kinda Elvis-sound-y. Still, pretty hep, daddy-o!

Leon Everette "Goodbye King Of Rock 'N' Roll: (A Tribute To Elvis) The World's Greatest Star Has Gone Home Alone" (True Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Howard A. Knight, Jr)
The title track was an Elvis Presley tribute song that helped launch the Top Forty career of South Carolina country singer Leon Everette. "Goodbye King Of Rock 'N' Roll" didn't chart as a single, but it gave Everette a peg to hang his hat on, and from here he started his slow rise from the back end of the country charts up to the Top Ten. If nothing else, this album might win the award for longest, most convoluted Elvis-tribute-record album title: the second half refers to a followup song embedded in Side Two, the equally maudlin "The World's Greatest Star Has Gone Home Alone." Also, one of the best-ever examples of Elvis-looking-down-from-Heaven album art!

Bobby Fisher "Canada's Own Elvis" (G.C. Records, 1977) (LP)
A straight-up covers set from Robert Fisher, a Toronto-based Elvis tribute artist backed by a band called Solid Gold: Charlie Calvo (guitar), Alan Dames (drums), Glenn Gregory (bass) and Bill Wright on keyboards. Fisher had released a few (non-Presley related) singles back at least as far as 1975, but he got the Elvis bug at some point, and released his tribute song, "What Will We Do Without You," in 1977. Not sure what else he did after this; guitarist Charlie Calvo seems to have worked on a few different projects in later years.

Wally Fowler "...Sings A Tribute To Elvis Presley" (Dove Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by John W. Fowler, Harold Bradley, Buddy Killen & J. D. Sumner)
One of the original movers and shakers in the Nashville music industry, outhern gospel icon Wally Fowler (1917-1994) was a Georgia-born bandleader who wrote hundreds of songs, established his own record label, and, perhaps most significantly, founded the Oak Ridge Quartet southern gospel group way back in 1945, the ensemble that would eventually evolve into The Oak Ridge Boys, one of the most popular country acts of the 1970s and '80s. Fowler performed on countless radio or TV shows over the years, was an Opry cast member and formed his own musical revues, including the gospel-oriented All Nite Singing concerts, which were held at the Ryman Auditorium in the 'Fifties and 'Sixties. He later created his own Music City Jubilee, which had earlier incarnations, but opened its doors as a bandstand venue in 1981. He was also one of those folks who knew Elvis 'way back when and is joined here by a bunch of country and gospel A-listers, including Presley's old drummer D. J. Fontana, J.D. Sumner & The Stamps Quartet (who also backed him on occasion, and provided many of his favorite gospel songs, as well as Henry Slaughter, and a slew of Nashville pickers, guys like Pete Drake, Johnny Gimble, Billy Grammer, Charlie McCoy, Dale Sellers, Buddy Spicher, Reggie Young and others. A pretty high-powered gathering of talent, and one of the first wave of tribute albums after Presley passed away.

The Golden Ring "Tribute To Elvis" (Arc Records, 1969) (LP)
Oh, I love these kinds of bands! The Golden Ring was an (apparently) Canadian made-up studio band that recorded numerous albums covering various pop and country artists, in this case The King himself, right after Elvis's big 1968 comeback concert. So, not "Fat Elvis" yet, but rather the steamy, leather-clad, retro-rockin' bohunk Elvis who still had some genuine sizzle. No idea who the Golden Ring musicians were -- that's not how this game was played -- but they do seem to have been a Canadian crew, or at least they released a whole big string of albums in Canada. It's possible this stuff also came out on some American labels, but if so, I haven't figured it out yet.

The Golden Ring "Tribute To Elvis, Volume Two" (Arc Records, 19--?) (LP)
But wait... there's more!

Johnny Harra (Autumn International Records, 1978) (# AR-281-A/B) (7")
A: "Like You" (c: Blake Mevis)
B: "Love Me Up" (c: Joe Bob Barnhill)
(Produced by Glen Pace)
Back in 1978, Dallas-based singer Johnny Harra (1946-2011) was one of several hundred Elvis tribute artists who were threatened with legal action by the BMI publishing company, which claimed that singing three or more Elvis-related songs in one show was an infringement of their copyrights. (I don't think that held up, though...) This late 'Seventies single was recorded in Nashville with backing by Elvis collaborators D.J. Fontana, Scottie Moore, and The Jordanaires vocal group. It was released on a label from Dallas, Texas, and sold at Harras's live gigs. Not sure if he made a full album at the time, though he did release a couple of not-strictly-Elvis-related retro-rock CDs in the early 1990s, including one where he worked with the Jordanaires again.

Johnny Harra "Is The King Still Alive?" (HIA Productions, 1991) (single)
This two-song single seems to have been a proper Elvis tribute, although I think it came out as a cassette-only release. Maybe there's also a seven-inch version out there somewhere?

Johnny Harra & The Jordanaires "All Brand New Again" (HIA Productions, 1991)
(Produced by Dave Robertson & Dave Pickering)
Over a decade later Mr. Harras was still at it, pompadour and all, though I don't think his '90s repertoire was strictly drawn from the Elvis ouvre, but rather reflected a wider 'Fifties retro-rock sensibility. Of course, on this album he's backed by one of the King's go-to vocal groups, albeit a much later edition of the Jordanaires. Johnny Harra may have also made a more Elvis-oriented record or two back in the day, though... I wouldn't be surprised.

Wanda Jackson "I Remember Elvis" (Goldenlane/Cleopatra Records, 2006)
(Produced by Danny B. Harvey)
Hey, no one's calling Wanda Jackson an Elvis Presley clone: she was straight-up his contemporary, and even a bit of a mentor, having been a professional country singer for several years before the whole rockabilly thing happened. An immensely influential early rocker in her own right, Wanda Jackson knew Elvis, performed on numerous package tours and "opry"-style venues with him, dated him, and is interviewed here about the good old days, with prompting from rockabilly revivalist Danny B. Harvey. She also sings a bunch of his old hits, with backing (presumably) by Danny Harvey and his band, and it sounds great. [Note: this album has been reissued several times, under several different names.]

Jack Jersey "The King And I" (Bovema Negram Records, 1979) (LP)
Dutch pop'n'country'n'rockabilly singer Jack Jersey (1941-1997) was not strictly an Elvis imitator, but he sure gave it a shot from time to time... I mean, I guess in his case it was more legitimately an homage, though he worked in many different styles and as far as I can tell this was his only full-on Elvis Presley tribute album, recorded not long after The King passed away. Jersey made several recording session pilgrimages to Nashville, and often booked sessions with the Jordanaires vocal group -- which famously backed Elvis on countless occasions... Besides, just dig that crazy wardrobe!!

Memphis King "A Tribute To The Hits Of Elvis Presley" (Cosmopolitan Records, 2000) (CD)
No idea. The label is from the United Kingdom.

The Kings "Tribute To Elvis Presley: Jailhouse Rock" (Surprise Records, 19--?) (LP)
Great name for an Elvis covers band, though it's hard to know who they actually were, as the album includes no information about the musicians, the producer, or when this was made. Indeed, as with many of these super-generic budget-line cover-song albums, there's a pretty good chance that this Belgian-manufactured album could have also been released in any number of editions, under different names, in different countries. I'm not the guy to sort it all, out... Sorry!

Lee Jackson "Tribute To Elvis" (Underground Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Antonio Carlos de Oliveira, Roberto Marques & Joao Campanha)
Not to be confused with the Australian acid rock band Python Lee Jackson (which also didn't have anyone named Lee Jackson in it) this Brazilian(!) band recorded a string of 1970s rock albums, not all of them of the cheapo-label cover0tune variety. The group featured Marco Aurelio Bissi, Claudio Conde, Sergio Lopes, Luiz Carlos Maluly, and keyboardist Marcos Maynard, not all of whom are all that familiar to Brazilian rock fans. Outside of their "Lee Jackson" incarnation, though, they seem to have worked as session musicians, on a variety of recording sessions, usually more in rock or soul settings. This is particularly true of Maluly and Maynard, who played on popular albums by '80s rock and pop bands such as Lady Zu, Radio Taxi and most notably with the band RPM, who were one of the most commercially successful BRock groups ever.

The Lincolns "Hommage A Elvis Presley" (Trans-Canada Records, 1962) (LP)
A relatively early set of Elvis covers, recorded by a rock band from Quebec. Les Lincolns were a short-lived instrumental band led by guitarist Hugh Dixon (1937-2003) who later recorded under his own name, and also did a lot of studio session work.

Little Tony "Tribute To Elvis" (Kris Internations Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Little Tony)
A singer and actor from the Italian microstate of the Republic Of San Marino, Little Tony (aka Antonio Ciacci, 1941-2013) recorded a ton of records, including many with a 'Fifties rocker vibe. As far as I know this was his only album fully devoted to honoring Elvis Presley. [PS: yes, I know that technically, being designated as a microstate means that San Marino isn't "really" part of Italy... but, come on...]

Ronnie McDowell - see artist discography

Bobbie Mills & The Shades Of Gold "Memories Of Elvis: Walking Tall And Loving Them All" (TMR Enterprize, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Phil York)
A lively, slightly chaotic Elvis Presley imitator from Joshua, Texas, Bobbie Mills was affiliated with the Dallas/Fort Worth-based Grapevine Opry variety show, or at least that's where this album was recorded. Not a lot of info about Mr. Mills, outside of the portrait painted in the liner notes -- he was born in Fort Worth proper and settled down in a small city just south of town. Mills worked a lot of odd jobs, including a fling at movie acting and a five year stint in the Joshua city police department; his musical career fronting the Shades Of Gold centered around gigs at local bars and lounges, though i'm not sure how extensive his connection to The Grapevine Opry may have been. He was apparently backed on this album by his own band, though none of the individual pickers are identified, so it's possible members of the Grapevine house band may have been in the mix as well. Though I'm not personally that big on the Elvis nostalgia thing this album does have an oddball appeal to it: the vocals are appropriately very louche and maybe a little self-mocking, while the arrangements are kooky and goofy, lots of energy, though definitely not "too slick." This was a genuine live recording, with scattered applause from a small but enthusiastic crowd. Worth a spin, if you enjoy a certain lack of professionalism and real-deal amateur charm.

Danny Mirror "Danny Mirror" (EMI/Poker Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Eddy Ouwens, Emile Elsen & Robin Freeman)
Dutch pop songwriter/producer Eddy Ouwens penned a song ("Ding-A-Dong") that went into the 1975 Eurovision contest, performed by a band called Teach-In; this was followed in 1977 by a musical eulogy called "I Remember Elvis Presley," which I guess was a successful enough as a single that it led to this album. Then followed the Presley-eque alter ego Danny Mirror, and a long string of repackaged Elvis-ish albums over the course of the rest of the decade... and beyond. Most of the songs on this album were his own originals, and were not explicitly Elvis related; most were also co-composed along with Dutch songwriter/music journalist Dick Kooiman (credited as "R. Dunhills") who at the time was the editor of the magazine Muziek Expres. This same set of songs was reissued in 1978 as I Remember Elvis Presley, just with different track sequencing.

Danny Mirror & The Jordanaires "50x The King: Elvis Presley's Greatest Songs" (A&R Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Eddy Ouwens, Rick Keefer & Cees Stolk)
Here's Danny Mirror in full Elvis mode: ten medley tracks, each one condensing five Presley oldies, and um, some kinda version of the Jordanaires apparently involved. Parts of this seem to have been reissued as part of the (forty "song") Elvis Party Time medley set that came out on CD in 1998. (See below.)

Danny Mirror "Heden & Verleden" (CNR Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Eddy Ouwens, Eddy Hilberts & Jan Schuurman)
This Dutch-language album does not seem to be all Presley related, though there are translated version of "Love Me Tender" ("Hou Van Mij") and "Can't Help Falling In Love" ("Zonder Jou") which, personally, I find more interesting than English-language covers by non-English speakers. Anyway, save a copy for me!

Danny Mirror "Elvis Party Time" (Prism Leisure Corporation, 1998) (LP)
Although it looks like these is considerable overlap, this doesn't seem to be (exactly) the same as the Mirror/Jordanaires "fifty times" medley set... Parts of it look the same, though there are some songs unique to each disc, and several songs omitted from the '81 album. No idea how or when this was recorded, or how much of a cut-and-splice operation this might have been. It all seems pretty dodgy, though. Note: this edition actually billed The Jordanaires as the main artist, "featuring Danny Mirror."

Ace Mona & The Third Generation "A Tribute To Elvis" (Preview Records, 1978) (LP)
Jeez, even Yugoslavia got in on the act when Elvis died! This was the only known album(?) from comrade Del Carter... who may have been Yugoslavian... orrrrrr.... maybe not. The cassette version of this album notes that it was "released under license from Arrowtabs Limited." Glad we cleared that up! (Though... what the heck is an arrowtab?)

The Morriston Orpheus Choir "...Sings A Tribute To Elvis Presley" (Grasmere Records, 1998)
(Produced by Bob Barratt, Graham Kirkby & Peter Vince)

Orion - or is he?

Farley Parkenfarker "Farley Parkenfarker Plays Elvis" (Janus Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Black & Duke Kish)
An awkward set of instrumental pop/synth covers of Elvis oldies from keyboardist "Farley Parkenfarker," who previously recorded an really awful album of faux-soul novelty pop under the name of Okie Duke, and who was probably also an alias for producer Duke Kish. I'm not sure how much this goofy set of tunes will appeal to even the most diehard lover of Elvis kitsch... but you never know!

Eden Perry & The Nashville Pops Orchestra "The Hits Of Elvis Presley" (Windmill Records, 1972) (LP)
A frequently-reissued budget-label release from the UK. This has also been released as both as "Eden Perry" and "Perry Eden," but the earliest editions seem to have Perry as the last name. No idea if this was a real person; this appears to be their only album recorded under either version of the name.

Roy Powell & The Shiver Givers "The Giants Of Rock" (Starbox Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Mike Collier, Ossie Byrne & Volker Spielberg)
A nice retrobilly set from... England? I think? It's not all Elvis-related, but it's pretty groovy. This album includes an Elvis medley, another one for Jerry Lee Lewis, a cover of "Hound Dog," a few other oldies, and a handful of Roy Powell originals that fit right in with the rest of it. This was apparently recorded in London, with some very British-sounding fellows in the band: lead singer Roy Powell and his son, Owen Vincent Powell, along with Jake Jacobs (guitar), John Ward (drums), and saxophonist Geoff Martin Wellstead.

Rock Odyssey "Tribute To Elvis" (Barclay Records, 1972) (7")
An oddity from France. This seven-inch single featuring two rock oldies medley tracks was overseen by "arranger" Alain Labacci, who at the time was in a psych band called Ophiucus, along with his brother Bernard. They released two albums (also on Barclay) in 1972 and '73, then broke up and went on to other projects. Why this one-off Elvis homage? I have no idea, though some version of "Rock Odyssey" also recorded similar tributes to Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent, which were eventually compiled together in an LP released in 1980. Quite possibly the various singles were performed by different musicians; producer Georges Blumenfeld seems to have been the mastermind behind it all.

Rupert "Tribute To Elvis Presley: 44 Greatest Hits" (Copyrite Records, 1975) (LP)
Another generic, cheapo-label Elvis covers album from Europe... This one distinguishes itself by its length: a three-LP set(!) with forty-four tracks! It's not clear where where "Rupert" was from; Discogs says he was also known as Raving Rupert and may have been from the United Kingdom, although this album was made in the Netherlands, with no additional information about the musicians involved, the producers, or where it was recorded. Given the odd label name, I kinda wonder if this might actually have been produced simply to satisfy some kind of arcane copyright issues surrounding Presley's catalog, though that's just uniformed speculation on my part.

Johnny Rusk "A Tribute To Elvis" (Copyrite Records, 1975) (LP)

Johnny Rusk "In Person: Johnny Rusk At The Seattle Airport Hilton" (King-Vac Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Mr. Vac)

Peter Singh "Rock'N'Roll: East Meets West" (Self-released, 198--?) (cassette)
A quirky cross-cultural fling from Narminder "Peter" Singh, who was born in the now-Pakistani city of Rawalpindi in 1946, before Indian independence and partitioning of the two states. Singh emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1955 and grew up listening to and idolizing Elvis Presley, living first in Birmingham and later in Wales. In the early 1980s, he began performing in full Elvis garb -- with the addition of a traditional turban -- and was billed as "the world's only Sikh Elvis impersonator," although I'd really like to believe that that situation has changed since he put out his first singles, "Living Doll/Blue Suede Shoes" and "Rockin' With The Sikh/Elvis, I'm On The Phone!" back in 1981-82. The Swansea-based Mr. Singh was backed by members of a Welsh rock band called Man, and later toured with a group he named the Poppadoms. I'm not sure when this cassette-only release came out, but it includes all four of those early 'Eighties tracks, as well as two from a 1990 single that included "Bhindi Bhaji Boogie" and "Pick Up You Turbans," so perhaps most likely it came out in the early '90s. Anyway, it's a joyful, good-natured set, with seven tracks including five originals: "Elvis I'm On The Phone," "Rocking With The Sikh," "Bhindi Bhaji Boogie," "Pick Your Turbans" and "Turbans Over Memphis." A popular live act, Singh was once nicknamed The Turbanator, and was known for his catchphrase lyric, "I don't smoke dope... I don't drink bourbon... All I wanna do... Is shake my turban," which celebrates both his religious heritage and his love of good, old fashioned rock'n'roll. This might be his only album, though apparently he wrote several other Elvis-inspired songs, such as "My Poppadom Told Me" and "Who's Sari Now," which hopefully are on wax as well.

Sivle "Sivle Sings Again : Do You Know Who I Am?" (E. E. Records, 1981) (LP)
I saw this one out in the wild when this whole journey began, and it was certainly one of the more mysterious artifacts in the lot. Who was this Sivle fellow?? Well, according to Discogs, this was a recording by a guy from Florida named David Darlock, who had a whole Elvis tribute act going -- his name isn't included anywhere on this album, but who am I to doubt the wisdom of the music scholars who have gone before? If they say it's Darlock, it's Darlock. I'm not going to argue... even though we all know this is really Elvis!! Most of the songs are oldies, though the (uncredited) title track may have been an original, one of those novelty numbers that tries to create the impression that the singer was actually... well, you know who. Actually, like Orion, David Darlock is considered one of the Elvis "imposters" (as opposed to a tribute artist) and was the focus of several articles, documentary films and TV shows, including an appearance on the Geraldo Rivera show in 1989. At one point, some of Sivle's recordings were cited as "proof" that Elvis was alive... But again: who am I to say one way or the other?

Ronnie Speeks & The Elrods "Specially For You" (Fraternity Records, 1966-?) (LP)
A frat-rockin' set of R&B and rock cover tunes, with a smattering of country -- stuff we now call oldies, but which were still relatively new back when this album was made. Bandleader and Tennessee native Ronald Coleman Speeks (1938-2018) was the brother of Verlin ("Red") Speeks, an old-school country singer who recorded an album of his own back in the early 'Seventies. Speeks hailed from Knoxville, Tennessee, but as the guileless liner notes charmingly overshare, he was out on the road doing gigs at fabled venues such as The Nugget (in Union City, New Jersey), the Gaucho Room lounge in Fort Wayne, Indiana's Van Orman Hotel, a place called The Metropole (New York City) and hometown gigs in a Knoxville venue known as The Surf Club. The repertoire hints at Mr. Speeks' future career as an Elvis impersonator, belting out "Fools Rush In," "Mess Of Blues" and "Puppet On A String" -- but he shows a wider range here, covering country stuff like Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me" and Justin Tubb's "Haunted House," as well as Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman" and the Lieber-Stoller classic "Searchin'." According to the liner notes his band The Elrods -- drummer Bobby Davis, guitar player Dave Sandusky and organist Rick Walker -- actually formed 'way back in 1960. Not sure how long they stayed together, or when Ronnie Speeks moved into full Elvis mode. (See below.)

Ronnie Speeks "Tribute To Elvis" (Transworld Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Ronnie Speeks & Joe Deaton)
As seen above, Ronnie Speeks had a career dating back many years: in the early 'Sixties he recorded some rock-pop stuff for the nationally-distributed Fraternity label and by the time this album came out, he was doing his act nightly the main stage at the Pigeon Forge Coliseum. It looks like he had a pretty elaborate presentation, including the half-dozen super-groovy Elvis outfits pictured on the album's back cover. Unlike many similar records, this one actually includes musician credits, with Mr. Speeks being supported by Mike Davis (bass), Bobby Fitzanko (drums), Colbert Petree (piano) Jimmy Snow on lead guitar, and backing vocals from Jennifer Adams and Lisa Wright. Perhaps most interesting is how he shied away from the most obvious oldies ("Hound Dog," etc.) in favor of later, hipper material written by the likes of Wayne Carson, Mac Davis, Mark James, Dennis Linde and Eddie Rabbit, up-and-coming artists that Presley championed in his later years.

Ronnie Speeks "A Tribute To Elvis" (Thunderhead Records, 19--?) (LP)
Well, he doesn't get many points for coming up with original album titles, but I will let you know that this is in face a different album that the 1983 Tribute To Elvis album above... also a completely different lineup of musicians, with Ronnie Speeks on lead vocals and hip swiveling, backed by bassist Sonny Croft, Steve Grodman (drums), Jack Walker (keyboards), and Danny Reed on lead guitar, along with a six-piece horn section and three backup singers: Brenda Linton, Robin Russell and Rhea Simon. The repertoire includes more obvious Elvis oldies, tunes like "All Shook Up," "Love Me Tender" and "Mystery Train," as well as (unfortunately) a bunch of Elvis's cheesier go-to favorites, such as "Lord, You Gave Me A Mountain," "How Great Thou Art," the ever-dreadful "American Trilogy" and of course, "My Way." And the crowd goes wild! (By the way, I'm not really sure which one of these Elvis-y Ronnie Speeks albums came out first -- the one above is dated, this one is not.)

Barry Stanton "A Tribute To The King: Rare Songs, 1957-1965" (Canetoad Records, 1988) (LP)
Vintage recordings from Australian rocker Barry John Stanton (1941-2018) who was born in London, but emigrated to New South Wales and grew up in the suburbs of Sydney. Stanton's career really started in 1959, when he landed a spot on a teen-oriented TV show called Six O'Clock Rock and briefly recorded for the Australian wing of RCA Records. In 1964 he cut a manic single called "Tribute To The King" which strung the song titles of a zillion Elvis songs together into a goofball narrative, with zippy backing by an Aussie rock band called The Devils. Stanton's tenure at RCA was brief -- they only released two of his singles before dropping him, though he recorded several songs that went unreleased at the time, as did his earlier demos from 1957, all of which are gathered on this retrospective album. Big, broad, schmaltzy, robust pop-rock vocals. Fun stuff!

Art Stillman "Hommage A Elvis Presley Par Art Stillman" (Les Treteaux, 1973) (LP)

The Swing Cats "...Present A Special Tribute To Elvis" (Cleopatra Records, 2000)
(Produced by Danny B. Harvey, Robi Banerui, Phillip Gough & Neil McDonnell)
A good-natured retro-rockin' tribute album helmed by a couple of Brian Setzer's former bandmates, bassist Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom, who teamed up with guitar player Danny B. Harvey to form the Swing Cats trio. Guest artists include Johnny Ramone, Lemmy Kilmister (of Motorhead), Kathy Valentine (of The Textones and The Go-Gos) and several others.

Elvis Wade "Elvis Wade" (Elvis Wade Enterprises, 1974) (LP)

Elvis Wade "Introducing Elvis Wade" (Sahara Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Alan Carter & Don Carter)

Elvis Wade "It's Been Ten Years" (MSR Music Group, 1987) (LP)
(Produced by Wade Cummins & David Cherry)

Elvis Wade "Love Me To Pieces" (1999) (CD-R)

Dan Willis "Spelling On The Stone" (Curb Records, 1988) (LP)
(Produced by Lee Stoller & Jimmie Young)
Late-vintage Elvis conspiracy music, recorded by Presley imitator Dan Willis, a professional Nashville vocalist who was a member of Christy Lane's road band and who moonlighted as a real faux Elvis. The title track is (I assume) a reference to some kind of supposed typo on Elvis Presley's headstone which (I imagine) was at some point fixated on by the seven percent of Americans who one believed that Elvis was actually still alive... It's delivered in full, corny, I'm-actually-Elvis vocals, as is the rest of the record. But as pop stunts go, this is pretty marginal: Dan Willis might have had a fun, hokey lounge act but he really doesn't sound that much like Elvis on record, certainly not enough that you'd believe this was an album made by The King himself. Also, the tinkly-sounding keyboards and 'Eighties-era Curb Record production sound are kind of tacky. I get it, but I don't care.

Various Artists "A TRIBUTE TO THE KING" (Royal Master Records, 19--?) (LP)
Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, the Royal Master label was one of the premier "song-poem" custom-pressing labels, where aspiring songwriters, spinsters, pranksters and all varieties of musical kooks could send in their handcrafted lyrics and have them set to music and pressed into wax, usually as part of some pseudo-compilation album package deal along with the work of various other folks. The passing away and lyrical exaltation of Elvis Presley was, naturally, a big topic for these folks to tackle, and this is one of a few albums pursuing this theme. It's a little misleading in that the cover art may showcase the names of the authors as though they themselves perform on the album, when in fact it's usually the in-house musicians doing the pickin' and singing the songs, but hey, what's a little fudging of the facts between friends? The real-life musicians included Jaye Pauley, Gina Val, Matt Vincent and Jim Ward, while the composer credits go to a slew of well-meaning fans: Faye Brooks, Mabel B. Brothers, Ralph H. Gibbs, Peter Gleeter, Agnes C. Hausinger, Arelious James, Rena Faye Jordan, Mary Harwell McCleary, Carrie Lee McDonald, Emma McFarland, Jeanie McMinn, Gaynelle Ridenhour, Grace Sweet, and Dollie Mae Young. Lord only knows if these were all real people: don't ask me! Speaking of the Good Lord, an awful lot of these songs took a religious approach to the passing of Presley, with titles like "There's A New Star In Heaven," "Elvis Believed In Jesus," "God Needed A Rock And Roll Angel," "Sacred To The Memory Of Elvis," "Elvis Kept His Promise," and "Elvis, King Of All Kings." I'm not saying this album is gonna sound great or anything, but if you're looking for kitschy pop-Americana, look no further.

Various Artists "ALL SHOOK UP: A TRIBUTE TO ELVIS" (Date unknown)
(Produced by Gene Kern & Steve Kern)
Several tracks each from three different guys, Warren Browne, Tim Hillard and Rick Preston, music proclaimed to be "as recorded from the TV special," though they aren't very specific about which one, where, or when. Canada, apparently, but that's about all I know. Also, this seems to be the only record these three guys made, with the exception of Rick Preston, who later cut a novelty single called "Elvis Is Alive And Well (And Playin' Santa At Sears)." That came out in 1991, suggesting that Preston may have had a longer career as an Elvis-adjacent artist, since this "all shook up" concert album sure looks like something from the 'Seventies. Anyway, this might call for a little additional research.

Various Artists "DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ELVIS" (Royal Master Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Alex Zanetis & Jim Ward)

Various Artists "ELVIS: A TRIBUTE FROM HIS FANS" (Royal Master Records, 19--?) (LP)
As with the Royal Master collections above, this is a set of paid-money-to-put-to-music "song poems," with lyrics sent in by grieving Presley fans and hastily spun into songs by a buncha off-the-radar Nashville cats, no doubt not that long after Elvis's death. The lyricists included Edith Ansel (thoughtfully thinking of "Lisa Marie"), Eva Avery (who penned "Elvis Above"), Jack W. Cartwright ("The King's Last Farewell"), Ernestine Chapman ("He Gave Us Elvis"), Rose Crow ("Rest In Peace, Elvis"), Robert Demsko, Nancy Fields, Betty Wyke Gearing, Mary V. Lamson, Alexander Oliver, Wanda Owens, Linda Sims, and Juanita Vick, who offers up a cosmic vision of Elvis Presley as "The Infinite Star," which I guess must be true, because here I am writing this right now, and there you are reading it (or assimilating it, if you're AI) right then... and all this Elvis stuff is still happening because I guess Elvis is still alive! (Far out, man.) As part of the deal, the songwriters also got their pictures on the back cover, and seem to have come from fairly diverse walks of life. The vocalists included Jaye Pauley, Matt Vincent and Jim Ward, who all worked on the TRIBUTE TO THE KING album as well... I'd guess they were basically recorded at the same time, with the same set of musicians

Various Artists "ELVIS IMPERSONATOR BLUES" (Helvis Records, 1995)
A more punky, modern nod at Elvis-o-philia, with sort of a kooky. rando, see-what-sticks vibe. This was released as an LP in the United Kingdom, but spotlights musicians from all over the world. Welsh rocker Peter Singh contributes two tracks, while other artists include Lux & Ivy (of the Cramps) singing "Is Elvis Alive?" as well as rockabilly old-timers Con Archer and Gene Summers, French pop crooner Ringo (aka Guy Bayle), Japanese rocker Masaaki Hirao, and others far more obscure. Possibly the funniest track, conceptually, is "I'm Not Trying To Be Like Elvis," from Jimmy Ellis, a first-generation American rocker whose late-1970s second act -- as "Orion" -- was of course literally based on the rumor that he was, in fact, a not-dead Elvis Presley working under an assumed name. This set's possibly a bit more marginal than you might like, but it does show just how far Elvis pop culture kitsch can go...

Various Artists "ELVIS IS STILL THE KING" (Royal Master Records, 19--?) (LP)
It's possible that Elvis single-handedly saved the song-poem industry from extinction, as seen with this third (no, wait... fourth! I mean, fifth...!) set of tribute songs from the folks at Royal Master. Same basic crew: arrangements by Jim Ward and Alex Zanetis, vocals by Jaye Pauley, Gina Val, Matt Vincent and Jim Ward, and a whole new group of marks, er... songwriters: Vincent Atebi, Stella Burks, Joseph Cilenti, Ann Cochran, Mary Crump, Essie Pearl Dillon, Ethel Frederick, Ray Harris, Ruth Varney Hylton, Sandy Miller, Frances Montgomery, Charles Norcross, Jeanne E. Oberlander, Perlita Randall, and Regina D. Snyder... Good thing I didn't know about song-poems when I was a kid, because I totally would have spend all my milk money getting one made!

Various Artists "ELVIS MANIA, v.1" (Silly Records, 2005) (LP)
A massive, eight-disc compilation series by some mysterious folks who definitely had a clear agenda, and a concrete plan of. Mostly organized chronologically, these CDs all came out at the same time, and included tribute songs, topical tunes, unabashed imitators and, after Presley passed away, a bunch of homages, eulogies, impersonations and Elvis-is-coming back songs. This first disc is all material from 1956, when Presley had become a full-on pop culture phenomenon, kicking off with the series title track, "Elvis Mania," then swiftly moving into a barrage of kooky novelty numbers ("Elvis Presley For President," "Elvis And The Space Looters," "Around The World With Elwood Pretzel," etc.), soundalikes and parody numbers (including Stan Freberg's brilliant lampoon of "Heartbreak Hotel." Of particular note is pachuco/latin dance bandleader Lalo Guerrero, whose novelty classic "Marijuana Boogie" was a well-worn staple of 1970s freeform radio, and whose satirical "Elvis Perez" song anticipated the whole El Vez schtick by a good thirty years. If you wanna get serious about enjoying goofy Elvis kitsch, this series sets the gold standard.

Various Artists "ELVIS MANIA, v.2" (Silly Records, 2005) (LP)
The mania continued, with this second volume covering 1957-59, and the deluge of topical songs surrounding the big pop culture shocker-oonie of Elvis Presley getting drafted in the the United States Army. A mad profusion of bemused or traumatized novelty numbers followed, and some of them were real doozies, like "Marching Elvis," "Bye, Bye Elvis," "Elvis In The Army," "Gonna Get Even With Elvis Presley's Sergeant," "I Just Want Be Elvis Presley's Sergeant," "Alright Private," "Dear 53310761," and "Leave My Sideburns Be." And while Elvis was away doing his duty, a battalion of would-be replacements trooped across the nation's bandstands and airwaves covering his hits and wiggling their hips, mystery-train howling hound dawgs galore belted out by greasy-haired rockers such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Conway Twitty, Little Richard, Carl Perkins and Rickie Nelson, all willing to selflessly sacrifice themselves to the screaming teenybopper hordes, fans eager to fill the void while The King was away on maneuvers. What's not to love?

Various Artists "ELVIS MANIA, v.3" (Silly Records, 2005) (LP)
This volume covers 1960-63... With Elvis getting discharged in March, 1960, a new flood of topical songs emerged, novelty numbers like "Elvis Is Rocking Again," "When Elvis Marches Home Again," the totally dissimilar "When The Sergeant Comes Marching Home," "The Return Of The All American Boy" (an answer song to Bobby Bare's "All American Boy," which came out when Elvis went in, and Bare's new tune, "I'm Hangin' Up My Rifle," and a few others. Once everybody got that out of their system and Presley got back to making movies and having hits, the other artist went back to regular old parodies, novelty numbers and cover songs. And they're all here, baby!!

Various Artists "ELVIS MANIA, v.4" (Silly Records, 2005) (LP)
Volume Four covers a lot more chronological ground... 1964 to 1977, from his years off the radar to 'his 68 comeback, his "Fat Elvis" Vegas years and, well, his slow dissolution and ignominious death in 1977. I'm kind of surprised his comeback show wasn't more of a big deal, but I guess the culture had moved on since the Eisnenhower years and teen novelty tunes weren't such a big thing by then. When he died, though... hoo, boy. The floodgates were just starting to open here, with a few sincere eulogy tunes such as J. D. Sumner's "Elvis Has Left The Building," but the real deluge was yet to come. There was also some really mean-spirited stuff, like "He Ate Too Many Jelly Donuts" by radio host/comedian Rick Dees, but that was the exception to the rule. Still, this is yet another impressive entry into this series... who knew there were so many of these things!?

Various Artists "ELVIS MANIA, v.5" (Silly Records, 2005) (LP)
These tracks were all released in 1977, and include the first wave of Elvis tribute songs. Other than rocker Billy Burnette and country artists Leon Everette and Red Sovine, this is a VERY obscure set of musicians, guys and gals who mostly released only one or two singles in their entire career. Notable exceptions include Canadian Presley 'personator Bobby Fisher and Danny Mirror from the Netherlands, who both recorded full albums, as well as songwriter Tommy Durden (1919-1999) who is best remembered for co-composing "Heartbreak Hotel" with Mae Axton, way back when...

Various Artists "ELVIS MANIA, v.6" (Silly Records, 2005) (LP)
Yet another swath of Elvis homages, recorded between 1977-81, with some big-name stars like Merle Haggard and Leon Russell getting in on the act, along with a slew of randos and lesser-known rockers. Of particular note are a couple of songs by Mark James, one of Presleys go-to songwriters in the early 1970s. The liner notes provide a running commentary of "Elvis Mania," per se, including an account of a two-day long Elvis convention held in Memphis on August 16-18, 1980, which was raided on the second day by the FBI when reports of music bootlegs reached the ears of J. Edgar Killjoy. Big meanies. (Don't tell them about these CDs by the way!!)

Various Artists "ELVIS MANIA, v.7" (Silly Records, 2005) (LP)

Various Artists "ELVIS MANIA, v.8" (Silly Records, 2005) (LP)
Although there are a handful of late-vintage Elvis novelty tribute numbers that kick this disc off, this eighth (and final?) set in the series is dominated by over a dozen bootlegged Elvis demos and outtakes, including at least one raunchy, "blue" number with Elvis on a hot mic. Whoever these Silly Records people wee they knew their stuff!

Various Artists "ELVIS WE STILL LOVE YOU" (Royal Master Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Alex Zanetis & Jim Ward)
The hits just kept on coming...

Various Artists "ELVIS WILL LIVE ON!" (Royal Master Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Alex Zanetis & Jim Ward)
The hits just kept on coming...

Various Artists "FOR THE LOVE OF ELVIS" (Super-Star Records, 1977) (LP)
An earlier compilation that set the template for future novelty-song collections like the Elvis Mania compilations above... This log-player came out the year Presley died, and includes a lot of old material -- 'Fifties/'Sixties novelty numbers like Sonny Cole's "I Dreamed I Was Elvis," "I Want Elvis For Christmas" by the Holly Twins, Stan Freberg's "Heartbreak Hotel" parody, and a slew of Elvis-getting-drafted topical songs, stuff that was anthologized later as well. Maybe it's been superseded in the digital era, but it's still pretty spiffy. Plus it's even got an early faux-Elvis tune called "I Have Returned," by artist Unknown.

Various Artists "RUSSIAN TRIBUTE OF ELVIS PRESLEY: 2020" (Thousand Records, 2020)
Yikes.

Various Artists "SOUNDS LIKE ELVIS -- EARLY ELVIS IMITATORS: 1956-1977" (Collectables Records, 1996)
(Produced by Roy C. Ames)
Well, kudos to Collectables for putting this one together. Like Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams and Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley exerted a huge influence on the popular culture and spawned legions of soundalike wannabees... This oldies collection is a little different than most of the tribute artists above in that these were guys who were singing like Elvis while he was still alive, with a lineup that includes both relatively well known rockabilly artists like Royce Porter, Gene Summers and Jimmy Velvit, as well as a slew of total obscuros -- Sammy Atchison, Dan Bowden, Carl Canida, Harold Casner, Gene Rambo and others. The repertoire includes plenty of covers -- "Don't Be Cruel," "Mystery Train," etc. -- as well as topical songs and parodies like "Rockin' With Elvis," "Elvis Stole My Gal" and "Don't Be Shy," as well as a bunch of old rockabilly songs that simply ape some fo Presley's vocal mannerisms. Plenty of fun for those who are into it!

Various Artists "THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE ELVIS!! VOCAL CLONES, v.1" (Memphis Records, ????)
Another couple dozen tracks along the same vein, though from a label of much murkier, bootleggier, more dubious provenance. That's because many of these artists are much more famous than the ducktailed dudes on the Sounds Like Elvis set above... and more likely to sue someone for copyright infringement. We're talking about guys like Conway Twitty, Sleepy LaBeef, Roy Head and Ral Donner (as well as a whole new slew of super-obscuros). And, yeah, I know a lot of these guys have passed on and are singing harmony with The King up on the steps of the Pearly Gates, but there's no shortage of lawyers out there with too much time on their hands. Anyway, more goofy, good-natured fun, and heavier on the cover songs... also maybe a bit dodgy on the sound quality, but you get what you pay for.

Various Artists "WE ALL WANNA SOUND LIKE ELVIS" (Popularity Records, 1997) (LP)
A dodgy-looking set, apparently from an Italian label, with a decidedly bootleggy look to it. Nonetheless, this is a goldmine for global Elvisologists, including a few well-known artists -- Conway Twitty, Ral Donner, Tommy Sands -- and a bunch of singles-only obscuros from all over the globe. Lots of American rockabilly artists, with a fair smattering of guys from the UK and its Commonwealth, including Barry Stanton, whose "Tribute To The King" kicks things off. Plenty of cover songs as well as a few topical tunes, such as "Elvis And Me" from The Kids, Peter De Bree's "Hey, Mr. Presley," "My Baby's Crazy 'Bout Elvis" by Billy Boyle, the hopeful "The King Is Coming Back," and "Goodbye King Of Rock 'N' Roll," a 1977 eulogy song that helped launch the career of early '80s country star Leon Everette. Pull at these threads, and you'll find that Elvis is, indeed, everywhere.

Elvis Presley "Elvis 75: Good Rockin' Tonight" (Sony-BMG Legacy, 2009)
This fab 4-CD retrospective covers Presley's entire career, from his legendary first recording (a one-off vanity pressing of "My Happiness" which he paid to record as a gift for his mother) to the post-millennial dance remix of "A Little Less Conversation." In between there are the thunderous early rockabilly hits ("Heartbreak Hotel," "That's All Right," etc.) the goofy movie songs ("Blue Hawaii," "King Creole") a ton of sentimental ballads, a smidge of gospel, some toss-offs, some gems ("His Latest Flame," "Little Sister") and his post-1968 comeback hits such as "Suspicious Minds" and "In The Ghetto," and finally his glitzy years of Las Vegas self-parody and extravagance. It's a remarkable swath of American music, showing Presley's roots not only in African-American blues and hillbilly twang, but also a deep and abiding love of pure cornball romanticism and Tin Pan Alley pop vocals. Indeed, one of the striking things about Elvis' early years is the high proportion of non-rock material -- after all, the song he recorded for his mom was about as sappy as you could get, and he really, honestly loved that stuff. All of this is what made Presley one of the great American entertainers - he liked all kinds of music, and appealed to all kinds of fans. What we have here is perhaps the best single collection of his work (outside of some monolithic "complete recordings" set) which not only touches all the bases, but also digs deep and adds texture and nuance to the Elvis mythos. Sure, every Elvis fan in the world will lament the omission of a tune or two that they *wish* were here (where's "Clam Bake"??) but what is included is pretty impressive. A stellar overview of one of the world's pivotal pop artists... (and a real country boy, to boot!)

Elvis Presley "From Elvis In Memphis" (Sony Legacy, 2009)
A deluxe reissue of two albums that Elvis recorded in 1969, following his much-vaunted 1968 comeback concert... Here he was working with producer Chips Moman and "The Memphis Boys" studio crew some fine, funky, soulful session players who gave the King a solid modern sound... Times had changed a lot since Elvis made his recording debut back in 1950s-era Memphis, but Elvis had changed, too, and his louche crooning style fit well with the sexy R&B vibe pioneered by the Wrecking Crew and their generation. The 1969 album, From Elvis In Memphis opens with a funky R&B dazzler, "Wearin' That Loved On Look," which has a surprisingly modern, ahead-of-its-time sound; after this futuristic romp, the rest of the album dips into the past, with curious covers of standards like "Long Black Limousine" and Hank Snow's old hit, "I'm Movin' On," as well as a cover of John Hartford's "Gentle On My Mind," which was gaining currency at the time. The album that followed, 1970's Back In Memphis, also mixed old and new -- some of it seems outdated, some of it seems genius -- but in between came one of his biggest triumphs, the smash single, "Suspicious Minds," which is released here in the original mono mix, along with about a dozen other bonus tracks that were recorded in the same sessions as the album tracks. It's a cohesive, thoughtful package, a great reissue effort which gives a pretty clear picture of what Elvis was really up to at this pivotal point in his career. Good for fans and skeptics alike.

Elvis Presley "Elvis Country (Legacy Edition)" (Sony Legacy, 2012)
A twofer reissue of two roots/country-oriented albums Presley recorded at the height of the countrypolitan era, Elvis Country, and Love Letters From Elvis, both from from 1971. Super-duper over-the-top, cornball pop-country arrangements and weird, schmaltzy vocals from the King. He sort of sounds like Charlie Rich, but less sincere; the most interesting aspect of the Country album is the early '70s studio crew, which included several RCA heavy-hitters such as guitarist Jerry Reed, who added some wicked slide guitar on an otherwise lackluster cover of "Whole Lotta Shaking Going On." (I had to check the liner notes and make sure it wasn't actually Duane Allman playing lead...) Includes both then-current hits and then-classic oldies: if you ever wanted to hear Elvis sing "Snowbird," here's your chance.

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