ELFISH PRESLEY
I’ve been impersonating Elvis Presley since I was seven – I love everything about him
HE got All Shook Up the moment he heard Elvis’s Blue Suede Shoes for the first time – and now 12-year-old Luca McManus just loves the King.
That is why his dad Leon put him forward for The Sun on Sunday’s great Elvis competition to mark the 45th anniversary of the rocker’s death and find the nation’s top fan or tribute artist.
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Luca, from Leicester, said: “When I was seven my big sister Kim played Blue Suede Shoes.
“I don’t know what happened but my legs just started shaking.
“Elvis died 33 years before I was born. I had never seen or heard about him before.
“But something happened and I couldn’t stop it. Since that day, I’ve been hooked on everything Elvis.
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“I’ve read books on him, watched all his films.
"My bedroom is covered with memorabilia and every weekend we go round the car boot sales to hunt for more treasures.
“My friends like rap music but for me nothing compares to Elvis. I just love everything about him.”
Luca’s parents Leon, 53, an HGV driver, and Sonia, 48, a full-time mum to their ten children, love his passion.
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Leon said: “Luca is a proper old soul and loves nothing more than entertaining us all — we are a big audience.
“My brother spotted the competition in the paper and we were so excited.
“Luca lives and breathes Elvis — even his teachers call him Elvis.
“Sometimes we feel as though Luca has a bit of Elvis in him — we are so proud of him.”
The Sun on Sunday has been flooded with entries for our contest, which is being judged by TV host and Elvis superfan Vernon Kay, 48.
We Can’t Help Falling In Love with all these other contenders too . .
A FAN FROM AGE OF 11
Gran Mary Shaw, 59, from Bournemouth
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SUPERFAN and gran Mary fell for Elvis when she watched his film Blue Hawaii, aged 11.
The admin assistant would later cut out articles from The Sun about him and put them in her Elvis scrapbook, which she still proudly has today.
She said: “My entire house is full of Elvis memorabilia. Over the past few years I have had a tough time.
"I have been divorced and been ill with operations, time in intensive care and Covid.
“But Elvis has helped me through because his songs are there for every occasion.
“It’s his music, the words. I know the lyrics to all of his songs. There’s never a day goes by when I don’t listen to him.”
MY PROPOSAL AS KING
Police worker Aaron Riley, 38, from Wakefield, West Yorks
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POLICE community support officer Aaron loves Elvis so much that there was only one way he was going to propose to his fiancée Katie – by serenading her while he was dressed in a Presley-style gold jumpsuit.
Aaron has even converted his garage into an Elvis-themed room that he calls Graceland Garage.
He said: “I have a vast collection of memorabilia, including more than 500 Elvis vinyls – not bad considering I didn’t discover my love for the King until the 40th anniversary of his death in 2017 and heard his songs on the radio.
“Elvis is the full package. I even proposed to Katie in front of her family while dressed as Elvis.”
I SET AN ELVIS RECORD
Fund-raiser Eddie Vee, 61, from York
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EDDIE has been a fan since watching 1957 film Jailhouse Rock when he was just eight.
As a teenager he used to do impressions of Elvis at the local youth club in return for sweets.
But it wasn’t until 1990 when he was working as an entertainment manager at a holiday camp that he performed as Elvis on stage.
In 2004 he set the world record for performing the biggest number of Elvis songs in 12 hours – a total of 244 songs.
Eddie said: “I’m known as the Yorkshire Elvis and have performed for many charities over the years.
"My love for Elvis started as a young boy, and then setting the world record back in 2004 – that was very special.”
SONGS HELPED GRIEF
Ex-mayor John Woodhouse, 75, from Cambridge
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VETERAN performer John has always loved singing the King’s songs.
The former mayor of Cambridge was left devastated 20 years ago when wife Susan, 52, was killed in a car accident – and it was the rock legend who helped him to carry on.
The grandad, who recently found companionship with partner Margaret, 72, helped many people get through the pandemic with his Elvis songs.
He said: “After Susan died, Elvis’s music was a huge help. So I put on the costume and began singing again.
"I must be the oldest Elvis out there! In the pandemic, I created Facebook page Isolation Sensation and recorded 140 videos singing as Elvis.”
FANS LOVE ‘BLACK ELVIS’
Cleaner Colbert Hamilton, 59, from Brixton, South London
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CLEANER Colbert became hooked on Elvis after he watched news of the King’s death on TV in 1977.
He now performs as an Elvis singer all over the country.
Colbert said: “I was 14 when Elvis died. I remember seeing it on TV and in the following days all his movies were on the telly. I watched them all and became hooked.
“He is the reason I went into music as a teenager and have played with various bands.
“Then, when I was in my late thirties, I got asked to perform as Elvis in a show. After that it just kind of snowballed.
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"I get a lot of people say to me, ‘Yes, a black Elvis!’.
"I do a lot of charity gigs and my entire life has revolved around music, all thanks to Elvis.”
WIN A V.I.P. TRIP TO GRACELAND
HERE’S a prize that’s fit for a King – it’s your chance to enter The Sun on Sunday’s contest to find the ultimate Elvis fan or tribute artist. Above are some of the best early entries.
And it’s one for the money . . .
The incredible £10,000 prize for the winner and their companion includes return flights from London and seven nights’ accommodation in a Memphis hotel with . It also includes two brilliant tours in and a day in the studio with UK-based sound engineer Glenn Keiles.
Two for the show . . .
The winner and their companion will also get free tickets for the Hound Dog Tour, a high-energy concert and sightseeing tour all rolled into one. PLUS they will get to enjoy the Graceland Ultimate VIP tour and spend the night in Elvis’s birthplace with the .
Three to get ready . . .
To enter, dress up and do your best Elvis impersonation or prove you’re the UK’s biggest Elvis superfan with your incredible collection or story.
Now go, cat, go!
Email pics or video of your impression or act to [email protected] with ELVIS COMPETITION in the subject line and explain, in fewer than 200 words, why you are the ultimate Elvis fan or tribute artist.
- Book with netflights.com for the cheapest holidays, hotels and car hire to worldwide destinations. Every day it searches thousands of routes and compares hundreds of airlines to find the cheapest flights.
T&Cs: Competition closes at 12.59am on June 12. Open to residents of the UK and Republic of Ireland only, except for anyone under 18, employees and agents of the Promoter and its group companies, or third parties directly connected with the operation or fulfilment of the promotion and their affiliates, and their immediate families and household members. One entry per person. No cash alternative, prize is non-transferable. Your information will only be used to administer this promotion in accordance with our privacy policy. Promoter is News Group Newspapers Limited.
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