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Viva Largo, baby!

Picked on as a child because of his love of the King,a tribute artist gathers kindred souls to rock and roll.

By RITA FARLOW, Times Staff Writer
Published October 17, 2007

Jeff "Jelvis" LaJess knows he can't compete with the original king of rock 'n' roll.

Even after he slips into his white and silver jumpsuit, combs his thick, black hair and takes the stage.

"I know there's no other Elvis," said LaJess, a Largo resident. "There's only one. There can never be another. I just want to keep his music out there, keep it alive."

On Friday and Saturday, LaJess will bring his Elvis Presley tribute show to his hometown for two nights. The Celebration of a Legend show will feature LaJess and five other Elvis look-alikes the 41-year-old met during his travels to impersonator competitions and tribute events.

LaJess, a deejay for weddings and corporate parties, started the tribute show about two years ago when a client requested an Elvis impersonator. LaJess couldn't find one, so the longtime Elvis fan decided to give it a try himself.

"I ended up getting three jobs," LaJess said.

It was a natural fit. Elvis always had a spot in LaJess' heart. He was just 8 when his grandmother had a tailor make his first jumpsuit - the white one Elvis wore on the cover of his 1971 I Got Lucky album. LaJess said he wore it for two weeks straight.

"My friends used to pick on me constantly because of Elvis," he said. "I was a big-time fan before I started doing this tribute."

Today, being Jelvis (a nickname bestowed by friends) is LaJess' full time gig, though he still emcees on the side.

This summer, as the 30th anniversary of Presley's death approached, LaJess hit the road in an RV and spent three and a half months touring 19 states. Along the way, he picked up awards at several competitions before boarding the inaugural Elvis Cruise by Jazz Cruises LLC.

LaJess makes a distinction between impersonators and dedication artists like himself, who worry less about the accuracy of their imitations and more about teaching new fans about Elvis and refreshing the memories of the older ones.

"There might be 50,000 impersonators out there, but they'll never be what he was," LaJess said.

And just who was the King to LaJess? A down-to-earth everyman, a rebel and a trendsetting performer whose music still speaks to today's generations, LaJess said.

"Everything about him - his personality and his charisma on stage," LaJess said, "was just incredible."

If you go

Elvis Tribute

Jeff "Jelvis" LaJess and five other Elvis tribute artists will perform Celebration of a Legend at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Largo Community Center, 65 Fourth St. NW, Largo. Ken Brady of the Casino's will emcee and the Michael Jayne Project will perform. Tickets are $20; ages 13 and under, $10. For information, visit the Web site at www.geof-inc.com or call the community center at 518-3131.

[Last modified October 16, 2007, 21:58:32]