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Letter to the editor

Six Elvises ready to shake, rattle and roll

By RITA FARLOW, Times Staff Writer
Published October 19, 2007

As the crowd goes wild in celebration of Elvis's birthday, Kenny Grube, 39 performs in front of a standing room only crowd at the annual Elvis Birthday Bash at the Largo Cultural Center.
	[Willie J. Allen, Jr. | Times]

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."

Today 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 DJ for weddings and corporate parties, started the 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.

"I ended up getting three jobs," he 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.

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.

If you go

Elvis tribute

Jeff "Jelvis" LaJess and five other Elvis tribute artists will perform Celebration of a Legend at 7 p.m. today 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 19, 2007, 00:09:29]