Meet the Great pretenders

'In many ways, Elvis was black'

COLBERT HAMILTON, BLACK ELVIS, 44, LONDON

"I tried to get on to Stars in Their Eyes, but they wouldn't let me because of my skin colour.

"They said, 'Elvis wasn't black.' They asked me if I could be Little Richard instead!

"But in many ways, Elvis was black. He was influenced by black music, particularly soul and gospel. You just need to listen to his early recordings for proof.

"Elvis is an example of how black music has frequently been hijacked by white people; you could say I'm bringing the music full circle.

"I started singing Elvis when I was a teenager. My mum bought Elvis records after he died.

"I'd play them and sing along in my bedroom, holding a hairbrush as a microphone.

"My first gig was at London's Kabaret Club, in front of Madonna and Rod Stewart. I only had four songs. Now I've got a full set, including all Elvis eras, from rockabilly to Vegas.

"I've had various reactions. Some people think I'm a joke. But once they see me perform, they realise I'm no gimmick.

"Black women love the show; black men are not so keen. They sit with their arms folded. But I see their feet tapping under the table. Elvis has taught me not to take myself too seriously. Elvis was a great entertainer [who] could make fun of himself.

"Robbie Williams is the closest equivalent we have today in Britain.

"There's nothing worse than an Elvis tribute act that takes himself too seriously. That makes your toes curl."

'Men kiss me at the end'

JANNY JAMES, FEMALE ELVIS, 43, HERTFORDSHIRE

"I'm very aware that people think I'm gay, which I'm not. Men dress up in pantomime. But as soon as it's the other way round, people are suspicious.

"My family thinks I'm crazy. Sometimes, when I put the suit on, I wonder if I'm barmy. But it's entertainment. I love being Elvis for a couple of hours. It's a great escape, like stepping back in time.

"I was four years old when I started singing. My first performance was at Beesons Holiday Camp, Torquay. I did two shows a week, two weeks every year, for seven years. I became Britain's first lady Elvis aged 18. I didn't think anyone else would be crazy enough to follow. Now there are two more lady Elvii. It took two years to deepen my voice. Some days I couldn't talk because I practised so much; now my voice is deeper than some of the male acts.

"I takes me two hours to fix my hair - I don't have it cut short, so I have to fix it with hairspray. I love seeing the shock on people's faces when I start performing. They realise that I've got the looks, the moves and the voice. I love the 1960s black-leather era and the 1970s Las Vegas era.

"I get a great reaction from the crowd. My shows involve men more than a male Elvis show does. Men kiss me at the end - they wouldn't do that if I were a male Elvis."

'If Elvis were alive he'd come to Scotland'

DAVID GEDDES, SCOTTISH ELVIS, 22, INVERNESS

"I love Elvis and God. Elvis makes me feel closer to God; he loved church and did lots of gospel music. Elvis has taught me to live in peace. You don't get life lessons from modern music.

"I sometimes cry when I listen to Elvis. His voice is so silky, it could attract angels. I'd love to sing Elvis in my church, but the chaplain refuses, insisting we sing old-fashioned hymns. I think the congregation would enjoy Elvis.

"Scotland is full of Elvis fans; unfortunately not many of them are in Inverness. I go online to chat with other fans. Last night I chatted to Elvis's former girlfriend and concert producer from the 1970s.

"I've met some weird fans, though. One was convinced he saw Elvis walking drunk down Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow, another thought he'd seen Elvis in Tesco in Edinburgh. They believe Elvis is alive. Crazy.

"If Elvis were alive today he'd come to Scotland. Pitlochry Theatre would be a great venue. Elvis would love the stage and scenery.

"I bought my first Elvis record when I was 12. My bedroom is covered with Elvis memorabilia; I buy most of it on eBay. You can get almost anything online, even bits of his old jackets.

"I started performing last year and the Scottish Arts Council gave me £200 to buy an Elvis jumpsuit. Girls love it. I love performing in old folks' homes. I get a great reaction. They get up to dance, even with their Zimmer frames."

'I'm performing at Graceland'

JAMIE MCDONNELL-ROBERTS, TEENAGE ELVIS, 16, SWANSEA

"I act older than I am on stage, or so people tell me. I've had women in the audience throwing their bras at me. I was quite taken aback the first time - I was only 15. But it's just part of the fun.

"I've also been told that I'm like Elvis when he was young. People say I've got the same raw quality as he had when he started. I love his early music.

"I started performing as Elvis when I was 12. My school asked me to perform as Elvis at the annual concert - in Welsh - because I had a quiff. I loved singing Elvis. But in Welsh? Never again. Elvis in Welsh just doesn't work.

"My friends were surprised that I decided to continue and become an Elvis tribute act. They couldn't understand why I didn't choose a modern singer. I tell them I love the style and the voice.

"I was brought up with Elvis: my mother was a big fan. I hijacked her CDs and sang along at home. I remember listening to Return to Sender and thinking it wasn't like anything else I'd heard.

"Now my Elvis act is really taking off. I'm one of 30 finalists in the BBC contest, The World's Greatest Elvis. I'm flying to America this week to perform at Graceland for the anniversary celebrations. And I'll perform with Kraig Parker, America's leading tribute artist.

"I'm over the moon. I'm living my dream."

'I throw in some Yiddish'

MARTIN DIAS, JEWISH ELVIS, 45, HERTFORDSHIRE

"When I started there were all kinds of Elvis tribute acts - Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Chinese - but no Jewish. I was Britain's first Jewish Elvis.

"I perform at Bar Mitzvahs, Jewish functions, synagogues. If it's a Jewish gig I throw in some Yiddish.

"Most people don't realise that Elvis was Jewish. His mother told him never to admit to his religion. His Jewishness didn't emerge much until after he died. Maybe that's why he doesn't have the same Jewish following as stars such as Barbra Streisand or Neil Diamond.

"Being an Elvis tribute artist is the greatest job in the world. I gave up my day job as UK operations manager for a software company to do this full-time. I've no regrets.

"It's the nearest thing you can get to being Elvis. The best part is just before going on stage, getting into costume and starting to talk with an American accent. Each time it sends tingles down my neck.

"It has taken me years to get Elvis hair. My hair is naturally blond. I used to wear wigs. Awful. Now I dye my hair black every four weeks, and every few days I touch up my sideburns with colour so the grey hairs don't show.

"I don't believe I am Elvis, unlike some people. When the suit comes off I'm me again. But I do think Elvis and I share the same values. He was a genuinely nice guy who was good at singing. I like to think I'm the same."

ELVIS: MYTHS AND LEGENDS

ELVIS RETIRED TO SOUTH AMERICA

THERE are many conspiracy theories as to why Elvis's death might have been a hoax, but the most popular is that he simply got tired of fame and decided to start a new life incognito. What has fuelled speculation among believers is that, on the day it was announced that Elvis had died, a man by the name of John Burrows purchased a one-way ticket, with cash, to Buenos Aires. 'John Burrows' was one of Elvis's aliases when travelling.

ELVIS WAS OBSESSED WITH HIS MOTHER

UNLIKE the womaniser he was portrayed to be, Elvis was in fact an out-and-out mummy's boy, which prevented him forming proper relationships with other women. He's said to have slept in his mother Gladys's bed until he became a teenager, and she walked him to school every day till he was 15. When she died, he was apparently heard speaking in baby talk to his mother's grave, as he had done when she was alive.

WAS IT SUICIDE?

IN A bid to preserve Presley's reputation as the King of rock'n'roll, the initial coroner's report said he died from "cardiac arrhythmia". However, it was later revealed that 14 different drugs (including valium and codeine) had been found in his system, many of those well above the therapeutic level. This means that Elvis died from polypharmacy - the simultaneous use of multiple drugs. But was it an accident? Although he relied heavily on pills to get through the day, his stepbrother David Stanley has since said: "He was too intelligent to overdose. He knew the PDR inside and out." The PDR, or Physicians' Desk Reference, is a standard work on the effects of various medicines. Stanley is thus convinced that Elvis took his own life.

ARE ELVIS AND OPRAH RELATED?

THERE does appear to be some truth to the rumour that these two American icons are blood relatives. According to a Utah genealogist, Oprah Winfrey's great-grandfather, Nelson Presley of North Carolina, was the son of a slave belonging to Thomas Presley, one of Elvis's direct ancestors. A census in 1860 listed two slaves, then 16 and nine, held by Thomas Presley as being of mixed race. As the slaves were living with Thomas Presley at the time the boys were born, he is the most likely candidate to have been their non-black father. Either one of them would have been old enough to be the father of Oprah's great-grandfather Nelson, born in 1872.