'Original' Elvis impressionist ready to rock

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Elvis Wade, who says he's the world's first Elvis Presley impressionist, says he got hooked on The King when he was 8 years old. He knows the Presley songbook inside out, and Wade's wife, recording artist Sandy Posey, was even one of Presley's backup singers on a handful of songs. Elvis Wade 7 p.m. Saturday Waikiki Shell $40 pool, $30 terrace, $20 general admission grass; $5 discount for military and those 65 and older 526-4400, (877) 750-4400 Catch other Elvis Presley impressionists Two good bets: "Blue Hawaii: The Show," with Jonathon Von Brana, 5 p.m. dinner seating, 5:45 p.m. cocktail seating, 6:15-7:30 p.m. show, nightly except Tuesdays, Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel. Von Brana does an all-Presley evening. Call 923-1245. Society of Seven Las Vegas, 8:30 p.m. nightly except Mondays, Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach, Main Showroom. The band's impressions include Presley. Call 923-7469.

In fact, Elvis Wade (real name, Wade Cummins), who says he's the world's first Elvis Presley impressionist, is bringing his show to Hawai'i for the first time Saturday at the Waikiki Shell.

Thankyouverymuch.

"I was the guy who started it all, well before all the impersonators came out of the woodwork," Wade said of the Presley look- and sound-alike phenomenon. "Elvis saw my show; his stepmother became a fan, then a friend, and she worked for me as a press agent. I have been ranked No. 1 around the world."

Sounds like bragging, he said, "but it's the truth."

Wade's performance here, with a 15-member entourage, belatedly commemorates the 30th anniversary of The King's historic satellite-live "Aloha From Hawai'i" concert in January 1973 from the Blaisdell Arena (then the Honolulu International Center) beamed to a global audience of 1 billion viewers. Wade is billing his evening "Aloha Again From Hawai'i."

His interest in Presley all started when Wade was 8. "I had two teenaged sisters who were huge Elvis fans, and they played his records — stacks of those 45 (rpm) things — when our family lived in Detroit," he said. "We had an uncle, who was an alcoholic, staying with us. He frequented the local taverns and brought me with my guitar to the bars. When I performed, everyone gave me dimes and quarters for the songs ... I think I was the only 8-year-old to make a lot of money."

By 16, Wade said he truly resembled the rock 'n' roller, so a career was in the making.

Wade walks the walk and talks the talk and is a spitting image of the original. Long hair. Southern drawl (Tennessee roots, not a put-on). The lip curl. The body language. The costumes.

The kicker, he said, is his four-octave voice, a range that enables Wade to sound like Elvis in all his eras: the late '50s, the '60s and the '70s.

And he knows the Presley songbook forward and backward but adheres to mainstream hits. Further, his wife, recording star Sandy Posey ("Single Girl," "Born a Woman," "I Take It Back"), has a Presley connection — she was one of his backup singers on such tunes as "In the Ghetto," "The Wonder of You" and "How Great Thou Art." Another of his backup singers, Mary Holiday, also supported Presley in such recordings as "Suspicious Minds."

Plus, he's got his share of an insider's buzz: "Elvis was 5-11 tall, but put in two-inch lifts in all his shoes; he had a thing about height, so he always said he was 6-1," said Wade, revealing this little-known tidbit. "I am 5-11 and 190 pounds. I don't know what his normal weight was, but he's been up and down."

Elvis was heavy at the time of his death 26 years ago, on Aug. 16, 1977. He was 42.

Presley once saw Wade do his Elvis thing, in a Nashville gig in 1976.

"I never had the chance to meet him, but he and his entourage gave me a standing ovation," Wade said. "He was wearing a hat and a beard, brought in by Mae Boren Axton (who wrote 'Heartbreak Hotel,' Presley's first single). Later, his stepmother, Dee Presley, worked with me as my press agent because she liked what I did, and she shared his feelings about my Elvis act."

Presley remains popular today, Wade said, because he epitomizes the American dream. "He was an absolute nobody that became a huge success. Elvis was a dirt-poor farmer's boy who rose to become a world-class entertainer, and often quoted a poem, 'Without a Dream,' saying every dream he ever dreamed came true," he said.

While he still gets all shook up about the Presley persona, he knows when to turn it on and off. In civvies, he still gets glares and glances and requests for autographs because of his uncanny resemblance to Presley.

Wade saw Presley perform live twice. "The first time was awesome; he was a consummate performer, with a great voice, a charisma unmatched by anyone I've ever seen."

But he has some misgivings about his intense immersion into the Presley life and times.

"The one thing that disappointed me about Elvis was when, late in his career, he would go back and sing songs like 'Hound Dog,' 'Don't Be Cruel' and 'Teddy Bear.' He didn't use the same arrangements and he didn't sound like his old self; his earlier tenor had changed to a baritone and the same arrangements were gone," Wade said. In his tribute, he attempts to adhere to the original sound and style. And — thank you very much — "I'll Remember You" will be part of the Hawaiian ties.

Reach Wayne Harada at 525-8067, fax 525-8055 or wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.