|
If you love Elvis and the Happy Days Rock 'n Roll he
brought us, click here to go to a wide selection of the
most and best selections of that old time rock 'n
roll...
 'Tribute
to the King' is just that...John Beardsley shows respect and love for
Presley
by Daniel Hines
Publisher
America'sSeniors/TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com
I remember describing growing up in the
1950s as similar to Dorothy awakening in Oz...'Toto, I don't believe we're
in Kansas anymore..."
That's the way it was. Cars were
two-tone, some pink and gray. We wore pink shirts and white
bucks. But most importantly, the music changed from that of our
parents to our own style--Little Richard, Fats Domino, Bill Haley ,but
most importantly, Elvis Presley.
I never got to see Presley in person,
although I started collecting his records--long gone--when he was on the
Sun Label. His sound was new and different and he personified the
good bad boy.
I have seen dozens of Elvis
impersonators since then, so when my friends, Joel and Yvonne Gray
insisted that we must see 'A Tribute to the King' with John Beardsley at
the Texas Troubadour Theatre during our recent visit to Nashville, I was
not expecting much new.
After nearly a two-hour show, I changed
my mind. John, a highly personable and talented singer, treats his
show not as a copy of Presley, but as the tribute implied in the
name.
He does so by singing The King's shows
from throughout his career. And, especially on the songs from the
later stages of The King's career, he does an outstanding job.
It is obvious that John respects the
music of Presley. "I approach the show from the view that I don't
care what people say about his personal life and what he was accused of
doing, but from his gift of music to us," John says.
'A Tribute to the King' is the only
continuous running show in Nashville honoring Presley. It is appropriately
set on the stage of the Texas Troubador Theater at the Ernest Tubb record
shop, where, if you wish, you can see the tour bus of the legendary Tubb
(it traveled more than 3 million miles.)
Beardsley is especially outstanding on
the Gospel segment of the show. As our visitors to America's Seniors
know, Gospel was Elvis' favorite form of music, and many legendary Gospel
singers such as Jake Hess (click here to read our interview with Jake)
believe that eventually Elvis might have turned full-time to Gospel
singing.
We were so impressed with John's vocal
rendering of some of the Gospel favorites by Presley that we were
convinced that he really must believe what he was singing, not merely
mouthing the words.
"I do believe the songs," he
explains. "I and my wife are both Christian, and we have a strong
faith."
Our observation: John should
record a Gospel album. The conviction he has is strongly evident.
But, then this is a fun show.
Throughout his costume changes, John never misses a beat. He even
dances with the female members of the audience. While we were there,
one senior lady showed that age had not slowed down any of her body parts
as she engaged in such a vigorous twist that it even brought a smile to
her husband's face.
And, of course, he kisses the ladies.
Yvonne, who has been kissed by John at least three times, had her wishes
fulfilled when he once again kissed her. She was still thanking him
the next morning when we conducted our interview.
John loves seniors. He is well
aware of their contributions to our lives, and in one moving moment, he
asked all the veterans to stand and receive a round of respectful applause
from the audience and the cast members. My friend, Joel, and I
stood, somewhat awkwardly as I am sure was the case with many of the
others, but still grateful for this recognition.
And, unlike Elvis, John doesn't leave
the building when the show is over. Instead, he greets visitors in
the lobby, posing for pictures and signing autographs, even though he must
be tired from a physically demanding show.
This is a show for people of all
ages. But for me, at least, it was a chance to return to that time
when I opened the door and realized that, like Dorothy, I wasn't in Kansas
anymore.
|
Now,
keep up to date with daily feeds of newly posted stories about America's
Seniors...click on the box to the left