Elvis Aaron Presley died 39 years ago on Aug. 16, 1977, but the King’s legacy lives on—not just in his music and movies—but through Elvis impersonators around the world.
Cody Ray Slaughter, 24, and Shawn Klush, 48, are the preeminent performers among tens of thousands of Elvis tribute artists rocking around the world today.
Klush, of Pittston, Pennsylvania, portrayed Elvis in the short-lived HBO series Vinyl and was named Elvis Presley Enterprises’ first “Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist” in Memphis. In 2011, Slaughter, of Harrison, Arkansas, was named Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist and received the New Horizon Award for best new Elvis Tribute Artist.
The pair, who portray Elvis during two different periods of his life—the 1950s and the 1970s, talked with Parade about their favorite moments as the King.
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What is it like to portray Elvis night after night?
Cody Ray Slaughter: I like to see the joy that is brought to people’s faces and you really get to see how much this music means to people. The whole deal is just something special.
Shawn, I read that you’ve been imitating Elvis since you were very young. When did you know you wanted to be an Elvis tribute artist?
Shawn Klush: I don’t know anybody born in the mid-’60s that didn’t [curl their lip or shake their hips]. It’s a natural thing for me to do. It just comes very easy to me. Finally, after a long time, I realized, “Wow, this is what I was supposed to do.”
Why did you decide to focus your career on a certain period of Elvis’s life?
SK: I think because [the ‘70s era] was polished. What he was doing was considered high energy. It was just a dramatic, big, power ballad thing, which he started, nobody else was doing it at the time.
CR: I think because I’m young, that [the ‘50s] just fit better and I’ve always been into the ‘50s Elvis, and people think I do it well. The early Elvis is that historic moment that the world was introduced to Elvis. He made history back in ’56 [when he had 17 songs on Billboard’s Top 100 chart, including “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Love Me Tender.”]
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What has been your most memorable moment when performing?
SK: In Scotland, our manager had to lie and say that we were gone. The people ran out of the auditorium to the street. When we went out, they almost tore us to pieces. I also shot Vinyl for HBO!
CR: Honestly, whenever you just look out in the crowd, you see people smiling so big and they’re so happy. They could be doing anything in the world right now, but instead they spent their money to come watch and that makes me just feel so much better about what I’m doing.
What would you want people to understand about Elvis’s legacy?
CS: Go past “Hound Dog” and “Blue Suede Shoes.” He recorded 800 songs. He just changed the world, if it weren’t for Elvis, there wouldn’t’ be any of this music today. He’s timeless—Elvis is the original man.
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For more information on Klush and Slaughter, visit their websites at shawnklush.com and codyrayslaughter.com.
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