The Prince Albert Legion is getting ready to ring in the New Year with the King.
On New Year’s Eve, the Legion hosts prominent Canadian Elvis impersonator Robin Kelly.
Kelly, who is originally from British Columbia and currently based in Edmonton, described himself as an Elvis Guy.
“That’s what I call myself,” said Kelly, who will bring his Ultimate Tribute to Elvis show to the Legion on Wednesday. “I’m an Elvis guy. When I talk about other Elvis’s, I say Elvis guys.
Kelly’s journey into impersonating Elvis is a long story. His mother was a huge Elvis Presley fan, so he listened to a lot of the King’s music growing up. Then his older brother got into Elvis impersonations.
Kelly said that there is technically two generations of Elvis in his family if you count his brother.
“My brother tells the story of my mom couldn’t have the real thing so she made two of her own,” Kelly joked. “My brother did it. He’s older than I am and after I decided to do it as well.”
Kelly said that he had such bad stage fright when he started that he would pass out cold when he performed in front of people. He continued to persevere and establish himself as an Elvis.
“This was a hurdle to get over—a big one—and so I worked at it and I worked at it and I eventually got to the point where I wasn’t falling down in front of people,” he said.
“That’s when I started and I was awful, at first, but I made some goals and I wanted to be the number one Elvis tribute in Canada in five years, and I became a world champion in two.”
In 2002 he won the now defunct Colligwood Elvis Festival in Collingwood Ontario.
“The world’s largest Elvis contest was the Collingwood Elvis Festival. It was the biggest one, the one to win. I won that one and then I headlined it every year afterwards, after my initial win.”
Kelly has since played in Las Vegas and worked for EPE (Elvis Presley Enterprises).
“I’ve done all sorts of cool stuff—played with Elvis’s actual musicians that was pretty darn cool when that happened…it’s a pretty fun job that’s a good way to put it,” Kelly said.
“How can a job get any better when your job is to make people happy that’s pretty cool,” he added.
Kelly said he still has stage fright and it takes him a few songs before he calms himself and finds the groove. However, it’s a lot easier to handle the pressure at this stage in his life.
“It’s still there. It still creeps around. Right before you go on stage, you’re shaking maybe a little bit, or you’re anxious, or that type of thing,but, I guess, it’s part of who I am,” Kelly said.
Kelly said attendees can expect a performance that runs the gamut of Presley’s career.
“Well, we’re obviously we’re going to be doing songs from Elvis’s entire career from 1954, all the way to 1977,” Kelly said. “There’ll be some we’re going to do some movie songs. We’re
going to do some of some of the biggest hits, and we’ll throw in some oddball songs because Elvis did over 700 songs.”
Kelly said he tries to make the show appeal to everyone from die-hard Elvis fans who know every word to what he calls ‘Elvis-lite’ fans who only know the greatest hits.
“What I try to do is bridge it somewhere in the middle where we do a lot of hits because obviously you know they were hits so you have to do those,” Kelly said. “But I also like to throw in some of those some of the lesser-known Elvis songs.”
He said the lesser known are for the big fans, but they try to be the middle ground.
“You hear a little bit of everything,” he added. “It’s a high-energy show I dance around like a crazy person and do everything that I can to make everybody have a good time. It’s going to be a fun night.”
Kelly said that his life as a full-time Elvis is unpredictable. His busiest year, he was on the road for about 10 and a half months.
Other months, he only has a few gigs.
“You can’t really predict it because every year changes,” he explained. “Even since COVID, it’s been a little strange. You’ll be busy, and then nothing.”
This will be Kelly’s second time in Prince Albert in his life. He’s hopeful it’s going to be a fun trip.
“I was there when I was 17 and I haven’t been back since before I was an Elvis tribute, so I’m looking forward to coming and entertaining the people and giving them a really, really good show,” Kelly said.
Tickets for New Year’s Eve are available at the Legion Lounge from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m. Tickets are also available at the Daily Herald office from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Door open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m.
“I don’t usually do New Year’s,” Kelly said. “It’s one of those nights where I like to take it off to and hang out with my friends and stuff like that on New Year’s. But I was given the opportunity and I figured, well, why not? I’ve never played PA, so I’m excited and I’m looking forward to it.”
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
