How Elvis Otis Came to Be

With my Mom being a huge Elvis fan, it was easy to follow in her footsteps and become the Elvis fan that I am today! 

I was fortunate enough to see Elvis live in concert on the night of December 29th, 1976, at the BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama.

Seeing Elvis live even inspired a very shy grammar school kid to enter a talent show and perform as Elvis.  My mom was my first scarf girl and I received rave reviews from my teachers and classmates.

From that point on, I was hooked on the thought of being on stage as Elvis.

Fast forward to 2009 when I met my wife, Tess.  It turns out that her Granny was at the same Elvis show that I attended as a youngster.  Because of Tess’ immensely strong relationship with her Granny, she was also a rabid fan.

A few years later, Tess and I came up with the idea of me dressing as Elvis and surprising Granny for her birthday.  We bought a cheap version of the Aloha jumpsuit from Amazon.  I did a few karaoke songs at her party, and everyone had a blast with it. 

As Granny’s 80th birthday approached in late summer of 2022, I came up with the idea of doing a true Elvis show as my birthday present to her.  I made the Elvis sign and built the small stage piece with the TCB logo (Taking Care of Business) and added some lighting.

I performed a 90-minute show for a huge audience of TWO (Granny and Tess).  We had so much fun, and Granny inspired me to take my show to another level.  Elvis Otis was officially born!

So, I increased the size of my stage, added additional lighting, and began doing shows for family and friends in the den of our home.

I’m different from other Elvis Tribute Artists in that I sing along with Elvis and work hard to perfect the dialogues that he had with his fans.

On February 24th, 2024, my den held an overflow crowd of 17 people.  My nerves were a complete mess.  It was like I was getting ready to perform in front of 50,000 fans.

I get so much satisfaction of putting on an Elvis jumpsuit and walking in his shoes.  But by far the biggest joy is seeing the smiles, laughter and happiness of my audience.

With the help of some divine inspiration - special thanks to Pastor Chris for his message that went straight to my heart, along with my Church of the Highlands family - we decided to take Elvis Otis on the road and perform for people of Elvis’ generation, especially those who may not be in the best of situations.

To bring a smile to those people for just a little while is so incredibly satisfying and humbling!! And the beautiful thing is that I have just as much fun as they do!!

The reviews have been amazing and every place has received us with open arms.

I never imagined that God would lead me to this type of ministry. But sometimes, we just don’t know what our purpose is until He delivers it!

See you on the road…..

TCB!!

-Elvis Otis