Gordon Hendricks is Elvis Australian Tour

Gordon Hendricks is Elvis Australian Tour

At The Entrance Leagues Club on February 22

At Anita’s in Thirroul on February 23

Reviewed by Ron Lee, CSP

We used to call them “Elvis Impersonators” and there was a saying, “I wish that Elvis was still alive and all of the impersonators were dead”. That was the time when any middle-aged, overweight Elvis fan who could sing a bit and get by with a guitar would dress up in a cheap costume and a bad wig, and do his best because every man my age thought he could sound exactly like Elvis.

These days, those performers who are serious don’t send up The King or turn him into a caricature, but treat him with respect, almost reverence, and they call themselves “Elvis Tribute Artists” (ETAs), and they feel a deep responsibility to represent Elvis as accurately as possible.

Some have even had plastic surgery to look as much like their idol as they can. The first of this lot initially came to Australia from the U.S.A. a couple of decades ago and I really wanted him to look and sound like the original but could only give him credit for giving it a shot.

Since then, quite a few have looked like The King but vocal discrepancies let them down. After all, how could a performer do an entire show, or even a song with tonal and pitch perfection?

The only ETA who has achieved the precise Elvis vocal sound will soon conclude his Australian tour.

Gordon Hendricks, who hails from the English Midlands, has mastered vocal accuracy. I played his recordings to some muso mates and they can’t tell the difference.

Even if you’re not an Elvis fan, if you have the opportunity to see this outstanding performer, book now because you don’t have a lot of time. I saw Gordon Hendricks in Sydney and I have never before backed up for a second time within three weeks of a concert, but this guy is special.

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