Veteran singer Gary Lawyer left the audience in Pune all shook up (in a good way) after his tribute to Elvis last month, he says. He will attempt an encore at the NCPA on June 11. Will he get Mumbai to sing along to Jailhouse Rock?
Veteran singer Gary Lawyer left the audience in Pune all shook up (in a good way) after his tribute to Elvis last month, he says. He will attempt an encore at the NCPA on June 11. Will he get Mumbai to sing along to Jailhouse Rock?
It was 1954 when Elvis Aaron Presley from Mississippi began his singing career. Little did he know that he'd be crowned the king of rock 'n' roll. As he stood on stage and sang Love Me Tender, the audience, made up primarily of young women, fell in love with him and hummed along to everything from Sylvia to SuzieQ. "Anyone can sing a song. Of course,u00a0 Elvis' songs require a really powerful vocal range, but more than that, they need soul," feels Gary Lawyer, who isu00a0 set to perform at a tribute concert on June 11 at the National Center of Performing Arts. 
This will not be the first time that he will attempt to sing like the king. "I performed in Pune, and the audience loved it. I was playing a two-hour set without any breaks and they wanted more. It's great to have the audience react in that way, and with Elvis songs, everyone is familiar with the lyrics so the audience sings along," says Lawyer.u00a0
So popular was Presley, that "Elvis has left the building" was a phrase first used in 1956 to plead with concertgoers to leave the premises after a high-energy Elvis show left listeners wanting more. When the legend passed away in 1977, the world mourned the loss of a musician, and American pop culture was never to be the same.
Since then there have been countless attempts to let the melody linger. But while authors have told his story and singers have sung his songs, no other musician has garnered the large fan base of impersonators as Presley. His infamous hip thrust is now an eye sore, not to mention a pelvic pain in the on-stage charade of numerous little-known artists.
Admitting to being an Elvis fan for years, Lawyer says, "I think Elvis was the most versatile musician. Everything we hear today is an evolution of some song he sang. He was also blessed with great compositions and was a complete entertainer."
"I'm not challenging him or emulating his style; the point is to pay a tribute to his music," he says, in response to whether he is up to pulling off an Elvis rendition. Lawyer maintains that he will stick to the original songs, while adding a personal touch.
Does he feel the pressure to perform the legend's songs? "I don't doubt myself, I only doubt my circumstancesu00a0-- a supporting audience and good acoustics," he says. Would Presley have blamed his the technical stuff for a bad gig, we wonder.
Pune-based Zahir Chinoy, President of the Elvis Presley Fan Club of India, founded in the 1980s and officially recognised by Elvis Presley Enterprises of Memphis, USA, is positive about Lawyer's upcoming gig. "You can't compare anyone to Elvis; they'll lose. But Gary does deliver an extremely heartfelt performance. At the Pune concert, we had couples jiving in the aisles and children trying to get on stage. But the whole affair took 10 months to organise, so there are plenty of Elvis fans who don't want to come out in the open."
The club has been on pause for the last few years, but a revival is in the offing, with a special concert planned for Presley's 35th death anniversary next year. "We had other artists, Nash and Siddarth Meghani, who also did a fabulous job, but Gary is more widely known, so we requested him to help us out with the tribute," says Chinoy. Meghani, he says, goes all the way and even dons the white jumpsuit for a tribute. Can anyone else pull of an Elvis? Lawyer is his diplomatic best, and suddenly retracts like a starlet caught wearing the same dress as her rival, with a curt, "No comment."
Gary Lawyer will perform at A Tribute to the King of Rock 'n' Roll at NCPA, Nariman Point at 7 pm on June 11. Call: 66223737
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