Introduction
It is such a pleasure featuring ETA JD King from the UK in Spotlight ON. Still in his thirties, JD has more than seventeen years of experience performing as an Elvis Tribute Artist. A renowned performer who entertains fans worldwide, JD shares insight into his career and his personal life through his well thought out interview answers and wonderful photos. On behalf of SIDEBURNS Magazine readers, and all ETA fans, I wish to extend a very warm welcome to ETA JD King and thank him for an amazing interview. Cheers! C.M.
(Photos were provided by JD or shared from his Facebook page and are credited where possible. Post was edited by Carolyn MacArthur, Editor, SB Mag.)
The Interview
Q. Where were you born and raised? Where do you now reside?
A. I was born and raised in Brighton, UK. It’s an historic seaside town with a great artistic heritage. I now live in Hitchin, an ancient and quiet little market town north of London.
Q. Tell us five interesting things about your childhood.
A. I won a disco dancing contest age 7, doing lots of Elvis moves! I grew up in a family of performers, but I was the quiet one, and no one knew I could sing until my debut Elvis show at the age of 18. I accidentally knocked into Roger Daltry from The Who at a bar at an after show party for a show my Dad was in and spilled his drink everywhere. Whoops! For my 10th birthday I got to ride in Paul McCartney’s old 1960s Rolls Royce, pretending I was related to him in order to get past the queues at Planet Hollywood. I discovered Elvis by chance at the age of 5 when I randomly picked a record from my mother’s collection to listen to.
Q. Describe your life as a teenager.
A. I was an introvert who loved playing video games and soccer with my friends. I didn’t excel at many subjects apart from history and drama (even though I was shy in person I was always confident on stage).
Q. What did you do with your time after your high school years ended?
A. I did two years of further education studying politics, history, Film Studies and computing. In my spare time I loved going to karaoke nights and singing, you guessed it, Elvis songs.
Q. What career path did you decide to take after high school?
A. I had planned to become a film maker but my karaoke Elvis performances turned into a professional show so I put my full energies into that. I have now been performing as Elvis for 17 years.
Q. Did you take any lessons related to the performing arts?
A. I studied drama at school but I wasn’t planning to become a professional, so I didn’t take formal training any further. I come from a family of singers, actors and musicians so I’ve been lucky enough to benefit from their collective experience.
Q. What music was most often heard in your home?
A. My parents listened to a wide variety of music, most of it classic 1960s rock, which I loved. I was never into contemporary pop music and I’m still not!
Q. Were you a performer prior to becoming an ETA? Please explain.
A. I performed in a few things as a kid, at school and summer school. Even though it was standard for a lot of my family to be on stage, it was never my priority. It wasn’t until I started impersonating my hero, Elvis, that I discovered a love for performing.
Q. What made you decide to embark on a career as an ETA?
A. From the age of 17 I started to attend regular karaoke nights at my local pubs, always singing my favourite Elvis songs. I never intended to become a professional ETA but after some encouragement from the venues I was singing in, I decided to start a proper Elvis show.
Q. Describe what you were feeling before, during, and after your first performance as an ETA.
A. Nervous! But a good kind of nervous. I was excited because it was thrilling to imagine myself walking out on stage – it made me feel closer to Elvis than ever before. Afterwards I was quietly relieved!
Q. Describe the atmosphere before a competition backstage.
A. I haven’t entered any Elvis competitions so I couldn’t possibly say.
Q. Describe the process of turning yourself into a stage ready ETA…routines and rituals.
A. I don’t really have any routines to get into character. I feel I know Elvis so well from all the hours I spent in my young years watching and listening to him that the process of becoming a version of him feels very natural.
Q. Describe how you felt before, during, and after your first competition. Did you achieve the outcome you desired?
A. I haven’t entered any to date. I’ve always felt my most important critic is the audience in front of me. As long as I can give all my passion and energy to the audience in that time and place, and become a positive conduit for the love of Elvis that we all share, and leave the audience as happy as possible with the experience, there’s no better reward than that.
Q. What is the biggest mistake that young ETAs make in their tribute?
A. I think the biggest mistake any ETA can make is not taking the material seriously, but themselves too seriously. That’s the wrong way round! Elvis was famed for his purity of spirit, self-deprecating humour and genuine passion for his music. I try and reflect those values in my performance. And it’s important to interact with your audience.
Q. What valuable life lessons did you learn from your parents, or mentor, that you still use today?
A. I’ve learnt to never take what I have for granted. My mother taught me empathy, my father dedication to your art. I’m very lucky to do what I do.
Q. Do you have tattoos?
A. I don’t have any, but I’ve often thought about getting a TCB though. It is the ultimate symbol of what I have done with my professional life.
Q. Describe the highlights of your ETA career.
A. Singing in front of 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium was an incredible experience, and quite a disconnected one, as so many of them were so far away! That, and getting to meet, interview and have a few vodkas with John Wilkinson, Elvis’s rhythm guitarist. It was surreal and felt like I had for a brief moment become a part of Elvis’s actual life, if only in a second-hand way.
Q. What is the best part of being an ETA?
A. Being a conduit for the love of Elvis that we all feel as fans. It’s a great honour and a privilege to be a representative of that.
Q. Who were/are the important women in your life? Why are these women important to you?
A. My wife, my mother and my manager have been my greatest supporters and I’m so incredibly grateful for them. Taking all the time needed to guide me and be positively involved in my career, for the little things as well as the big—it’s very comforting.
Q. How are you different on stage compared to off stage?
A. I would describe myself as an extroverted introvert. I like quiet time with my family off stage, but on stage I become far more dynamic—improvising within the character of Elvis to create an immersive and interactive experience that is unique to that time and place.
Thanks to Dawn Gracie and her fantastic photographer Lee Barrett .
https://www.facebook.com/leebarrettphotography/
Q. What ETA title would you like to have that has so far escaped you?
A. I’m not particularly interested in those sorts of accolades. Honestly the only thing I want is a happy audience at the end of the night.
Q. Would you want to judge an ETA competition? What do you think are the challenges of being an ETA competition judge?
A. I would consider myself qualified based on my experience as an ETA and deep Elvis knowledge. The biggest challenge would be deciding what the most important factor to judge is. Personally I would always say the voice. At the end of the day Elvis was, more than anything, a singer!
Q. What men have had a positive influence on your life? How?
A. My Dad has been a great mentor as he has been a lifelong West End leading man. I grew up watching him on stage so learned a lot of my craft that way. My stepfather has been a phenomenal support from the beginning, not just financially, but in all the little ways that make it possible to keep going when you’re young and struggling through your early days. Finally my brother, also an actor and huge Elvis fan, has been brilliant at supporting my efforts – with love and knowledge of Elvis equal to mine!
Q. What makes you sad? How do you cope with sadness?
A. I don’t get too sad. I’ve always been pretty positive and philosophical. I do beat myself up if I feel I’ve done anything wrong on stage though, I always want to be as good as I can be.
Atmosphere shot on stage — with Tex Preston and JD King's Elvis at Brighton Komedia.
Q. In what international cities have you performed? How are audiences different in different countries?
A. I’ve performed as Elvis in Memphis, Las Vegas, London, Paris, Amsterdam and Barcelona to name a few. I find American fans the most vocal, English fans can be great but sometimes they’re a little quiet!
Q. Is there a country where you really want to perform as an ETA? Why?
A. I’d love to go to Australia. I have a deep family heritage there (my grandfather was a famous Australian actor) so it would feel very right to do it.
Q. What are your strengths as a performer?
A. My voice is my best asset. I’ve always had a powerful sound and been very good at impersonating as I’m a keen observer. Other than that I’m good at improvising on stage…my experience, family background and lack of nerves when talking to people allows me to create fun and unique moments within the character and spirit of Elvis.
Q. Describe your typical non-performance day.
A. Paperwork! I design and produce my own graphics, videos, music recordings, website and social media so that takes a lot of time. Other than that it’s working out and doing vocal exercises to stay in shape.
Q. What makes you laugh?
A. Silly humour. I like shows like South Park and Family Guy. I don’t take myself or life too seriously. I have always looked at life as a comedy, not a tragedy.
Q. If it were possible, what would you like to ask Elvis? What would you say to him?
A. I’d want to ask him how he’s doing. It must have been hard to be him sometimes (especially later in his life), so if I could have been someone just to chat to about anything in a relaxed way that would be the best thing I could do.
ETA JD King and his “adorable little cat” Skyar. Photo Credit: JD King.
Q. What do you treasure?
A. My family and my adorable little cat (she also counts as family).
Q. If you weren’t an ETA, what career would you choose? Why?
A. I might have been a film maker, but if that hadn’t worked out I probably would have tried to be a video games journalist.
Q. What has surprised you most about being an ETA?
A. How many young people love Elvis as much as those who were around when Elvis was still alive. It never ceases to amaze me how little children recognize and love Elvis as much as I did when I was a kid.
Q. Describe a special moment with a fan or audience member.
A. There are lots of lovely moments as I interact a lot with the audience directly, but my favourite moments are when kids get excited about meeting “Elvis” and I can give them a scarf and make a feature of them. It always melts hearts when that happens.
Q. What sacrifices have you made for your ETA career?
A. The most obvious is my hairstyle! I use my own hair and have never been a fan of wigs. They do the job, but are very expensive and just don’t move like real hair does. You’re always worried they’ll slip! Aside from the superficial, it’s accepting that you are in a job with no guarantees, no sick pay, you have to go on even if you feel like death. It can be hard sometimes, but it’s always exciting as every gig is different.
Q. What Elvis costume is your favourite? Why?
A. I love the jumpsuits as I was always most into Elvis’s 1970s shows. My favourite suit is known as the Burning Love – the only red jumpsuit Elvis ever had. Red is my favourite colour so I guess there’s no surprise there.
Q. How do you care for your costumes so they are always stage ready?
A. You need to hand wash them as often as you can and never leave them inside a suitcase too long after a show, otherwise the studs will tarnish quickly. They’re very expensive so you feel compelled to treat them with respect!
Q. Who taught you how to apply your Elvis makeup?
A. I have had a couple of tutorials from make up artist friends over the years, but the main thing is practice, as I do it all myself. It’s not easy trying to look like someone else but with the right contouring and highlights, makeup can make a huge difference to your look.
Q. What special care does your hair or wig require to keep it looking good?
A. Nothing special, just shampoo and conditioner that helps to preserve the blue black colour as long as possible.
Q. What annoys you?
A. If I screw something up on stage. That, and being told I’m too young to be Elvis. I’m 35! Some people think Elvis was over 50 in his prime because a lot of ETAs are often older.
Q. What do you fear?
A. The phone stopping ringing with more work. Then I’d have to get a “proper” job – LOL!
Q. Describe a future that is specifically designed for you.
A. I’d love to be able to perform as Elvis for as long as feel I can do it justice – I don’t want to be doing it when I’m too old because to me that jut wouldn’t sit right. If I could still be involved in the Elvis community in a positive way while pursuing other passions, that would be ideal.
Q. How do you handle disappointment?
A. I’m pretty philosophical, so I get over disappointment quite quickly. The worst thing is when people betray your trust; it makes you think twice before trying new things.
Q. What is your five year plan?
Photo from JD’s FB page - Suphot Buranapraphob.
A. I’m in my prime so want to make the most of the fortunate opportunities that lie in front of me. If I can tour the world with a big band and orchestra in an Elvis show that’s all my own style and design, that would be the best feeling.
Q. How will you know when it is time to retire from being an ETA?
A. When I know I can’t physically or vocally do a reasonable job of recreating Elvis at his best anymore. I don’t want to settle for just ok.
Q. What will you do in retirement?
A. No idea! Any suggestions?
Q. Who are the people you would like to thank for being there throughout your ETA career?
A. It’s really about my loving family and my manager, they’ve always been so patient and supportive of me.
Q. What question would you ask a fellow ETA?
A. What motivates you to perform as Elvis?
Q. What would people be surprised to learn about you?
A. That I never intended to be a stage performer and the idea still doesn’t sit comfortably with me!
Q. What would you like to say to the backup singers and band members with whom you perform?
A. Don’t forget to follow the Elvis moves! And remember how important Elvis is to everyone our there so let’s play it with heart and respect. Let’s all have a great fun time, we’re lucky to be able to do this. Let’s enjoy it.
Q. What song do you wish Elvis had recorded so you could sing it on stage during your tribute to Elvis?
A. There are various songs I could imagine Elvis singing. Off the top of my head I think he would have done a great version of “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” by Elton John.
Q. How as being a successful ETA changed you?
A. I’d like to think not at all, other than believing in myself more.
Q. What opportunities do you think came your way strictly from being an ETA?
Beautiful artwork by Georgia Calvert that JD says will proudly be displayed on his piano.
A. To meet so many people all over the world and (hopefully) have a positive effect on their day. It’s a great honour to be able to do that.
Q. What question do you wish I had asked, but didn’t?
A. What’s the most important job of an ETA?
Q. How would you answer your own question?
A. To represent Elvis well, with honesty and integrity. He’s the star – and as tributes to his legacy we should always remember that.