Keith Lewis: The Bay State Elvis
Edited by C. MacArthur
Bio
While he cannot say music and singing have been his whole life, Keith Lewis, an award-winning photographer and journalist, appreciates how his life kept leading him back there, until, in the past few years, he found himself competing and performing as Elvis Presley and Dean Martin. The long trail includes stumbling blocks, such as losing and regaining his singing voice due to illness, and other events that make him even more thankful for opportunities to entertain and elicit smiles.
ETA Keith Lewis at the 2017 Tweed Elvis Festival. Photo Credit: Louis Young, Louis Young Photography.
Along the way, Keith Lewis has performed in musical avenues as diversified as cover bands, musical theater, barbershop quartets, and select madrigal choirs, running the gamut of musical styles from country to show tunes to classical pieces. However, he says he enjoys his current form of entertainment the most, as it allows him to let loose with his sometimes off-the-wall sense of humor, bringing a unique aspect to Elvis Presley that began with his interpretation of Dean Martin.
"I started listening to Dean Martin when I was a kid, as my mom was into what they called the 'Rat Pack'. Their music, along with show tunes, were the songs played around the house--until my sister and I found rock and roll," says Lewis. "I loved how Dino would interject one-liners into his act, especially since everyone in our family also had a sense of humor. I naturally would try to learn the jokes as well as the songs, and deliver them the way he would. When I started doing Elvis, my other favorite singer, I thought, “Why not tell some one-liners southern style as well?”
"I was basically shy growing up, which is why I started imitating my favorite movie stars and singers. I discovered that starting with a joke or two would not only ease my anxiety, but would also help win over an audience. Of course Elvis didn't have a slew of one-liners to pull up, so I started making up my own as I went along."
Known as Bay State Elvis because of his Massachusetts roots, Keith Lewis was the first American to get a Spirit of Elvis Award from two different Canadian festivals. He received the honor of first place in 2013 at the Tweed Elvis Festival, and at the 2014 Barrie Rock and Roll Festival, both in Ontario, Canada. Lewis has also placed fourth in the Tweed Elvis Festival contest, fifth in the Barrie contest, and third in the 2015 "A Night with Elvis" contest in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. He was also a finalist in the 2014, 2015 and 2016 invitation-only Collingwood Elvis Festival inspirational contests.
ETA Keith Lewis at the 2018 Tweed Elvis Festival. Photo Credit: Louis, Young, Louis Young Photography.
Recent highlights include, headlining fundraisers for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metrowest Boston, the historic Arlington Street Church of Boston, the Christian Angel Smile Foundation of Boston and the Spina Bifida Association of New England. Keith Lewis is also the only Elvis Tribute Artist to perform at Putnam Place at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots (the November 7, 1917 Best Years of Your Life Expo, to rave reviews) and Brockton's Campanelli Stadium (home of the Brockton Rox baseball club). He recently performed at, among other major venues, a national convention at Boston's Hynes Convention Center in 2016, the historic Proctor Theater in Schenectady, NY in 2014, the Lions Lincoln Theater in Massillon, Ohio on January 8, 2017, following the premiere of "Elvis: The Legend Continues," and the Riverside Theater, Hyde Park, MA in 2015. Wherever he sings and whatever he does, he says his ultimate goal is to try to bring some happiness into peoples’ lives, and if they laugh, all the better.
In addition to his ETA awards,Keith Lewis has also won awards for his writing. “I am the only person to ever get a writing, photography and editing award from the New England Press Association. In the 1980s I got one for writing. In 2002 or 2003 I got third place in a photography feature, and the following year, my one-man sports section was named the top one in New England for small weeklies. I also received journalism awards in college, and a couple of internal company awards.”
Thank you, ETA Keith Lewis, for sharing your interesting bio. Thank you, Louis Young, http://louisyoungphoto.com for the great photos used in this post. Best regards, Carolyn MacArthur, Editor, SIDEBURNS Magazine.