By Katherine Hatcher | Staff Writer
Elvis Presley may have passed away 46 years ago, but Elvis Tribute Artist Al Joslin continues to keep the King of Rock and Roll’s legacy alive to bring joy to others.
Joslin is considered one of the best Elvis performers in the business. He placed among the top five Elvis tribute artist performers in the 2017 and 2018 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest, an annual international competition to find the best performer that carries on Elvis’ style and sound, held in Memphis, Tenn.
Because of his talent, Joslin does many different kinds of shows during the year, including festivals and independent shows that he puts on. He recently put on his own “Christmas With Elvis” show on Dec. 6 at the Waco Hippodrome Theatre. Because Christmas was significant to Elvis, Joslin said it was important to put on a holiday show.
“His Christmas music itself is timeless. He still has to this day the number one … best-selling Christmas album of all time,” Joslin said.
The show had a mix of classic holiday songs and a variety of Elvis’s famous hits. There was also a festive opening act on behalf of the ’50s and ’60s tribute show group, Shake Rattle & Roll. The group of ladies sang a few holiday classics such as “Jingle Bell Rock” before Joslin came out with a traditional Elvis grand entrance.
Shake Rattle & Role co-owner LeAnn Bemis, also a member of the singing group, said that Joslin actually reached out to their group on Facebook and that performing in the Christmas show had been a delightful experience thanks to him.
“Al is so much fun to entertain with,” Bemis said.
Due to his success with shows, Joslin said he has been able to perform across the U.S. and internationally, including in Finland and the U.K. However, he said there is one location in particular that is special to him.
“The Hippodrome here in Waco, if not my favorite, is definitely one of my top three favorite places of everywhere I’ve performed all over the world,” Joslin said. “The venue is amazing, the people are so nice, there are so many great Elvis fans.”
Although the tribute artist has been performing for the past 20 years, there was a time before he was a true Elvis fan. At 17 years old, Joslin said that he fell in love with Elvis’s music when he went to Graceland, Elvis’ Memphis, Tenn., estate, with his family.
“That’s what hooked me because I was just blown away by just the person he was and just the life that he had,” Joslin said.
He quickly became a fan and said that his love of Elvis’s music only grew when he saw how diverse it was.
“I really started listening to his music a lot, and just was touched by it, moved by it just all the styles, you know, the love songs, the gospel, the rock and roll, blues, he just had so many genres of music… that he excelled at,” Joslin said.
During his time playing football at Mississippi State, he began to explore his love of singing and his ability to really sound like Elvis. Joslin said that he would practice singing to girls, on the football field and everywhere he went. Impersonating Elvis felt weird to him at first, but Joslin didn’t let the uneasiness stop him.
“I realized there are people who still wanna see a good, live representation of an Elvis show, not just some cheesy thing, but people who really invest in the music, in the look, in the sound,” he said.
Joslin said he deeply cares about giving an audience a great experience, but he also is passionate about caring for the people in his shows. The entire holiday show, Joslin referenced his band members by name to the audience, sharing fond memories and jokes. Fellow performer in his Christmas show, Bemis, said that Joslin not only is a wonderful performer, but a wonderful person as well.
“He is such a good guy, and he reaches out to all the entertainers, the band, you know,” Bemis said. “He keeps us informed of what’s going on, and of course he always brings his family to the stage and his children. He’s so proud of them.”
Though he is a rock and roll performer by day, Joslin is also a dad to three young children: one 3-year-old and twin 1-year-olds. As much fun as Joslin has sharing his performances with his family who love to come and watch him, he said that being involved in their lives is his priority.
“They’re first, and so I actually have turned down opportunities that would probably make [performing] harder to do in the family situation,” Joslin said.
Although being a family man and wonderful performer may be challenging at times, Joslin said he loves bringing joy to fans and representing Elvis’ legacy the best he can.
“My favorite thing about performing Elvis is just making people happy and seeing the audience, whether it’s younger people … or the older generation who got to experience and see Elvis,” Joslin said.
