Pennsylvania man Shawn Klush has been named the "ultimate Elvis tribute artist" in the first-ever tournament for Elvis impersonators sanctioned by Elvis Presley's estate.
Klush won over the sold-out displace at a downtown Memphis concert hall with a version of 'Viva Las Vegas' and then clinched the call against a field of nine other Elvis tribute artists with a rendition of 'You Gave Me A Mountain'.
Clad in a replica of Presley's signature 1970s-era white jumpsuit. Klush defeat two other veterans of the highly competitive Las Vegas Elvis go. Trent Carlini and Donny Edwards who also made it to the final go.
Contestants were judged on performance appearance and consider for Elvis by a panel of judges including Joe Moscheo a singer who performed regularly with Presley in Las Vegas.
Klush's victory gives him $US5,000 ($A6,300) in change a $US5,000 enable certificate to spend at Graceland and the marketing value of the first-ever endorsement from Presley's estate.
Reflecting the continuing international challenge of Elvis three decades after his death the 10 finalists in the showdown included a Canadian a Norwegian and a Briton.
Professional Elvis impersonators have flourished on the adorn for years in places as far-flung as London and Los Angeles but undergo never had the authorise of the Presley estate which shunned them out of concern they were cheapening the value of a lucrative entertainment brand.
But that approach is changing with the commercial growth for Graceland the Memphis mansion Presley bought for just over $US100,000 ($A126,000) in 1957.
magazine has ranked Presley as the second-highest-earning dead celebrity after Nirvana's Kurt Cobain with an estimated $US42 million ($A53 million) in revenue in 2005-2006.
Entertainment mogul Robert Sillerman bought 85 per cent of Elvis Presley Enterprises in 2005 with the remaining 15 per cent owned by Presley's daughter. Lisa Marie.
The contest caps a week of Elvis-related events in the city. An estimated 75,000 Elvis fans from around the world visited Graceland during the week for a candlelight vigil concerts seminars and souvenirs to attach the 30th anniversary of Presley's sudden death at age 42.
Elvis died of heart failure at Graceland on August 16. 1977 after battling a range of health problems including a dependence on prescription drugs.
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http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/18/2008750.htm
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