Elvis is back in the building for one night only at Eddie's Attic
Today marks the 45th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. The “King of Rock” would have been 87 years old. Tomorrow evening, Aug. 17, at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, the King’s legacy lives on through the work of five-time world champion Elvis Presley Tribute Artist Dwight Icenhower. Icenhower and his band will be accompanied by legendary keyboardist and songwriter Don Randi, who performed with Presley on the “Elvis ’68 Comeback Special,” an experience the band aims to recreate at Eddie’s. Randi and Icenhower joined “City Lights” producer Summer Evans via Zoom for a conversation before they hit the stage.
Interview highlights:
On the significance of Elvis’s “’68 Comeback Special”:
“Elvis Presley had just gotten out of his movie contracts. He had made 31 motion pictures,” explained Icenhower. “He missed the live audience and just being able to do rock and roll again, and the ’68 really allowed him to do that. It was a chance for him to get back to his roots and play the music that he wanted to play, and be with his original band members again … and it’s really the performance where he gained the crown back as the ‘King of Rock and Roll.'”
He added, “I mean, you gotta remember, when Elvis was singing to animals in the movies, singing about Old McDonald’s farm, the Beatles were conquering America. So it’s like, he comes back, and he was like, ‘Hey man, I’m the King of Rock and Roll, and I’ve got to get my crown back…’ It was originally supposed to be a Christmas special, where Elvis was going to be singing nothing but Christmas songs, and Elvis had a different vision. And of course, it went with Elvis’s vision and became one of the most classic rock and roll shows of all time.”
On Elvis’s passionate performance of “If I Can Dream”:
“I think at the time, Elvis Presley wanted a song that really spoke about the way the world was feeling. You know, Martin Luther King Jr. had just been assassinated in Elvis’s hometown in Memphis, Tennessee. Robert Kennedy had just been assassinated. So all this stuff is happening, and Elvis wanted a song to close the special that spoke of peace, love and brotherhood, and, and this song — just the emotion, you could tell that Elvis truly meant every single word he was singing … It was just the truth coming out,” said Icenhower.
How Dwight came to claim his rhinestones and become the King:
“From the time I was a kid, just the thrill I would get watching Elvis and these classic performances, it just always affected me. And when I found out that I could sing, when I put a show together, I was, I was hooked. I was hooked on that feeling, and it’s just a little bit of what he must have felt, to be able to go out there and entertain audiences of that size,” Icenhower recalled. “I’m not just a performer who happens to find out one day he can sound like Elvis and look a little bit like him; I’m a genuine fan. So what you’re seeing on stage from me is from love.”
Randi chimed in, “Dwight, when I think about, in retrospect, what you are doing, you’re doing something very important for people — for the new generation and for my generation because you’re keeping it going. And it’s an era that will never be repeated. It’s an important thing because it’s become part of our history, especially musically. You know, it’s fun. I’m looking forward to doing this.”
Dwight Icenhower pays tribute to Elvis in a live show, “Elvis: One Night With You,” at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, Aug. 17. More information is available here.
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