# Elvis Impersonator Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 30, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-impersonator-question/583731 "2011-05-30T03:08:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-impersonator-question/583731/1 "2011-05-30T03:08:20Z")
Were there professional Elvis impersonators before Elvis died in 1977? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-impersonator-question/583731/2 "2011-05-30T03:15:43Z")
Apparently there were… according to Wikipedia. Question answered. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-impersonator-question/583731/3 "2011-05-30T03:16:43Z")
Elvis himself liked Andy Kaufman’s version the best. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-impersonator-question/583731/4 "2011-05-30T16:22:48Z")
Did Elvis himself count? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-impersonator-question/583731/5 "2011-05-30T16:56:11Z")
After a little google searching, it looks like the first Elvis impersonator was a guy named Jim Smith, who started impersonating Elvis very shortly after Elvis himself just started making it big in the mid 1950s. > [@](#): > > It had to start some where so we go back to the discovery of Elvis himself 1956. Soon after DJ Norm Pringle of Victoria BC Canada started playing “That’s All right Mama” and “Heartbreak Hotel.” Norm discovered a young 16 year old named Jim Smith with a very close resemblance to Elvis. Norm put a guitar in hand placed him on his regular TV show and to this day he hold the record as the world’s first Elvis Impersonator. From here: [http://www.cybercloud.com/elvis/jim/jim.html](http://www.cybercloud.com/elvis/jim/jim.html) Other sites note that Jim couldn’t sing or play the guitar. He just looked the part and lip synced along to Elvis records. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-impersonator-question/583731/6 "2011-05-30T19:08:33Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Elvis himself liked Andy Kaufman’s version the best. You’ve read this month’s _Fortean Times_, right? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-impersonator-question/583731/7 "2011-05-31T00:55:52Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > You’ve read this month’s _Fortean Times_, right? Actually, I don’t subscribe to that. Never been much of a Fortean, in fact; that’s just one of those useless facts I happen to have on hand.