U2 online is an independently owned and operated website. We are not in any way connected to U2 or any of its agents. The U2 logos, trademarks and copyrights are the ownership of their distinct private owners. Pictures, and information on this website are for educational and entertainment purposes only. Read the rest of the disclaimer below. Use of the website constitutes signing a contract of agreement to this Legal Disclaimer.
Ulster's Elvis exodus
Ulster's Elvis impersonators have left the building - and headed to Memphis to mark the 30th anniversary of the King's death.
A trio of soundalikes from Northern Ireland, who have all performed as part of the Elvis Spectacular show over the last 10 years, will join tens of thousands of pilgrims at Graceland this week to pay tribute to the King.
But postman Jim Brown, along with Gary Gibson and Stuart Baxter, have left behind lifelong Elvis fan and the man who started the Elvis Spectacular, Mervyn Boyd.
The Belfast man said he would be marking the day by watching special footage of his idol - and feeling sorry for himself because he wasn't at Graceland.
Mervyn said: "All my Elvis impersonators have gone to Memphis to pay tribute to him but I was too busy to go.
"I've been to Graceland a few times before but I think it will be a mad place to be this week.
"Instead, I'll be sitting at home watching some new footage and feeling a bit sorry for myself."
Mervyn, a dedicated Elvis fan, started up the Elvis Spectacular on the 20th anniversary of his death.
He said: "At the time we were showing it at the Arts Theatre in Belfast. We thought it would run for six months, 10 years later, here we still are."
Mervyn said the show gives "an experience the audience will never forget ".
"The show is not about the impersonator, it's about Elvis and his music and everyone loved Elvis.
"He had everything going for him - looks, personality, charisma, talent. He really was the King."
Mervyn also recalled one particular show, featuring an earlier impersonator, Aaron Paul, which stands out in his mind.
"I got this phonecall from a guy with a Southern accent who asked us if we could do a show for him," he said. "He told us to meet him at Dublin airport but wouldn't give us details of where the show was or what it was about. He offered to pay us up front and sent me a bank draft a few days later.
"At Dublin Airport, a people carrier with blacked-out windows drove up to us and a hand appeared out the window, telling us to follow.
"Next thing we were at Killiney Castle and were told to go and get ready to set up. We were asked if we minded a few other guys coming on stage to sing during the night, but we told them that wasn't the way we did our shows.
"Then I spotted someone who looked like Bono. We thought we were mistaken until The Edge walked into the room. Turned out, it was a birthday party for U2's manager Paul McGuinness and we were the entertainment."
And Mervyn still remembers where he was the day he heard that Elvis had died.
"I was lying on the sofa when Big T announced it on the radio," he said. "And yes, I shed a tear or two."
