My Night With Elvis
Well, on the thirtieth anniversary of his death, it seems like an appropriate time to reveal something that might surprise you: I once had the opportunity to play backup for Elvis.
Not, strictly speaking, the original Elvis. This was an Inuit guy named Jimmy Ekho, also known as “Sealskin Elvis”. Very nice guy, and a good singer – but somehow he developed a passion for Elvis that amounted to an obsession. As far as I know, he was the first and only Inuit Elvis impersonator, and the first to translate and perform the Presley Canon in Inuktitut.
I had the honour of backing up Sealskin Elvis at his debut gig at the Qaggiq Music Festival in what was then Frobisher Bay, NWT, in March, 1984. We had rehearsed three numbers, and Jimmy had it down…the moves, the voice, the sneer. But when we went onstage that night he shocked even me. His mom Naqi, an elder, had sewn a sealskin version of Elvis’ famous Vegas Lounge suit, perfect right down to the wide lapels and the TCB belt buckle. When Jimmy came on stage the audience gasped and surged to the front…and screamed. They screamed for the duration of his performance. They screamed when he threw his pick into the crowd. They screamed for an encore, which we couldn’t do because we only knew three songs. It was the closest thing to rock stardom I will ever experience.
Jimmy went on to perform across the North as Elvis, but eventually began writing his own songs, and recorded an album of originals called “Guti” (God). That was pretty ambitious, I thought…even the original Elvis settled for “the King”.
Awesome story
Terrific story Balb; it takes “I’m with the band” to a whole new level. I think it also qualifies you (and of course Sealskin) to participate in the annual Elvis festival in Collingwood each year.
Sealskin might be god, but Elvis was the King. On a side note, I phoned my mother yesterday to tease her about a childhood memory of mine. Thirty years ago, I came downstairs from my bedroom to find my mother in front of the TV crying. I said “Mom, what’s wrong?”. She responded “Elvis is dead”. I never forgot that moment as an example of the influence that the the King had over several generations even though I am probably too young to fully appreciate his impact.
Actually, it’s not an entirely accurate story though. I ran into another Inuk whose body was taken over by the spirit of “The King” in Kuujjuarapik (aka Great Whale River in english, Whapmagoostui in Cree, Poste de la Baleine en francais) along the east coast of Hudson’s Bay a few years back. He didn’t know about the annual gathering of Elvii in Collingwood, Ont, until the moment I told him. Which got me to thinking that the world is being taken over by Elvii – like pod people.
At his death, there were only a handful of Elvis impersonators (or spiritual invasions, as some call it). Today, there are hundreds of thousands around the world. At this rate of growth, or so I’ve heard, the World will be taken over by Elvii in about 20 years.
Just an additional bit of trivia… The spot where Elvis played in Hull, Quebec, is now the building housing the Department of Indian Affairs. The old hotel/music club called the Standish Hall was bulldozed to make way for that monstrosity. It’s all tied in, somehow, y’see.
Elvis… pod people… Indian Affairs… Heh! See.
What a great story!
Shmohawk: “Elvis… pod people… Indian Affairs… Heh! See.”
Scary
Hey, what well known musician divided his time between Graceland and Rivendell?
Elvish Presley.