Ross Wilson is a singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer best known for one of the great Australian songs of our time, Eagle Rock. In his early years he was front man for Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock and later went on to produce albums by Skyhooks. Ross is this year’s inductee on the Wall of Fame.

How do you feel about being honoured on the Wall of Fame at the Parkes Elvis Festival? The Parkes Elvis Festival is a big deal, known worldwide, so to be honoured and connected with Elvis in that way does mean something to me. I’d like to thank the people responsible for recognising me and my own achievements.

What can fans expect to hear at your concert in Parkes, and will you be jamming with the Brian Cadd, Russell Morris and Joe Camilleri? This is a very special get together – Brian, Russell, Joe and me are all about the same vintage. We are good buddies and I love everything about those guys and the incredible list of songs they have written and had hits with. Got a few of my own to add to the mix too. There’ll definitely be some interaction between us and I expect a few laughs as well.

Have you performed with any of them before? Must be our time to flourish – I did a show with Joe and Brian back in November on Cup Eve, and then two weeks later a double bill with Russell on the Rock The Boat cruise. We’re all good rockin’ daddies, unstoppable.

Has Elvis played a role in your musical journey? Elvis is still The Man. No one else looked or sounded like him. The Sun Sessions album is still a touchstone for me. I was a kid in the 50s and a teen in the 60s and Elvis was everywhere. He made great records and I was a fan. I went and saw King Creole at the movies, awesome. So, yeah, definitely an influence.

Do you ever perform Elvis songs? I have recorded a couple of Elvis songs. A live version of Hound Dog but mine is in a minor key (I got that from Junior Wells’ and Buddy Guy’s version) and the lyrics are closer to the original by Big Mama Thornton, much raunchier; Elvis cleaned it up. And there’s Heartbreak Hotel on my acoustic album Tributary – what a great song, such dark lyrics. I bet at Heartbreak Hotel they have Unhappy Hour with really expensive drinks and lots of tissues on hand.

Why do you think Elvis has such an enduring legacy after all these years? He was/is one-of-a-kind and had an extraordinary output of terrific music and the legend of Elvis also has those tragic elements that add pathos to his story. He died so young and, in my opinion, was taken advantage of, and that must have weighed on him very heavily in his later years.

Do you think the Parkes Elvis Festival plays an important role in the music landscape in Australia? I’m about to find out for myself first hand – so I’ll get back to you on that. But I’m pretty sure that those hundreds of Elvii and thousands of fans converging on Parkes can’t be wrong. I’m really looking forward being part of the festival!

Parkes Elvis Festival is incredibly proud to present Charles Stone, tour producer for Elvis throughout the 1970’s and Sam Thompson, Elvis’ personal bodyguard and friend to talk with Festival fans.

Charles Stone had the rare opportunity to be closely associated with both Elvis Presley and his manager Colonel Tom Parker. Charles flew with Elvis and his associates on Elvis’ personal plane, The Lisa Marie, from city to city each time Elvis went on tour. Being in the unique position of traveling with Elvis and managing the personal details of each tour, Charles experienced daily life in Elvis’ world and also developed a close working relationship and close friendship with Colonel Parker and the entire TCB gang. Charles was a special guest at the 2022 Festival, and has been invited back to share his stories to fans.

Sam Thompson was introduced to Elvis Presley in 1972 by his sister, Linda Thompson. An officer with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department at the time, Elvis and Sam became fast friends and in July 1973, Elvis purchased a home for Sam near Graceland. Sam provided security for Elvis and travelled with Elvis on the road tours from 1973 until 1976 as Elvis’ friend and companion. In June 1976, Sam went to work full time for Elvis, as his personal bodyguard and tour advance man, providing security for Elvis on all the road tours, including hotel and airport security. Altogether, Sam witnessed, from a very personal perspective, essentially all of the concert and recording performances by Elvis Presley during the last five years of Elvis’ life. 

The Festival is fortunate to have Charles and Sam joining in person for a special Q&A where they will share their stories first-hand. 

Facilitated by Mark Andrew this will be an event not to miss. 

Q&A from 8am – 9am Friday at the Parkes Services Club. Tickets are $10 on parkeselvisfestival.com.au. Breakfast is available from 7.30am.

Plus, appearances at the Movies & Memorabilia Collection from 11am – 12pm Thursday and 11am – 12pm Sunday.

Proudly funded by the NSW Government.

Parkes Elvis Festival is proud to launch the Movies & Memorabilia Collection which will have props from Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis movie, and elements from the Elvis – Direct from Graceland exhibition in Bendigo plus history of the Parkes Elvis Festival.

Take a nostalgic stroll down the 30-year historical path of the Parkes Elvis Festival. See memorabilia from the early days, photographs, newspaper clippings and some items from the Parkes Elvis Festival archives that have never been on display.

Thanks to the generosity of the Bendigo Art Gallery, Parkes is now home to an impressive recreation of the Graceland Mansion’s portico and giant ELVIS letters that were a part of the jumpsuit display.

You’ll also see the world’s largest hound dog and doghouse, mirrors from the Carnival scenes where Colonel Tom Parker pledged his commitment to supporting Elvis’ fledging career, a recreation of the Graceland ‘Jungle Room’, and posters and paraphernalia from the International Casino’s launch of Elvis’ residency from Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis film thanks to Warner Bros.

The Movies & Memorabilia collection is located at 375 Clarinda Street and is open 9am – 5pm daily throughout the Festival and free.

Proudly sponsored by Bogan Gate Pub. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.

Find your own patch of ‘Blue Hawaii’ in Forbes this January, as Forbes Shire Council partners up with Parkes as a sponsor of the well-renowned Elvis Festival, celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2023. 

“We have some amazing entertainment lined up for a fun filled weekend of Blue Hawaii inspired events,” Mayor Miller said. 

Forbes will host its own little slice of paradise as festival goers are invited to share in a tropical breakfast in Templar Street on Friday, 6 January and an evening Lakeside Luau on Saturday, 7 January. 

The Amazing Forbes Street Breakfast has become a favourite community celebration for Elvis-goers staying in Forbes during the festival. Start your day the right way – with a good feed, funky entertainment and maybe even a bit of a jive! It all happens in Templar Street, right in the heart of the CBD from 7-10am. Come say Aloha! 

Council thanks NSW Government’s Reconnecting Regional Communities for grant funding towards the staging of the Amazing Forbes street breakfast. 

It’s ‘Almost Always True’ – you ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ with the Lakeside Luau on Saturday night 6-10pm. An indulgent Hawaiian feast on the banks of Lake Forbes with live music that will make you want to shimmy! This year, Amazing Forbes is bringing all the Hawaiian vibes, where you’ll be transported to a tropical oasis and be thoroughly entertained. 

The Hawaiian themed feast, catered for by Eat Your Greens, will be held on its own ‘Island of Love’, the lovely foreshores of Lake Forbes and will star entertainment from Georgia Sideris, Dance Like a Diva, Johnny Angel as Pacific Elvis coming over especially from New Zealand for the ‘Lu- Wow’ and the epic Australian Beach Boys Show. Tickets are $90 and are essential, available to purchase through 123Tix.com.au. 

“Forbes Shire Council is proud to once again be a travel partner for the Parkes Elvis Festival, providing daily bus services between Forbes and Parkes,” Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller said. Explore the Festival and surrounds by bus with daily service between Parkes and Forbes. Bus tickets are also available via 123Tix and are $10 each or $35 unlimited. 

The small seed of celebrating The King’s music was planted 30 years ago in the most unlikely of places and has turned Parkes into a model for how rural regions can re-invent themselves. 

On paper it sounds more like torture that people would be willing to wear uncomfortable polyester jumpsuits in serious summer heat of over 40 degrees at times to celebrate an artist who has never visited Australia, let alone Parkes, and who died 45 years ago. 

The Parkes Elvis Festival has a uniquely Australian flavour with the focus on fun with Parkes Shire Mayor Ken Keith taking the lead usually sporting a sky-blue jumpsuit, aviator sunglasses and pompadour wig. It is the sense of playfulness that makes people come back for more every year. 

The fun element has even spilled over to the sporting field where a regular fixture, a rugby game featuring teams of Elvis look-alikes all wearing copies of his trademark white jumpsuit, draw a huge crowd every year. 

For some the annual event has been life changing as one of the town’s most ardent fans formerly known as Steven Lennox, legally changed his name to Elvis. He had also built up a collection of thousands of pieces of Elvis memorabilia. 

After 30 years there are not only tonnes of stories about the feel good festival, but it has also invigorated Parkes as loyal, repeat visitors help to bring a community together for a well-organised, slightly weird but very friendly event to kick-start the year in a fun way. 

Victor Trevino Jr. is the current International Champion for the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Competition awarded by Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE) in August 2022. For the first time in its history the Parkes Elvis Festival will have two feature artists: Victor Trevino Jr and Dean Z, both from the US.

Have you ever performed in Australia? I’ve worked and performed for audiences all over Australia for many years in a show called “American Trilogy”. I’m no longer part of that production but I always enjoyed the love of the Australian fan base.

How do you feel about performing at the Parkes Elvis Festival? I’m excited to come and perform. Many of my colleagues have many wonderful things to say about the experience. From the band, the venues, the administration, the festivities, the weather, area and the fans. I heard there is no other Elvis Festival like it.

What can fans expect from your shows? The fans can expect me to give my all in every single performance. Some performances will be the 100% Elvis Tribute. Full hair and costume, dance moves, voice, which is a lot of fun. Obviously I love it….that’s how I make my living. Other shows will be myself performing Elvis songs as me, not as ‘Elvis’, which is a lot of fun too and audiences really appreciate the authenticity and honesty in those types of shows.

I will also be premiering a new show called ‘Elvis reimagined’ performing some of my favourite Elvis songs in my own way. Some have a vintage feel and others have a modern feel. But all of them will be different from Elvis’s arrangements. Very excited to show a different way of sharing the music of Elvis to this audience.

When did you get interested in Elvis’s music? When was the first time you heard it? I always loved older music. Music of rock ‘n roll, blues, rhythm and blues jazz of all arrows. I went through a phase where I loved 80s music and then I got into 70s music and then I got into 60s music in the 50s and that’s when I really got more into Elvis in the mail and dollar quartet. Of course, I really have a huge love for the music that influenced Elvis. Late 40s and early 50s rhythm and blues. Rock ‘n roll before it was rock ‘n roll.

The first time I ever heard Elvis was when I was a kid as my dad played all kinds of music. I grew up in a very musical family. Many of my uncles were mariachis on my father’s side and my grandfather played bass for the legendary BB King many times touring around Texas. I really enjoyed Elvis but it wasn’t until later when I really got into it and discovered what an influence he was. What he did for music and how he crossed the boundaries and brought ‘white’ and ‘black’ music together has really changed the world.

I thought his style was cool, I thought he had a cool swag about him. Great hair, stylish wardrobe, and what a voice! At first, I didn’t know too much about him, but I knew he was different and what he did was important. I only became an Elvis Tribute Artist (ETA) into my 20s. I was already a musician and an actor and I kind of stumbled upon being an ETA. I really began to do more and more research and met fellow fans and colleagues of Elvis himself. It really opened up a new and interesting world.

Do you think the younger generations will keep on listening to him? I do hope so. I feel the Elvis movie is going to help that. I think it’s interesting how in the movie they mix modern music with Elvis‘s music. It is called sampling and it has been happening for many years in hip-hop and rap music. It was done in a way that was very well executed. Times, entertainment and music will always change and evolve, whether we like it or not. So I think it was very smart to mix modern pop sounds with Elvis music in the movie.

Any more thoughts on the Elvis movie? I thought it was great. Was it historically accurate? Absolutely not. But it did have a lot of good information and it was very entertaining. It was shot in the iconic Baz Luhrmann style which made it even more interesting. It has brought a whole new audience and love to Elvis from a younger generation. I’ve heard many people in the Elvis tribute community say that an ETA should’ve played the role. I highly disagree. I think Austin Butler did a great job and it was best that an idol and heartthrob, who already has a big fan base, play the role. Not only to boost ticket sales, also to boost interest in Elvis. Graceland is now doing wonderful and is having more and more visitors thanks to the movie. Baz Luhrmann has always been one of my favourite directors ever since I saw his first film Strictly Ballroom. I love every single one of his movies. When I heard that Baz Luhrmann was reading an Elvis movie.… I knew it was gonna be magic.

Do you have a favourite Elvis song? I cannot pick just one. If I had to pick just one it would probably change every day because I love so many of them. That is what makes his music so unreal and so amazing because everyone in the world can relate to it, no matter where you’re from no matter who you are.

For nearly two decades, Dean Z has performed thousands of shows for millions of people around the globe, being named by Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE) as their Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist in 2013.

Dean was officially awarded EPE’s “Ultimate” title and starred in their international touring production Elvis Lives (with over 500,000 tickets sold). 

Dean Z has thrilled Elvis fans across Europe with his portrayal of the King performing to sold out audiences in some of the UK’s most historic venues including the London Apollo, Manchester Arena and The Echo arena in Liverpool on the Elvis Tribute Artist World Tour. He is the only Elvis tribute artist to host SiriusXM’s Elvis Radio channel and currently serves as an ambassador and contributor to Graceland and the Elvis Presley estate.

It is the fourth time you will be performing at the Parkes Elvis Festival. What makes you come back every time? I love the audiences in Australia, especially in Parkes! They are always electric and ready to have a great time celebrating Elvis’s incredible music.

What do you think sets the Parkes Elvis Festival apart from other Elvis festivals? The Parkes Elvis Festival is such a great event because everybody gets involved. It’s not just the shows, there are so many incredible events throughout the week that people participate in. I love that the entire town is incorporated into the festival.

What do you think of the fans at the Parkes Elvis Festival? The fans are truly dedicated to Elvis and his memory. I love watching them enjoy the music. There is so much love for Elvis at the event.

When did you first hear an Elvis song? I’ve first heard Elvis when I was three years old. There was a television documentary called ‘This is Elvis’ that just happened to be on TV when I was a little kid. I instantly cleared off our living room coffee table and started dancing, trying to mimic what I was seeing. I was enamored by him and his presence, even at that early age. I can tell that he was so special.

Why does his music appeal so much to you to make a living from it? It’s not really about making a living from it, it’s just living my childhood dream and lifelong passion. Elvis has provided for so many including myself, and I am forever grateful for that. I always say that this career chose me instead of me choosing it. I am honestly living my childhood dream every show.

Why does Elvis stand the test of time? Elvis stands the test of time because his music is timeless. People, young and old gravitate to him, because of the quality of his voice, his appearance, his charisma and charm. Elvis is forever in style.

What did you think of this year’s Elvis the movie? I absolutely loved the new movie! I believe that Austin Butler deserves an Oscar for his performance as Elvis. He captured something very special, the man behind the music. I want to shake his hand and tell him how much I appreciated the way he brought my hero to life on the big screen.

What do you look forward to at the 2023 Parkes Elvis Festival? We have some incredible shows planed for Parkes this year! Myself and fellow headliner Vic Trevino are going to present Elvis in some very cool ways!

What can fans look forward to in your shows? I don’t want to give too much away, however, my show “The Rocker” is going to absolutely ROCK this year!

Do you have a favourite Elvis song? My favorite Elvis song is “If I Can Dream,” because it tells a beautiful story of hope. No matter how I’m feeling I always pour my heart and soul into singing that song.