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Last July, I saw Eddie Miles perform at his terrific sold-out headliner show during the Collingwood Elvis Festival in Canada. Recently, I had an opportunity to catch another concert in southern Ohio, and I wasn’t about to miss out on that - so off I went!
If you take a look at Eddie’s website [www.eddiemiles.com] you can see that he has performed with many of Elvis’ original musicians and that he is highly regarded by them as the best Elvis stylist there is and “the closest to the real Elvis - nobody does it better”. You can also see Eddie’s really amazing tour schedule! After years of performing nightly to sell-out crowds at his theatres in Myrtle Beach and in Pigeon Forge, he’s booked from now till the end of the year at some great venues as he takes his show on the road – including his much awaited spectacular “Salute to Elvis” on August l4 at the Peabody Hotel Ballroom in Memphis during Elvis Week. So look carefully, as there may be a show at a theatre near you! (By the way, he’s getting rave reviews and standing ovations wherever he goes!).
While in Ohio, I had an opportunity to be backstage for the day and to meet Eddie and some of his fans and crew. Eddie, even as “himself” off stage, has a presence about him that I have never seen in any other Elvis tribute artist - in fact, I found myself to be quite awe-struck and at a loss for words - it’s that strong “Elvis-like” presence that he has - but he soon made me feel welcome and put me at ease.
And ~ I have never seen such loyal and friendly fans! They just LOVE EDDIE. They follow him to his concerts all over, and they look out for him every step of the way. They certainly made me feel welcome with their southern hospitality (well, it’s southern if you are from Canada!), and it has been terrific in the last few months to personally meet so many new friends from Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, and the Carolinas - and, I’m sure, many other areas. Elvis fans are the same (great people) no matter where they are from, but Eddie Miles has some very special fans and people around him!
Eddie has risen to the “tribute superstar” level he’s at now by working incredibly hard, honing his craft, and taking care of business all these years . Before this particular show, he spent a long while rehearsing, at the sound check, and checking out all the equipment, lighting, sound system, etc. He produces and directs each of his shows himself and his thorough attention to detail pays off over and over - what a great sound and light show!! If I could only pick two words to describe Eddie’s shows, they would be “professional” and “classy”. Eddie’s “Salute to Elvis” is a genuine tribute to one of the greatest singers who ever lived - Eddie does it right and his talent and professionalism shine throughout!
There is a wonderful interaction between Eddie and his fans, and somehow he manages to make each of them feel special. Amazingly enough, his shows are all a little different as they are made up solely of fan requests submitted before the show (some of the songs requested and sung beautifully at this show were were “I’ll Remember You, And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind, After Loving You, Kentucky Rain.....and many more! ). Incidentally, I have really enjoyed - both live and on CD - listening to Eddie sing so many of my favourite Elvis songs, which aren’t necessarily the “same old 10" that you hear all the time but some of the more beautiful, lesser known songs that he sings so well.
I don’t want to sound like an “infomercial” here, but if you haven’t seen Eddie Miles, either in person or on one of his videos, or listened to any of his CD’s, you are missing a real treat–especially if you are a real Elvis Presley fan. His videos and CD’s are A+ quality, and Eddie’s singing, like Elvis’, is truly a god-given talent. Like Elvis also, Eddie has the knack of being able to create a picture in the mind of the listener as he sings - not many singers can do that - and he has a wide range of at least 300 Elvis songs in his repertoire. Normally, I don’t like to see ETA’s doing other types of songs at an Elvis show, but Eddie Miles is such a talented singer and entertainer that I could sit and listen to his “country heroes” segment and his Creedence Clearwater songs all night, plus any other songs he wanted to sing, in addition to all that great Elvis music that he sings so incredibly well. He also has a real knack for telling a good joke too– he had me in stitches!
I’ve included a few recent photos --you can see the fan reaction and the stage presence that Eddie has. His jumpsuits are, without a doubt, the best I’ve seen (just love the black “Butterfly”!!!) and take a close look at those terrific belts too - he makes them all himself by hand.
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