Pennsylvania native named first Elvis 'tribute' champ at Graceland

Memphis, Tennessee: The King is dead. Long live the King - of Elvis tribute artists.

Shawn Klush, a Pittston, Pennsylvania native, was named the "ultimate Elvis tribute artist" on Friday night in the first-ever tournament for Elvis impersonators sanctioned by Elvis Presley's estate.

Klush won over the sold-out crowd at a downtown Memphis concert hall with a version of Viva Las Vegas and then clinched the title against a field of nine other Elvis "tribute artists" with a rendition of You Gave Me A Mountain.

Competitive

Clad in a replica of Presley's signature 1970s-era white jumpsuit, Klush bested two other veterans of the highly competitive Las Vegas Elvis circuit, Trent Carlini and Donny Edwards.

Contestants were judged on performance, appearance and respect for Elvis by a panel of judges including Joe Moscheo, a singer who performed regularly with Presley in Las Vegas.

Klush's victory gives him $5,000 (Dh18,365) in cash, a $5,000 gift certificate to spend at Graceland and the marketing value of the first-ever endorsement from Presley's estate.

Reflecting the continuing international appeal of Elvis three decades after his death, the 10 finalists in the showdown included a Canadian, a Norwegian and a British hopeful.