Robert Washington | |
---|---|
Also known as | "Black Elvis" [1] |
Born | [2] St. Louis, Missouri, United States [3] | August 16, 1958
Occupation(s) | Entertainer, singer |
Years active | 1983 – present |
Robert Washington (born August 16, 1958) is an American Elvis impersonator who has won many Elvis competitions in the United States. Washington is African American, [4] [5] and was the first African American to win the World Champion Elvis Impersonator title. Sam Thompson, a former bodyguard of Elvis Presley, once commented on Washington's close resemblance to Presley's sound. [3]
Washington grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. [2] In 1974, he attended an Elvis Presley concert. The day that Presley died in 1977, Washington was at Marine boot camp, and it also happened to be his 19th birthday. [2] He served in the United States Marine Corps until 1981. [6]
Washington's early performances were singing for family and friends, after Presley's death. [3] In the early 1980s, Washington lip-synced Elvis tunes in a stage act. [7] He quotes 1983 as his first career stage appearance. [3] He later branched out into competitions using his own voice. [7]
Washington's act has concentrated on the 1968 era of Presley, around the time of Elvis's comeback television special. [1]
He appeared in the 2000 television documentary Elvis and the Men who would be King. [7] Footage of Washington was also included in the 2001 documentary Almost Elvis, which filmed him during 1999. [7][ citation needed]
By August 2001, he had appeared at ten "Images of the King" impersonation contests in Memphis. [8] He won the event in 2003. [3]
In December 2013, he was voted number one in the Online Viewer's Choice Award on the Elvis World Championships website. [9]
In 2007, Washington toured Europe with the "Original Elvis Tribute" and received many positive reviews. [10]
In January 2013, he appeared at the Capitol Theater in Olympia, Washington. [11] In July 2012, he was booked to do two shows in Aroostook County. His show at the time consisted of two sets: one from Presley's earlier days, and a second from his 1970s Las Vegas period. [3]
Robert Washington | |
---|---|
Also known as | "Black Elvis" [1] |
Born | [2] St. Louis, Missouri, United States [3] | August 16, 1958
Occupation(s) | Entertainer, singer |
Years active | 1983 – present |
Robert Washington (born August 16, 1958) is an American Elvis impersonator who has won many Elvis competitions in the United States. Washington is African American, [4] [5] and was the first African American to win the World Champion Elvis Impersonator title. Sam Thompson, a former bodyguard of Elvis Presley, once commented on Washington's close resemblance to Presley's sound. [3]
Washington grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. [2] In 1974, he attended an Elvis Presley concert. The day that Presley died in 1977, Washington was at Marine boot camp, and it also happened to be his 19th birthday. [2] He served in the United States Marine Corps until 1981. [6]
Washington's early performances were singing for family and friends, after Presley's death. [3] In the early 1980s, Washington lip-synced Elvis tunes in a stage act. [7] He quotes 1983 as his first career stage appearance. [3] He later branched out into competitions using his own voice. [7]
Washington's act has concentrated on the 1968 era of Presley, around the time of Elvis's comeback television special. [1]
He appeared in the 2000 television documentary Elvis and the Men who would be King. [7] Footage of Washington was also included in the 2001 documentary Almost Elvis, which filmed him during 1999. [7][ citation needed]
By August 2001, he had appeared at ten "Images of the King" impersonation contests in Memphis. [8] He won the event in 2003. [3]
In December 2013, he was voted number one in the Online Viewer's Choice Award on the Elvis World Championships website. [9]
In 2007, Washington toured Europe with the "Original Elvis Tribute" and received many positive reviews. [10]
In January 2013, he appeared at the Capitol Theater in Olympia, Washington. [11] In July 2012, he was booked to do two shows in Aroostook County. His show at the time consisted of two sets: one from Presley's earlier days, and a second from his 1970s Las Vegas period. [3]