I was born and raised in Holy Cross, Kentucky near Bardstown - known as The Bourbon Capital of the World. I was one of 8 children, with 3 brothers and 4 sisters. Growing up, there was always music in my family. I was playing guitar at age 10, accompanying myself and my siblings. We would attend talent shows as “The Miles Kids” at the ages of 5, 6, 8, and 10. Later on, we formed a band and played venues all over central Kentucky. My father was not musically inclined, but he loved music. My Mom was the musical one, who sang to us from the time we were born.

Elvis, of course, was my biggest musical influence. But I grew up on the legendary country singers, and they are still among my favorites. Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Merle Haggard, Marty Robbins and George Jones are some of my biggest country influences. I also grew up listening to those great groups from the 60's rock ‘n’ roll era. I am a huge fan of the Beatles’ music, Creedence Clearwater, Stones, Motown. But, again, Elvis’ music, to me, was a step above all the rest.

Stage fright is something all performers deal with. I had it terribly at first, as a child of 10 to 12 years old, to the point of actually 'throwing up' before going on stage, and sometimes after coming off stage, too. And still, after all these years and thousands of shows, I have that nervousness before going on that usually disappears once I get on stage. The nervousness just comes from wanting to present a good show for an audience, and wanting to present Elvis’ music and image in the best possible way. That is, and always will be, important to me.

My earliest recollection of Elvis was around age 5. My mom had a couple of 45 rpm records. And I remember hearing Jailhouse Rock on the radio. From then on, I was hooked all my life. When I reached driving age and got my licence and first car, the very first thing I wanted to do was to go to Memphis and see where Elvis lived. So a friend and I headed to Memphis on our first adventure alone driving that distance. It was a 6-hour drive, which was a big deal for me, never having driven or gone that far before, ever. We arrived in Memphis, got a room, and early next morning went hunting for Graceland.

Got to Graceland around 9 or 10 am. The sun was shining with beams like from heaven through those huge majestic trees in front of the house. From the road, I noticed a figure, all alone, just in front of the house, standing with arms stretched out, head looking up, in a purple and gold robe, with those beams of sunlight hitting all around the figure. I happened to have a set of binoculars in my car (back then you could park right on the curb by the front gate....my car was the only one there and no one else was around, just me and my friend). With the binoculars I could see the figure clearly, still standing perfectly still in this pose, all by itself, but I could see black hair. I told my friend, Man, they've got a statue of Elvis in the front yard. He looked with the binoculars and agreed. Just then, the arms came down and the figure began to slowly walk around. We were just speechless, because we realized it was actually ELVIS IN THE FLESH, OUTSIDE, WALKING AROUND BY HIMSELF We then started saying aloud, Hey it’s Elvis, Elvis is outside, I can see him.” It was eerie. What happened next was more amazing. We were the only ones there, but after saying aloud, “Elvis is outside”, it seemed that in a matter of seconds people came out of nowhere. Within a few minutes, there must have been 50 people or more who’d come from out of nowhere asking, Can you see him? Where is he? Can I use your binoculars? It was certainly an experience that I was not counting on. I just thought I would be lucky enough to see Graceland Mansion and, if real lucky, speak to someone from inside the gate, perhaps a guard or groundskeeper. But there he was in the flesh. In a few short minutes several Cadillacs and limos pulled through the gates and drove up the winding driveway where 8 to 10 people got out and Elvis greeted them (me still watching every move with my binoculars). Then Elvis and some of the others sat on the front steps by the columns and after a while they all went inside. Then, just as quickly as the crowd outside the gate had appeared, they disappeared after it was announced that Elvis was no longer outside.

When I think about Elvis standing perfectly still in those beams of sunlight, which were majestically shining through those huge trees, with his arms stretched out, in that purple and gold robe, head back, looking up into the heavens, looking God-like himself, I believe he was communicating with God, his maker, in prayer and meditation. It is a picture I will never forget.

Before I started entertaining full time, I had a variety of jobs. I drove trucks while working for a construction company and an oil company, served in the US Air Force, worked a short time with the US Postal Service. For several years, I worked the Fair Circuit. I played the Missouri State Fair several times, Iowa State Fair several times, County Fairs all over the Midwest, just trying to work and get started. Got off the road in 1990 with opening the Memories Theater in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. I performed in Pigeon Forge on a regular basis until l996 when I opened the Eddie Miles Theater in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The Eddie Miles Theater was a dream come true. I had always dreamed of my own theater with my name on it. In 1995, I heard of a 1000-seat theater in Myrtle Beach that had been closed for a little over a year and was available for lease.....so I invested all the capital that I had and the majority of the rest of the capital needed came from a close friend and business partner. In October 1996, the Eddie Miles Theater was opened. An unimaginable amount of work and effort went into putting together a management team and a band of top notch entertainers. We put together a show that I was very proud of and it received a lot of acclaim. I was there and ran the theater from 1996 until early l999, when I had to leave and give up the theater due to a serious spinal injury that required 2 surgeries. After many months of recovery and recuperation, I decided to try to get back to entertaining, which led to what I currently do – a lot of shows out on the road. I still make it back to Myrtle Beach for concerts once a month at the world famous Alabama Theater, and I also perform on a cruise ship during my annual “Eddie Miles’ cruise. See www.eddiemiles.com for my current road schedule and special 2006 Cruise to Hawaii.

I had the opportunity of working with JD Sumner and The Stamps on many occasions and with Ed Enoch and The Stamps after JD passed away. While I had the Eddie Miles Theater in Myrtle Beach, I had JD and The Stamps there many times. Performing with them on stage was indescribable....that wall of vocal sound that they produced was unbelievable. Backstage was just as much fun. JD and Ed Enoch were always telling stories of their days with Elvis. Both of them were always more vocal than the others, and I got to know them more. They both always had wonderful compliments about my show and that always made me feel great about what I was doing. JD passed away in Myrtle Beach while there for a week long engagement with us. I was walking and talking with Ed Enoch on the beach during that time and we looked over and JD was waving from the beach house balcony, smoking a cigarette, and Ed Enoch said to me, Eddie, I don't think our Little Buddy is gonna be with us much longer (Ed Enoch often called JD Little Buddy ). And a day or two later JD died during the night. What a sad time that was. JD Sumner is a legend in his own right, and I feel honored to have shared a stage with him. JD and all The Stamps left me with some of the greatest and proudest musical memories of my life.

I try to bring back Elvis' music and image to the stage in the most entertaining and reverent way that I can......but, off stage, I am as “Eddie” as I can be. I’m just who I am....I like to think of myself as an ole country boy from Kentucky, doing the best I can to entertain and make a living with this very, very wonderful music. Those who have seen my show can explain this maybe better than I. I open my own show with a singing salute to all the Country Legends that I mentioned earlier...and, of course, the biggest part and highlight of the performance is my Salute to Elvis.

The ETA Spotlight is a column written by ETA’s themselves (ranging from those just starting out to those who are fully established in their careers)........about something they’ve accomplished, an experience they’ve had, something that might be of value to other ETA’s, or -- if just starting out -- simply to introduce themselves. Suitable photos should also be provided. Some of the articles will be in response to invitations we issue to ETA’s whose stories we feel will be of interest -- while other articles will be initiated by ETA’s who feel they have an interesting topic to write about. LadyLuckMusic/ETARadio will make the final selection for this feature. We look forward to hearing from ETA’s around the world. Email: ETASpotlight@ladyluckmusic.com

Elvis' music has given me the opportunity to travel all over the world, and provide me with experiences that I would most likely not have had otherwise. I have performed in Canada, Ireland, Sweden, and traveled to Holland, France and Germany....also performed in Bangkok, Thailand. But I still have to say, nothing beats performing in the Good Ole USA.

In recent years, I’ve been fortunate to be a guest and perform in two of the Legends Concerts that were put on in Memphis by Darwin Lamm, of Elvis International Magazine. The first concert, during Elvis Week 2002 in Memphis, commemorated the 25th anniversary of Elvis’ death. The show was loaded with too many legends to mention them all, but to be on stage with Scotty Moore, DJ Fontana, The Jordanaires, Millie Kirkham, Boots Randolph, and Billy Swan, was just too much to believe. Performing with such Legends in a Legends Concert, especially with me being the farthest thing from a Legend,” was such a thrill that I can't describe it. Just to be in their presence, was a thrill, let alone to get to perform with them and they let ME close the show It was a dream come true I felt blessed and honored to be a part of that.

And if that was not enough, two years later, in 2004, Darwin Lamm decided to stage a reunion show with everybody back again, plus adding Ronnie McDowell, to commemorate the 5Oth year of Rock & Roll. July l954, when That's All Right Mama was recorded in Memphis at Sun Records by Elvis, Scotty and Bill, is credited as the birth of Rock & Roll. So 50 years later there is a concert in Memphis during Elvis Week commemorating a half a century of Rock & Roll with the Legends that started it, and little ole ME is a part of it. Talk about walking around in a dream. And get this, the night before the concert, there is a dinner in Memphis on Beale Street, and I am invited. So here I am sitting at a table, celebrating 50 years of Rock and Roll with the guys that started it, Scotty Moore (Member of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame) and DJ Fontana and their wives, Millie Kirkham, some of the Jordanaires, friends of Elvis’ such as Jerry Schilling, and Joe Esposito...and others. I have to say, for someone like me, sitting there on that warm August night in Memphis, Tennessee, with the real Legends of Rock and Roll, enjoying conversation and steak and ribs...it doesn’t get much better (Note: I will be back in Memphis during Elvis Week 2005..details on my website).


I’ve often been asked if I have any advice for those starting out doing Elvis shows, and I have strong feelings about this. I would advise them to just stay true to the musical voice of Elvis. Work on the voice. Of course, the moves, looks, costumes are all important, but it is the voice above all. Elvis was the greatest singer ever, in my opinion and in the opinion of many others. Be a singer before trying to do an Elvis show. Sing on pitch, get a voice teacher to critique your voice or someone whose ear you trust and who you know will be brutally honest (no critiques from Mamas, girlfriends, etc...). Not everybody is a singer, or can be a singer. If you think that you are singing on pitch, record it and listen and get someone to listen. Believe me, many guys doing this think they are singing on pitch but are not even close. But they can't hear it because they don't have the ear (they are not able, through no fault of their own, to determine if a note is flat or sharp. They don't have that gift). The world is full of tone deaf people, nothing wrong with these people, their talent just lies in another area. My biggest pet peeve is to hear someone take an Elvis song, or any song for that matter, but especially Elvis' songs, and butcher it, simply because they don't have an ear for musical pitch. Elvis' music and his voice are too important to be treated badly by someone who cannot sing on pitch, but wants to get up on stage in a white jumpsuit and black hair and sideburns, just for the attention, and who bastardizes the vocal part. Believe me, I am not trying to discourage anyone from trying. But this has to be said, there are already too many out there doing an Elvis show who don’t have even close to the vocal ability it takes to do a representation of Elvis' voice and give it the justice that it deserves.

In closing, I would like to thank Lady Luck Music for featuring me and a great big THANK YOU to all the fans who give up their time, energy, and money to support what we do. The miles you travel, and the expense of food, lodging, and concert tickets, is the only thing that makes it possible for what we do to continue. I thank God for you fans. And I thank God for Elvis Presley and his music and the joy that it has brought the world.

Sincerely, Eddie Miles

Details:
www.eddiemiles.com