Jamie’s love of music began at a very young age. His grandmother was a music teacher and he used to sit in on her lessons as she taught her pupils.
When he was just 3, his grandmother gave him an electric keyboard, and before long his formal music training had started with piano lessons – which, in turn, lead to playing the violin, accordion, guitar, and a little saxophone and drums. Jamie has also started writing some of his own compositions, which he loves.
At age 11, Jamie heard his very first Elvis song, when he came home from school one day to find his mother playing a CD she’d just bought. The song was “Return to Sender” and as Jamie says, “I was hooked – immediately captivated by Elvis’ voice - -his unique sound. I’d not heard anything like it before.” From that moment on, Jamie claimed the CD as “his own”and began to learn more about Elvis.
He continues, “The more I learned about Elvis by looking at pictures of him and watching his movies, the more I became interested. Elvis had such a distinctive look and style about him, not only the way he sang, but his whole image, and the way he moved on stage. I just knew that I wanted to try and perform like him.”
At school, Jamie was asked to represent his class in a “End of Year” show, and his classmates joked, “With hair like yours, you should be able to sing like Elvis!”. He sang “Hound Dog” and says, “The reception I got was outstanding although I must admit a little nerve wracking, as there were over 1,000 people there. I thoroughly enjoyed it and immediately decided that I wanted to be on stage as a performer.”
That opportunity arose several years ago, when Jamie’s mother, Angela, learned that an Elvis Festival was being organized in Porthcawl, Wales (The Elvies Festival). She contacted the event organizer and an audition was set up for Jamie.
As she says, “The rest is history” and “an amazing experience.”
Since then, in addition to performing at the Porthcawl Festival each year, along with other shows in Wales (as one of the few teenage ETA’s in the UK), Jamie has also attracted both local and national media attention from newspapers, radio, and BBC TV
Last year, (2007), Jamie was selected to be one of 30 ETA’s world-wide who appeared in the BBC’s “World’s Greatest Elvis” ETA contest, which was viewed by an audience of 8 million. Not only was it exciting to be on the TV show, but Jamie was also thrilled to meet other ETA’s from around the world.
Later in the year, Jamie also appeared with several other British ETA’s for the BBC’s “Big Finish” Show which aired on New Year’s Eve.
Another highlight was traveling to Memphis for Elvis Week 2007 and singing to enthusiastic fans at the Graceland Tent. As Jamie says, “Who would have thought that I’d ever get to go to Memphis --certainly not me! The experience was out of this world. The welcome and friendliness we experienced from everyone was --well--I don’t know a word to describe it.”
While in Memphis, fellow ETA Mario Kombou encouraged Jamie to enter the Images of the King contest. Jamie says, “I’m glad we listened to Mario; we had a wonderful time; the fans were amazing, and I think I returned with an extra suitcase full of teddy bears and gifts from the fans.” To his delight, Jamie also made it through to the “Images” finals.
Jamie continues, “I have met so many wonderful people along the way, too numerous to mention, but there are a few very special people who have been a support not only to me but to my parents --and to actually get to meet people that knew and worked with Elvis is "surreal."
“One of these people is Charles Stone - Elvis' tour producer from 1970-77, who now manages Kraig Parker, an ETA that I truly admire. I met Charles and Kraig at the Porthcawl Festival when I was 13 – and now class both of them as my good friends. Through Charles, I also had the honour of meeting Mrs. Loanne Parker, Sam Thompson, Dick Grob and DJ Fontana last year in Memphis. We met up with another friend of ours in Memphis, too: Sandi Pichon, whom I met for the first time in Wales 4 years ago and who is a great lady.”
“Another highlight of my trip to America last year (thanks to Charles) was appearing with Kraig Parker in his show in Harrah's Casino, Illinois in front of a packed out audience, and also having the huge honour of meeting and performing with Ed Enoch and The Stamps.”
As Charles Stone says: “After watching Jamie mature as a singer and performer over the past 4 years I feel he ranks in the top of the class for Elvis tribute artists. He is a natural when on stage and performs with such ease. He sat in for a number at our sold out show at Harrah’s and got a standing ovation even though he was only 16 years old then. The audience loved him.”
During the school year, Jamie performs mostly in Wales at local shows and events, but still manages to keep busy.
One recent show, for example, was part of a series of theatre shows called “The World’s Greatest Tribute Artist Concert,” and featured two other well known UK ETA’s, Steve Preston and Gordon Hendricks, both of whom were impressed with Jamie’s singing talent and presence on stage, and report that “Jamie went down a storm” with the enthusiastic audience.
Jamie also enjoys performing at fundraisers and works with two charities in particular: Breast Cancer Care/Research and Heronsbridge –a school that caters to children with profound special needs.
Angela holds an “Elvis Lives” Charity Night each November which started out as a small venture but, as she says, “It’s grown and grown...last year I had 20 ETA’s performing with more on a waiting list. The ETA’s are wonderful in their support of us on this Night; they are a credit to themselves and to the Legacy of Elvis.”
Now that school is over for the summer, Jamie is looking forward to performing in more shows, and returning to Memphis in August, where he will again be entering the Images contest, and singing at the Tent. He’s also hoping to meet up with friends and fellow ETA’s he met last year, many of whom have kept in touch via email and the internet.
In the fall, Jamie will be headlining at the 2008 Porthcawl Festival.
When asked about the future, Jamie says he plans first to continue with his college studies and possibly go to university to pursue a music program, but that above all, “My hopes and dreams are that I progress, improve, and make a career out of entertaining people as a top class entertainer.”
According to Angela, there are many plans in the "pipe line". Several established ETA’s have approached Jamie about appearing in their shows, and there is the possibility of touring with a large established theatre show in the UK and Europe.
When asked if there are any ETA’s he particularly admires, Jamie replied “I admire far too many of the ETA's that I have met along the way to mention them all by name. I see more and more the dedication of so many of the ETA’s and how hard they work to bring their shows to the fans. This makes me admire them so much...I see that for so many it is a way of life."
Jamie reports also that the fans are so loyal and their love of Elvis is awesome; he emphasizes that he appreciates the fans greatly. He says he does find the attention from the female fans a little overwhelming sometimes, but notes that as he is getting a little older himself, it’s becoming a bit easier!
Jamie concludes by saying that he is very grateful for the support his family, mentors, fans, and fellow ETA’s give him, and that, “Who knows what the future holds for me, but I’m going to take every opportunity to make the best of it.”
Many thanks to Jamie and his family for this interview, and best wishes to Jamie (Jelvis.UK) for continued success. (All photos courtesy of Angela McDonnell Roberts).
CAROL@LADYLUCKMUSIC.COM
When he was just 3, his grandmother gave him an electric keyboard, and before long his formal music training had started with piano lessons – which, in turn, lead to playing the violin, accordion, guitar, and a little saxophone and drums. Jamie has also started writing some of his own compositions, which he loves.
At age 11, Jamie heard his very first Elvis song, when he came home from school one day to find his mother playing a CD she’d just bought. The song was “Return to Sender” and as Jamie says, “I was hooked – immediately captivated by Elvis’ voice -
He continues, “The more I learned about Elvis by looking at pictures of him and watching his movies, the more I became interested. Elvis had such a distinctive look and style about him, not only the way he sang, but his whole image, and the way he moved on stage. I just knew that I wanted to try and perform like him.”
At school, Jamie was asked to represent his class in a “End of Year” show, and his classmates joked, “With hair like yours, you should be able to sing like Elvis!”. He sang “Hound Dog” and says, “The reception I got was outstanding although I must admit a little nerve wracking, as there were over 1,000 people there. I thoroughly enjoyed it and immediately decided that I wanted to be on stage as a performer.”
That opportunity arose several years ago, when Jamie’s mother, Angela, learned that an Elvis Festival was being organized in Porthcawl, Wales (The Elvies Festival). She contacted the event organizer and an audition was set up for Jamie.
As she says, “The rest is history” and “an amazing experience.”
Since then, in addition to performing at the Porthcawl Festival each year, along with other shows in Wales (as one of the few teenage ETA’s in the UK), Jamie has also attracted both local and national media attention from newspapers, radio, and BBC TV
Last year, (2007), Jamie was selected to be one of 30 ETA’s world-
Later in the year, Jamie also appeared with several other British ETA’s for the BBC’s “Big Finish” Show which aired on New Year’s Eve.
Another highlight was traveling to Memphis for Elvis Week 2007 and singing to enthusiastic fans at the Graceland Tent. As Jamie says, “Who would have thought that I’d ever get to go to Memphis -
While in Memphis, fellow ETA Mario Kombou encouraged Jamie to enter the Images of the King contest. Jamie says, “I’m glad we listened to Mario; we had a wonderful time; the fans were amazing, and I think I returned with an extra suitcase full of teddy bears and gifts from the fans.” To his delight, Jamie also made it through to the “Images” finals.
Jamie continues, “I have met so many wonderful people along the way, too numerous to mention, but there are a few very special people who have been a support not only to me but to my parents -
“One of these people is Charles Stone -
“Another highlight of my trip to America last year (thanks to Charles) was appearing with Kraig Parker in his show in Harrah's Casino, Illinois in front of a packed out audience, and also having the huge honour of meeting and performing with Ed Enoch and The Stamps.”
As Charles Stone says: “After watching Jamie mature as a singer and performer over the past 4 years I feel he ranks in the top of the class for Elvis tribute artists. He is a natural when on stage and performs with such ease. He sat in for a number at our sold out show at Harrah’s and got a standing ovation even though he was only 16 years old then. The audience loved him.”
During the school year, Jamie performs mostly in Wales at local shows and events, but still manages to keep busy.
One recent show, for example, was part of a series of theatre shows called “The World’s Greatest Tribute Artist Concert,” and featured two other well known UK ETA’s, Steve Preston and Gordon Hendricks, both of whom were impressed with Jamie’s singing talent and presence on stage, and report that “Jamie went down a storm” with the enthusiastic audience.
Jamie also enjoys performing at fundraisers and works with two charities in particular: Breast Cancer Care/Research and Heronsbridge –a school that caters to children with profound special needs.
Angela holds an “Elvis Lives” Charity Night each November which started out as a small venture but, as she says, “It’s grown and grown...last year I had 20 ETA’s performing with more on a waiting list. The ETA’s are wonderful in their support of us on this Night; they are a credit to themselves and to the Legacy of Elvis.”
Now that school is over for the summer, Jamie is looking forward to performing in more shows, and returning to Memphis in August, where he will again be entering the Images contest, and singing at the Tent. He’s also hoping to meet up with friends and fellow ETA’s he met last year, many of whom have kept in touch via email and the internet.
In the fall, Jamie will be headlining at the 2008 Porthcawl Festival.
When asked about the future, Jamie says he plans first to continue with his college studies and possibly go to university to pursue a music program, but that above all, “My hopes and dreams are that I progress, improve, and make a career out of entertaining people as a top class entertainer.”
According to Angela, there are many plans in the "pipe line". Several established ETA’s have approached Jamie about appearing in their shows, and there is the possibility of touring with a large established theatre show in the UK and Europe.
When asked if there are any ETA’s he particularly admires, Jamie replied “I admire far too many of the ETA's that I have met along the way to mention them all by name. I see more and more the dedication of so many of the ETA’s and how hard they work to bring their shows to the fans. This makes me admire them so much...I see that for so many it is a way of life."
Jamie reports also that the fans are so loyal and their love of Elvis is awesome; he emphasizes that he appreciates the fans greatly. He says he does find the attention from the female fans a little overwhelming sometimes, but notes that as he is getting a little older himself, it’s becoming a bit easier!
Jamie concludes by saying that he is very grateful for the support his family, mentors, fans, and fellow ETA’s give him, and that, “Who knows what the future holds for me, but I’m going to take every opportunity to make the best of it.”
Many thanks to Jamie and his family for this interview, and best wishes to Jamie (Jelvis.UK) for continued success. (All photos courtesy of Angela McDonnell Roberts).
CAROL@LADYLUCKMUSIC.COM
The whole gang enjoyed their first visit to Memphis....Jamie with parents Angela and Craig...brother Sean, sisters Rebecca and Siobhan.
Jamie with Ed Enoch of the Stamps Quartet
Jamie with his mother Angela
Jamie with (l.to r.) Brenda and Ed Enoch, and Charles Stone
Jamie with his friends ETA Kraig Parker, and Charles Stone
Elvis fan and up-and-coming ETA, Jamie McDonnell Roberts, l7, lives on a small farm on the outskirts of Swansea, in South Wales with his parents Angela and Craig, and younger brother and sisters, Sean, Siobhan, and Rebecca. In the past few years, Jamie’s foray into the Elvis and ETA world has taken him on an exciting journey from local appearances at festivals and theatres in Wales to North America where he has performed with the Stamps Quartet, met “friends of Elvis,” and entered the Memphis Images of the King contest. Read on! (click on Jamie’s photo or name to hear him sing Such A Night) -
Carol caught up with Jamie outside the Graceland Tent in Memphis where he performed in front of enthusiastic fans. (Photo credit Carol Hunter)
Jamie in Memphis with fellow UK ETA's, Mario Kombou (l) and George Elias (r).
