Travis Ledoyt in Ontario, Canada

ETA and Rockabilly Hall of Fame member, Travis LeDoyt recently made his very first Canadian appearance, coming from Tennessee to Ontario for an informal “Songs of Inspiration” performance sponsored by the Love for Elvis Fan Club at St. Matthews United Church just before Christmas. You can read about this in our “FanView” section.

Slowly but steadily over the past 3 years, 26-year old Travis has made a name for himself as a major talent to be reckoned with, and he is now recognized as one of the top “young Elvis” stylists in the world. He wowed the huge crowds in Chile, South America last year, performs regularly at Harrah’s Casino in Tunica, and has been the headliner several years in a row at the Tupelo Elvis Festival. He has also greatly impressed the musicians who worked with Elvis (DJ Fontana, for one, is quoted as saying that Travis’ performances are about as close to the ‘50's Elvis as you’ll see).

Last year, the two young co-presidents of the Love for Elvis Fan Club, with chapters both in the US and in Canada, saw Travis and were so impressed with him that they “adopted” him for their fan club. Thus it was that Travis came to Canada just before Christmas for his first Canadian performance.

Although the fans had heard rave reviews about Travis, this was the first time most of them had actually seen him. The type of performance (inspirational) and the venue (a church) were a bit different from the typical ETA performance that most were familiar with, and also different from many other of Travis’ performances, so most in the audience really weren’t quite sure what to expect.

As described in the “FanView” page, first the sounds of JD Sumner’s “Precious Memories” filled the church and we saw a piano with a guitar leaning against it, along with photographs of Gladys, Vernon and the young Elvis on display..and a candle lit in Elvis’ memory.

Then Travis, dressed simply in white shirt and black pants, entered the room, sat at the piano, and sang and entertained the audience for two solid hours ... Elvis’ gospel, Christmas, and ‘50's songs. He had the audience in the palm of his hand the whole time with both the beautiful ballads and the rousing rockabilly numbers (after all, he is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame–and can he play that piano!). The audience reacted by shouting out requests and clapping their hands and tapping their feet , in addition to listening in rapt silence to some of Elvis’ touching early tunes. Travis has a wonderful sense of humour and such charm, along with a beautiful smile that just lights up the room. Apart from the fact that he looks so much like Elvis, you just can’t help thinking he “is” Elvis as he performs. From time to time, he’d scrunch up some of his song sheets and toss them out into the audience - and if you thought women scrambled for only scarves, you should have seen this! As the show came to an end, the audience members lit candles and sang “Silent Night” along with Travis. After the performance, Travis met with his eager fans and signed autographs, posed for photos and socialized. It was a thoroughly uplifting evening - a little different from the usual ETA performance, but there’s absolutely nothing “usual” about Travis. As one admirer (below) is quoted as saying: ‘All Elvis fans should see Travis LeDoyt.’

This simple , yet fun, performance in a church, with Travis singing and playing the piano was one of the most meaningful real tributes to the young Elvis Presley that I’ve seen, and I’ve thought about it many times in the last couple of weeks. Thanks to Travis LeDoyt for coming all the way to Canada, without his band, to a much smaller type of venue than he normally performs in, and for “thinking outside the box” to present such a thoughtful and classy tribute to Elvis.

Hopefully, Travis will be back in Canada very soon. In the meantime, you can check his schedule at www.travisledoyt.com. Upcoming performances include the Elvis Birthday Tribute weekend on Jan. 9, 10, 11 in Indiana and Ohio, and two spectacular shows in Knoxville, Tennessee on January 24, in addition to return engagements at Harrah's Casino in Tunica.

Well, I’m Jewish and this was the second night of Chanukah, but instead of lighting the menorah, spinning dreidels and eating latkes, I went to an Elvis show in a church! No costume! No band! No sound tech! I wondered what kind of an Elvis show this was going to be! Sitting in the front I thought I’d be getting a birds’ eye view, but because of the angle of the piano I saw Travis’ back for most of the time..catching a glimpse of his face when he turned and grinned to the crowd or when he swung himself around the piano bench -- but somehow it didn’t matter at all. There he was in black pants, white shirt and shoes, playing the piano and singing Elvis songs he’d prepared and the ones the crowd shouted out...the first hour passed and it was like l5 minutes, I was so mesmerized. His humour, smile, gestures..WHAT TALENT! I rushed out to be first in the autograph line and bought a photo for Travis to autograph. He was so nice to talk to and said he’d noticed me in the audience! On the way home, I could hardly wait to get home to put his picture up on my bedroom wall! I’ll be looking at it every day!! Brooke Cowitz, age l3.

“ I think Travis is a natural ‘Elvis’ with the comedic, playful personality that Elvis was so well known for. His piano skills are phenomenal along with his natural Elvis vocal range. His gospel renditions were very touching and one felt like Elvis really was in the church singing to us. Travis was astounding with his performance and this was a wonderful, joyous evening. “

“He is a really down to earth, nice guy -- and so unique. All Elvis fans should see Travis perform. I think they would be very surprised. “

“Travis is a natural! It was like a breath of fresh air to see and hear something a little different and yet capturing the very essence of the young Elvis. Travis’ immense talent also shone through loud and clear.”

“I’ve been to Memphis for 7 years in a row and Collingwood for the past 9 years, and have seen hundreds of tribute artists. I haven’t seen anyone with the total package of talent that Travis has. His singing and his wonderful piano playing blew me away. He most certainly did impress me and his unique performance was so refreshing!”

And finally a few words from Ronda Marson, president of the Canadian chapter of the Love for Elvis Fan club who worked hard and long to get Travis up to Canada so that not only fan club members but other Elvis fans in the area could finally see and meet him, and who deserves a big thank you for organizing the evening. “I was absolutely thrilled by Travis' energetic and inspiring performance on December 21 in Canada and I couldn’t think of a better way to start the Holiday Season. Travis certainly has gained many new fans. Our fan club is immensely proud to have Travis as one of our ‘adopted’ ETA’s."