here is a very funny story from the club mag from june 1973 issue...
ELVIS ARRIVES IN BRITAIN !!
Sunday morning, May 13th, 1973. The announcement made on the radio news broadcast, had the GB Elvis fans definitely ``all shok up``, it went as follows...
``Elvis Presley has been detained at Heathrow Airport by the customs officials who questioned him about his work permit, but Presley said he was here on a surprise visit to just pickup a group. This is the first time Presley has ever set foot in GB``...I nearly collapsed when I heard this, but managed to control myself long enough to make that very fast 15 minutes drive from my home to London Airport !
I arrived there to find only a handful of fans, 20 in all, and very few photographers and reporters. We all waited around patiently as HE was detained in the customs office, for further 15 minutes, making it over one hour in all. But finally it happened...in walked this large hunk of man clad in a white suit, flowery shirt open to the waist and easy rider sunglasses, came through the barrier carrying a GUITAR ! Just that one glance nearly knocked me out ! Just for that split second, he was Elvis ! But a second look told me, and very few others, it was not Elvis, still fans ran up to him screaming and asking for photographs.
To be honest though, it was as near to Elvis` looks as anyone has ever got yet...it was a near perfect replica, and one could be forgiven for being too flabergasted to see through the guy. It took me some time to discover that his real name was not Elvis, but ELI CULBERTSON, an american singer from California. As we stood by, he spoke in a very southern drawl, which unmistakeably was similar to that of Elvis`, but not quite, as he said ``I am overwhelmed, this is great``. And as one photographer put it - ``It all fitted`` as he too was fooled in to beleiving it was Elvis, and from only a few feet away ! The now labeled ``KING OF HOAXERS`` then left in a blue Rolls Royce. He is one guy, I shall be keeping an eye open for the next 6 months, he will be here. I had taken a few picturess of my own, and the moment these are printed, I shall send some along to ELVIS` VOICE, then you can see for yourselfs what really turned London upside down on a typical dull English Sunday!!!
By the way, to add to the confusion, dis you know that Australia has its own Elvis Presley??? He changed his name in 1970 by Deed Poll in the High Court, to Elvis Presley No. 2, because of his great similarity with Elvis in looks, and he too was causing turmoil with the tourists there, who thought he really was Elvis. If anyone knows anything of either Eli Culbertson ``KING OF THE HOAXERS`` or Elvis No. 2, we would be delighted to hear from you at the club address. I shall keep you posted on both these guys with hopefully a few pictures.
this article was from member Miss Joe Tzouvanni. 1973
Enjouy this funny story, have a nice day, BOGARCON