Nearly 50 years has passed since the King of ‘Rock n Roll’ died, but his iconic Blues inspired music that captivated the minds of millions lives on. One ‘Suspicious Mind’ is Tony Enfield, who has been performing as Elvis for over five decades for charity.
Tony, 63, is Elvis obsessed. As a boy, his mother made him his first Elvis suit. And so, he ditched the school uniform for sparkly sequins and silk.
‘‘I wore it to school because I didn’t like the uniform. I was always singing when I was at school, it was just myself,’’ said Tony.
Tony is well known in parts of the county as being ‘Lincolnshire’s Elvis’. His favourite songs by the legendary icon include American trilogy and Gave me a reality as well as being a fan of other artists of that era such as Roy Orbison, Billy Fury and The Drifters.
Growing up, Tony came from a poorer background to most, but this gave him a sense of relatability to Elvis who lived in one of the poorest parts of Memphis.
‘‘Elvis was like me. When I was poor and didn’t have much, I wanted to make a name for myself, for my mates from school to look back and think ‘you’ve done well for yourself’,’’ explained Tony.
Some years later, Tony created a stage name and now goes by Tony ‘Memphis’ King, paying homage to the late legend. With a fresh new identity, the musician applied for the UK’s biggest TV shows, Britain’s Got Talent, in 2009.
He said: ‘‘I went on when Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan were judges what would have been 15 or 16 years ago. They rang me saying I had great vocals and invited me onto the live auditions. I was running around the room screaming.’’
Unfortunately, Tony didn’t get to showcase his talents in front of the panel of judges due to the passing of his father.
However, since then Tony has performed frequently for charities and those in need. In particular, his beloved Blackfriars theatre located locally to him, where he has performed every year for 14 years.
‘‘I’ve been raising money for Blackfriars to help with the theatre and everything. My next concert is on June 7 where I will be raising money for them. I’m a giver not a taker, if someone ever rings me up for charity, I’ll do it. If I’ve got the time then I’ll do it. It’s nice to give people something to remember.’’
To put the icing on the cake, Tony returned to his old school two years ago to raise money for his old teacher whose wife had passed away, highlighting his kind-hearted demeanor.
From performances for teachers who helped mould the person he is today, tribute nights for his son’s ex-football club, all the way to Britain’s Got Talent auditions, Tony’s concert in the summer certainly shows he has no intentions of slowing down with his charity work as well as capturing the hearts of those who attend his tributes of the late Elvis Presley.
Credit: Boston United Supporters Association
