Roland Julius aka Elvis of Boston has been performing live Elvis shows in Boston and the New England area since 1971.
How & when did you get into being an ETA?
Back in 1971 I was going out with my girlfriend Claire from Charlestown , Massachusetts and her sister Liz was a big Elvis fan.
Elvis was coming to the Boston Garden that year and her sister Liz wanted to go to the concert and did not want to go alone. So we all went together to buy tickets.
I remember the ticket lines where very long and we tried to get their as earlier as we could. Many Elvis fans where already there waiting in line for the box office to open their windows and we heard someone yell out to my girlfriend’s sister Liz to come up front.
My girlfriends Claire sister Liz was in the Boston Elvis fan club at the time and a few of her friends got in line the night before. We got tickets two seats from the side of the stage!
What luck we had that Claire's sister Liz had friends that got in line so early! I was only fifteen years old at the time myself and only known about Elvis Presley through hearing his music on the radio.
Little did I know what I was going to see and get myself into? The show was different as far as I can remember there was a few music acts before Elvis even came on stage.
We went to the backstage area with many of the Elvis fans to try get picture of Elvis even before the show started. Because we did not know which part of the Boston Garden Elvis would come in we waited with most Elvis fans in one area.
All of a sudden everyone was screaming, and Elvis was being rushed into a side room. He did stop and sign a few things then was again rushed away to that side room off the hallway where everyone was standing.
I believe there was a comedian, and some kind of Motown show started the show first. Most everyone was talking through those acts and I've never seen so many girls before in one place. After half the show was over Elvis still did not come out on stage yet? Then there was an intermission, and I remember my girlfriend Claire and her sister Liz did buy some Elvis pillows. They were small throw pillows.
Now that intermission was over everyone was going crazy and it got real loud with everyone talking and girls making screaming sounds. They make a few announcements’ and then the lights went down, the spotlights started searching all over and the “2001” theme started.
That's it,that's all it took for you not to be able to hear anything! The Boston Garden was so loud that you could no longer even hear the music! Elvis came on stage and started walking right to us.
I could not believe how loud girls could scream. For a few minutes it was also very hard to see because of everyone having flash blurbs going off from their cameras. All thought the concert you couldn't hear that well at all because of everyone screaming.
Every time Elvis walked over to our side of the stage, I got hit with those Elvis throw pillows!
I was totally taken in by this whole concert and was in total daze after. It took us a little over an hour and a half to get out of the Boston Garden after the Elvis concert.
I myself had taken the whole concert in. The next’s time I got together with a few my buddies and musicians the following week I started to try to sing like Elvis and do a few of Elvis songs. My favorite singer at that time was Wilson Picket because he had a great sound and feel to his music.
I was singing songs at that time from Rare Earth to Gran Funk Railroad, from seeing Elvis in concert totally chanced my singing from that day on.
I was now an “Elvis's style” singer back then. It was not until Elvis passed away around the late seventies that people started saying that I was an “Elvis's impersonator”. In the middle nineties they started to call “Elvis's impersonators” “Elvis Tribute Artists”.
What do you like most about being an Eta?
After fifty years I look back and ask myself that question and I think just being on stage expressing my own feelings in each song and then meeting the Elvis fans after the show.
How long do you see yourself doing this and do you see yourself doing this in the next ten years?
Gee, you know I see many older entertainers like “Tom Jones”, “Engelbert Humerdinck”, “John Fogerty”, “Tommy James”, “Willie Nelson”, “Frankie Valli”, “Loretta Lynn”, “Dolly Patron”, “Tina Turner”, “Petula Clark”, “Roberta Flack” all still performing on stage now and then. So who really knows the answers to “when do you feel its time?”.
Do you feel that Elvis would be proud of what you are doing?
You know I sheared from Elvis's friends, and I also saw a movie, and, in that movie, Elvis met an Elvis impersonator at the airport once and was no way impressed with manner. So, I'm really not sure about Elvis would really enjoying the total gig. I guess Elvis would just say “there's another one”.
What's so special about Elvis to you?
Special? That's it! I believe that Elvis was SPECIAL in many ways and because he appealed to different generations and social media. Elvis his one performer who will outlast most entertainers for years to come.
Do you have a favorite ETA besides yourself and if so why?
There are a few great performers and have got the “Elvis-gig-thing” down to really skill. They just are so smooth with their own show and the people love them. In my own New England area, I could name a few. How about “Dean Z”, oh, and there's “Ben Portsmouth”. Outside I've got a few I enjoy also like “Doug Church”, “Cody Slaughter”, “Matt Lewis", "Bill Cherry” just a few that I've seen perform.
What does being an ETA mean to you?
Keeping Elvis's feeling of music real and alive. To show how Elvis will always appeal to everyone.
What's your favorite Elvis song and why?
Wow, okay, that's always a very hard question for me. There's just so many great songs. Because I love New England and grew up in Boston and loving Boston and our american history I'd have to say, “An American Trilogy”.
What do you like to do besides being g an ETA?
I really love the outdoors and the four seasons of the New England area. Oh, and watching football in a small pub.
How do you think you defer from other ETA? What makes you unique compared to them?
Okay, that's really easy to answer. I've always loved listening to all kinds of music so I enjoy performing Elvis's songs, but I sometimes sing other songs in my show which I like, and I can feel. That's just me. So, you'll be surprised at my show for sure. I've seen this guy called “Metal Elvis” and that's how I performed like in the late seventies. I'd have to say that I perform like how I feel.
Anything else you would like to add
I've been very lucky as a performer, and I only have the Elvis fans and my mother that I love to thank for over fifty years performing.