There have been Elvis impersonators - or better said Elvis "impressionists" - almost as long as there has been Elvis.
Of course, the preferred term is Elvis Tribute Artists. Today there is a veritable industry of Elvis Tributaries whether the tribute is to Elvis the Elder or Elvis the Younger. But among the true pioneers of this entertainment genre was Alis Leslely, who was even billed as "The Female Elvis".
Elvis
The Elder
The Younger
Elvis Presley began his national tours in 1955 where he received a munificent $35 per show, and it was the next year that Alis began touring. Standing tall at 5'2" (or 5'3"), Alis maintained that any resemblance of her to any other singer - whether it was her energetic gyrations, her brushed back pompadour (complete with sideburns), and a penchant for motorcycles - was pure coincidence.
The adoption of the name Alis (from her real name Alice) can be taken as a bit of a joke based on one of Elvis's early concerts. When Elvis appeared in San Angelo, Texas in early 1955 (some months before he appeared in Guymon, Oklahoma), the playbill announced:
Big Stage Show
5 Big Stars
ALVIS PRESLEY
(That's Alright)
Billy Walker
(Thank Your for Calling)
Peach Seed Jones
(If You Don't Someone Else Will)
City Auditorium
San Angelo
Wednesday, Jan. 5th
8:00 P.M.
Adults $1 Children 50¢
Dr. Zimmerman
Alis left show business after a couple of years to return to her home in Phoenix, Arizona, where she became a teacher and worked with the native tribes of the state. However, recently interest in her music has been revived since a photograph of Alis standing between Little Richard ("Good Golly Miss Mollie!") and Eddie Cochran ("Summertime Blues") was used for the cover jacket of a book published by Robert Zimmerman, Ph. D. (hon), the winner of the 2016 Winner of the Nobel Prize of Literature.
Although Alis's singing career was quite short the reviews were universally positive and among her fans was
NONE OTHER THAN
ALVIS
HIMSELF!
(Sorry, that's Elvis.)
References and Further Reading
"Alis Lesley: The 'Female Elvis' Who Takes Centre Stage on Bob Dylan's New Book Cover", Christian Kriticos, The Guardian, October 21, 2022.
"Elvis a la Femme", [Washington D. C.] Sunday Star, December 30, 1956, p. 13.
"She Rocks", [Washington D. C.] Evening Star, January 21, 1957, p. B-12.
"Alis 'Heartbreak'", Harry Bacas, [Washington D. C.] Sunday Star, April 28, 1957, p. 13.
"Starting Friday - Alis Lesley - Moonlight Cruise", [Washington D. C.] Evening Star, July 31, 1957, p. B-21.
The Philosophy of Modern Song, Bob Dylan, Simon & Schuster, 2022.
