There is something magical about watching a man who has lost himself find his way back home…He sang with the kind of power people no longer expect from rock ‘n’ roll singers.
– Jon Landau, American film producer
Sarawak is not left behind in terms of Elvis Presley fever. In fact Elvis is very much alive here, especially in Kuching giving the state with an eminent presence of these EP impersonators also known as the King’s men.
Hitherto the state prides itself in the handful but highly happening Elvis Tribute Artistes (ETAs) who are comparable if not better than their Malayan counterparts.
Many of these truly talented sons of the Land of the Hornbill have performed all over the country, including in Kuala Lumpur together with a few of self-proclaimed Elvis of Malaysia – only Eddie Francis, 84, won the title in a contest (in 1976) where yours truly was supposed to represent Penang but was unable to do so due to financial constraint being a poor USM undergraduate.
Sarawak now is proud to have a body known as Elvis Presley Fan Club of Sarawak (EPFCS) that was registered with the Registrar of Societies (RoS) in 2014. This is an umbrella for all ETAs and fans that now number over 3,000 including online members, thanks to the undying efforts of its former president the late Ges Barundang popularly known for his stage name Elges Presley.
For the record Elges was one of very few ETAs from the country and the sole Sarawakian to have made a pilgrimage to the King’s mansion Graceland in Memphis, USA. He visited the majestic home of Elvis Aaron Presley in 2004 and stayed at its famous Heartbreak Hotel where he also partook in an impromptu show using a light blue EP jumpsuit.
Elges, who was officially Elvis of Kuching titleholder ,unfortunately passed on due to cardiac arrest in September 2021.
He won the title in 2002. Among those who are still active are Wilfred Vincent Ragam (Elvince) who won Sarawak Elvis Presley title twice as a teenager in 1964/65; Azmi Jahidin (Elaz), the current president of EPFCS who is SEDC Elvis and Sarawak silat master; Christy Duin Tangi (Elchristy), the Simunjan Elvis; Miri Elvis Sebastian Bong (Elbongo); Mervyn Datuk Seri Daniel Tajem (Elmervyn) and a very young Bau Elvis Adrian David Junior (Eladrian), the latest inductee to the ETAs hall of fame. I perform under the stage name of Elval and was dubbed Elvis of Borneo while performing in Brunei from 1997 till 2002. In my schooldays they mockingly called me Saratok Elvis, Sibu Elvis and later won Mr. Curled Lips contest in Penang and was dubbed Elvis of Penang.
We do have other talented EP enthusiasts who are yet to join the club but are regular performers at pubs and functions.
Sadly, apart from Elges, over the last few years, six of Sarawak top EP acts were called home to be with the Lord. They were Miri’s Alex Ting (Elalex); Kuching’s Reynolds Gregory (Elrey) and Sibu’s John Sia (Shaking John), Jimmy Adit (Eljim); Albert Blassan and another EP titleholder Eskandar Eyaw (Elkandar).
Among these six Elrey was Elvis to the very last as he died performing Elvis in his new EP suite at a leading city hotel here. May their souls rest in peace. As such, Sibu is now without an Elvis.
Most of us started doing Elvis at a very young age, say from early secondary school days. Elvince, for example, won the first Sarawak Elvis Presley title when he was barely 15. On my part, I started ‘Elvising’ at 15 too but was highly overshadowed by my senior Stephenson Ngumbang – my good friend now deceased – who was dubbed the Saratok Elvis then. Elges and the others also all started doing Elvis early in life.
EPFCS members have performed in a number of places in Kuching and the state as well as in KL. I recall one evening many years ago when the late Elges and I performed in Kuching at CityOne Megamall Christmas show in front of then Kuching South City Council Mayor Datuk James Chan and a huge crowd.
Elges who performed after me was into his third EP number when blackout blanketed the city into petrifying darkness, thereby cancelling another show scheduled later in the same evening. Elvis then left the building disappointed. I told Elges: “It’s one of those things.”
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
