Moruya Elvis Presley tribute artist Rod Toovey has landed the dream gig of a lifetime, hosting an Elvis-themed tour of the United States.
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The tour will take in Elvis’s mansion at Graceland, in Memphis Tennesee, and it will be the first time Mr Toovey, 57 and an Elvis fan since he was 13, has been there.
“I haven’t even been to America before,” he said.
Mr Toovey, who performs an Elvis tribute show called the Essence of Elvis, said he landed the job by being in “the right place at the right time.”
“I was playing in Tasmania, and a travel agent asked ‘how would you like to do this?’, and I said ‘oh, okay!” he said.
The tour will take in a Johnny Carter Cash show in Nashville, and visits to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.
It will culminate in a show in which Mr Toovey will sing The King’s songs at Memphis Crown Plaza Hotel.
He and wife Trish will be escorting over 40 people, 22 of them Australians.
“It hasn’t hit us yet,” he said.
Not long after developing his passion for Elvis’s music, Mr Toovey discovered he had a natural singing voice, leading to him giving up football and setting the stage for his later years.
The tour departs on May 13, and your last chance to catch the Essence of Elvis Show is on Friday, May 6, at Moruya Golf Club.