Joe “Elvis” Tirrito never planned on becoming a tribute artist.
At the age of 15, his father, a big Elvis Presley fan, took him to see an Elvis performer. Tirrito, who was in a hard rock band at the time, enjoyed the show. But he had no thoughts of donning a flashy jumpsuit himself.
Fast-forward a bit. Tirrito had left the music scene for a while, following the death of his band’s drummer.
“Then I got a call to be in an oldies band from my ex-guitarist,” he said. “All I knew was Elvis from being with my father. I was a hard rocker, so I didn’t know anything else.”
The band suggested he perform Elvis songs, with other band members singing the rest of the oldies. He agreed, and after the show a woman asked him to perform an Elvis show at her home.
“I said, ‘Well, ma’am, I’m not an Elvis performer,” he said. “And she said ‘I’ll give you this much if you do it.’ I said ‘well, I am now.’ That’s how it started.”
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Now, the 55-year-old Palos Heights resident has performed concerts internationally, appeared on television and won contests for his tribute to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. He even started his own competition, the Windy City Elvis Tribute Artist Competition.
In celebration of what would have been Presley’s 84th birthday on Jan. 8, Tirrito will perform as part of the Windy City Elvis Birthday Bash at 5 p.m. Jan. 12 at The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles. Joining him will be the winner from the 2019 Windy City Elvis Tribute Artist competition, Tim E. Hendry.
“Every year the winner gets a show, and also a cash prize,” he said. “He was our winner last year, so he and I will be doing a show on the 12th.”
The two Elvis tribute artists will each perform a different era of the King’s music, with Tirrito performing the late Elvis years.
“I’m an old man now, so that’s what I do is the older Elvis. I don’t do the young guy anymore,” he said. “I can’t stand seeing these guys that are my age that are trying to do a young ’50s Elvis. It’s just ridiculous.” It’s actually the later years, from 1969-1977, that are Tirrito enjoys the most.
“The jumpsuit era,” he said. “That’s my favorite. That’s when he was considered the King.”
What was it about Presley that has led generations of fans to continue celebrating the legendary musician’s life and work?
“The thing I think that made him so popular is that he overstepped boundaries,” Tirrito said, noting famed 1956 performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
“He couldn’t move the way he was moving. They filmed him from the waist up. But he didn’t care. He felt the music and that’s what he did,” Tirrito said. “So that grabbed people’s attention, because of his will to keep performing as he wanted to and not listen to the critics. I think if that would’ve happened, I don’t think he wouldn’t even been who he was.
“He was a rebel,” he said.
In addition to the Birthday Bash, Elvis fans will get another chance to see more tributes to the King in February, when the ninth annual Windy City Elvis Tribute Artist Competition takes place Feb. 22 at The Arcada.
Tirrito, who has been performing his Elvis tribute for 37 years, started the competition after witnessing some unfair practices in other contests, he said.
“There were a lot of competitions going on, especially years ago, and I entered a lot of them in the beginning of my career. I noticed there was a lot of politics, cheating and all kinds of stuff going on. I was so aggravated with it, I said I’m going to start a contest that will be fair and strictly judged on how good of performances these guys do.”
After five years in Merrionette Park and Tinley Park, the competition moved to The Arcada in 2017. The ninth annual competition will be held at 8 p.m. Feb. 22 at The Arcada. Tickets to watch the competition are $29-$69. Those wishing to compete can register at www.windycitycontest.com through Jan. 31.The evening will include a headlining performance by well-known tribute artist Rick Saucedo.
“If you’re an Elvis fan, you’ll really enjoy it,” Tirrito said.
Windy City Elvis Birthday Bash
When: 5 p.m. Jan. 12
Where: The Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles
Tickets: $15-$25
Information: 630-962-7000; www.arcadalive.com
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Kathy Cichon is a freelance reporter for the Beacon-News.