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There's Elvis Peacock, Elvis Grbac and Elvis from Beggs
Published: 9/19/2010 2:21 PM
Last Modified: 9/19/2010 2:21 PM

Questions and answers with Elvis Presley for a sports story? Sort of. (And, no, it's not a Q-and-A with Elvis Grbac or Elvis Peacock.)

Beggs basketball coach Brent Giddens is an Elvis tribute artist and he’s the subject of a sports column in today’s Tulsa World.

To accompany that, here’s a Q-and-A with “Elvis:”

You performed at a Democratic function shindig in Henryetta. I didn’t know Elvis was a Democrat?
“I told them he did visit Nixon at the white house, but don’t hold that against me.”

Oral Roberts University assistant coach Conley Phipps was Elvis’ coach at Cleveland High School?
“Conley was my next-door neighbor for about 15 years. He’s probably seven or eight years older than I am. I used to go out and rebound for him on my goal. I got to shoot every now and then when he missed, which wasn’t very often. But he was kind of my hero growing up and he’s still one of my heroes. He became my coach actually my senior year of high school. His dad said we all took the easy way out. We didn’t want to work hard. But he’s probably the biggest reason I became a coach.”

Were you nervous the first time you performed (it was at Danny Bob’s Hideout at 8888 S. Lewis in Tulsa) as Elvis?
“The first one I really was. I’m getting a little more used to it now. My voice, I can sound like him, which is the easy part for me. I’m not such a great dancer, but I’m getting a little better at the moves. I could always sing like him. I don’t know if I’m an imitator or not. I can kind of sound like different people. I never would have called myself a singer, but my mom always sang growing up. I guess I’ve kind of got the low voice that goes with it.”

Did you have any prior performance history?
“Not at all. I can play guitar a little bit.”

Besides performing as Elvis, are you a big Elvis fan?
“I always loved listening to him. I always loved his voice. Growing up, my dad listened to him all the time. I’ve been to Graceland three or four times. My wife and I actually stayed in the Heartbreak Hotel (near Graceland). They actually have different theme rooms, red velvet rooms and stuff like that.”

Do you think you sound like him?
“I think I come close. I don’t think anybody sounds as good as Elvis. Of course everybody who is related to me thinks I sing a whole lot better than Elvis. But a lot of people that I don’t know have told me that I sound more like him than any other impersonator they have seen.”

The real Elvis had a good life. Is being a fake Elvis a good life?
“I teach school all day and keep the Elvis hidden away in the back of my mind until school is out, and then I put on a jump suit.”

Do your players have any idea about your double life?
“There have been a few ask me and say ‘I heard you are an Elvis impersonator.’ I always say no because I am a tribute artist (and there’s a difference). That’s the thing is you can’t be an impersonator.”

Your fake sideburns seem to give you problems. Why not just grow real sideburns?
“I don’t think I could take the abuse from the kids just yet.”

You say in your act that a lot of Elvis’ movies were bad. What’s the best Elvis movie?
“Jailhouse Rock is considered his best performance.”

Is there any part about being Elvis that might help you as a coach?
“I hope I can learn not to take myself so seriously. I first got into coaching to have fun. That’s why I’m doing this.”



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Tulsa World sports writer Jimmie Tramel is a former class president at Locust Grove High School. He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern State University with a journalism degree and, while attending college, was sports editor of the Pryor Daily Times. He joined the Tulsa World on Oct. 17, 1989, the same day an earthquake struck the World Series. He is the OSU basketball beat writer and a columnist and feature writer during football season. In 2007, he wrote a book about Oklahoma State football with former Cowboy coach Pat Jones.

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