Can't help falling in love ... with Elvis

I think he would approve,” entertainer Don Anthony said of his portrayal of Elvis Presley. “He’s probably looking down and smiling now.”

Anthony, who lives in Westbury, has been doing Elvis impersonations for a decade now, and admits that he still gets the chills when he dons the costume. His calendar fills up around this time of the year. Elvis would have been 75 on Jan. 8 — and in August, the month that Elvis died in 1977.

“I just always loved Elvis,” said Anthony, who also does spot-on portrayals of Tom Jones, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. “My sister and I were big Elvis fans. I think he would be happy that I am here to pass on his music.” Anthony performs at parties, weddings, anniversaries and Elvis events. “I don’t claim to be Elvis,” he said, “and it’s a responsibility to portray such a legend, such an icon.”

Steve Mitchell of Massapequa agrees. “I love the man,” Mitchell said of Elvis, whom he has been impersonating since 1985. “Every time I do [the show] it’s like the first time. I never get tired of it.” Mitchell said that, like other Elvis mimickers, he became infatuated with the singer at a young age. “I was eight years old,” he said. “I listened to records, to the radio. I just loved his sound.”

Mitchell, who, like Anthony, accepts gigs in all different types of venues, said that his audiences range from women to men, from young to old, from die-hard Elvis fans to people who just love music. “I did a party over the summer for a 3-year-old girl who had watched [the concert video] “Elvis — Aloha From Hawaii” about 100 times, and was just infatuated with it — so they hired me for her birthday party.” Mitchell said the little girl was so excited to have “Elvis” at her party.

“I feel a very deep respect for the image of Elvis that I am portraying,” said Mitchell. “There are people in the audience who have seen the real Elvis and they expect a certain thing, and I want to give it to them. Then there are people who are seeing the image of Elvis for the first time  — and I don’t want to let down either group.

Mitchell said that he still practices his act about 10 hours a week. ”I put a lot into it,” he said. “I have a job to do it right.”

Local fans remember Elvis...

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