HE'S 'THE KING' OF SKID ROW ELVIS SOUND-ALIKE CAPTIVATES AMONG THE DOWN AND OUT.Byline: TONY CASTRO Staff Writer He's known as 'The King' of Skid Row skid row a run-down area frequented by alcoholics. [Am. Culture: Misc.] See : Alcoholism Skid Row district of down-and-outs and bums. [Am. Usage: Brewer Dictionary, 1008] See : Failure . But it's not the baseball cap crowning his head or the karaoke microphone he carries like a scepter scepter symbol of regal or imperial power and authority. [Western Culture: Misc.] See : Authority scepter denotes fairness and righteousness. [Heraldry: Halberts, 37] See : Justice that earned Roland Burris Roland W. Burris is a former politician and statewide officeholder in Illinois. Burris served as Comptroller of Illinois from 1983 to 1991 and as Attorney General of Illinois from 1991 to 1995. He now maintains a political consulting firm called Burris & Lebed Consulting, LLC. the nickname. It's the voice -- the pain of poverty and addiction coming out in the ballads and blues -- that spark comparisons to that world-famous singer. "He sure sounds like The King, doesn't he?" says Billy Blade, a neighbor of Burris at the Lamp Lodge, a transitional housing complex in the heart of Los Angeles' Skid Row. Close your eyes and it could be Elvis Presley -- or, at least, one of the better Elvis impersonators -- belting out that melodic mix of baritone and tenor, with a touch of Southern comfort thrown in. "When no one else can understand me "When everything I do is wrong ... "You give me hope and consolation "You give me strength to carry on ..." A sampling of three CDs Burris has recorded using karaoke music features renditions of dozens of oldies Oldies is a generic term commonly used to describe a radio format that usually concentrates on Top 40 music from the '50s, '60s and '70s. Oldies are typically from R&B, pop and rock music genres. , from Frankie Valli This article has multiple issues: * It needs additional references or sources for verification. * It needs to be expanded. * It may require general cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. and the Four Seasons to Paul Anka and B.J. Thomas. But none match his takes on Elvis' "The Wonder of You" and "Can't Help Falling in Love." Joe Caron was among a handful of Skid Row advocates who saw Burris sing Elvis songs at karaoke night last year at the Acapulco restaurant on Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades. . "We heard Elvis," says Caron, project manager of the Skid Row Collective, a nonprofit that involves several support organizations for the homeless. "If it was something he worked at every day, he'd be very good. He clearly has talent." Mario Williams Mario Williams (born January 31, 1985 in Jacksonville, North Carolina) is an American football defensive end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He played college football at North Carolina State from 2003 to 2005. , a longtime homeless resident in the neighborhood, is among those inspired by Burris. "We tell him all the time: 'You need to be doing something with your singing,'" Williams says. "He may not be the spitting image spitting image n. A perfect likeness or counterpart. [Alteration of spit and image, from spit, an exact likeness, as in the very spit of; see spit1. of Elvis, but his voice sure is." 'You sound like Elvis' It is late morning, and Burris and other residents are sitting in the shade in front of their building in the 600 block of Stanford Street, sipping coffee and smoking cigarettes as a police car cruises by and other Skid Row lifers pass. "I didn't set out to be an Elvis impersonator," says Burris, 52, "and I've never charged a cent for impersonating." It all started in 1986, when he called in to a radio station in Virginia Beach Virginia Beach, resort city (1990 pop. 393,069), independent and in no county, SE Va., on the Atlantic coast; inc. 1906. In 1963, Princess Anne co. and the former small town of Virginia Beach were merged, giving the present city an area of 302 sq mi (782 sq km). , Va., winning a jar of Vlasic pickles Vlasic Pickles grew out of a Detroit creamery and fresh pickle business begun by Croatian immigrant Frank Vlasic, and then his son Joe in the 1920s. Vlasic's primary product, pickles packaged in glass-jars, began production during World War II, and the business rapidly expanded in as part of a contest. During the conversation, the woman from the station told him, "You know, you kind of sound like Elvis." Burris says he went out and bought an Elvis costume -- a knockoff knock·off n. Informal An unauthorized copy or imitation, as of designer clothing: "the place to go for quality knockoffs" Women's Wear Daily. Noun 1. of the famous white jumpsuit emblazoned with a large eagle on the chest. His then-wife Barbara spruced it up with glitter and rhinestones, and Burris went on stage at an Elvis impersonation Impersonation Patroclus wore the armor of Achilles against the Trojans to encourage the disheartened Greeks. [Gk. Lit.: Iliad] Prisoner of Zenda, The contest in Presley's native Mississippi. He was the only one who not only knew all the lyrics but also had the single voice that struck judges as a dead-ringer for the king of rock 'n' roll rock 'n' roll: see rock music. . Burris continued the impersonations, entertaining at nursing homes in the South while keeping his full-time job as a maintenance worker. "I was like a carnival act," he says, "and that was a life I knew real well." Singing Burris Family The son of a Hungarian immigrant mother, Burris spent much of his young life as one of nine siblings in a touring minstrel group -- The Singing Burris Family of Columbus, Ga. -- that later blended into part of the traveling carnival A traveling carnival is an amusement show that is made up of amusement rides, food, games, animal acts, rides, and sideshow curiosities that move from town to town. Its roots are similar to the 19th century circus with both being set up in open fields near or in town and moving to . Along the way, Burris says, he was sexually abused by a friend of his stepfather. While he kept it secret for decades, the molestation molestation n. the crime of sexual acts with children up to the age of 18, including touching of private parts, exposure of genitalia, taking of pornographic pictures, rape, inducement of sexual acts with the molester or with other children, and variations of these wormed its way into his psyche. He was discharged from the Army after being diagnosed with bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorders post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mental disorder that follows an occurrence of extreme psychological stress, such as that encountered in war or resulting from violence, childhood abuse, sexual abuse, or serious accident. . A string of dead-end jobs followed. His marriage, which produced three children, ended in divorce. Ten years ago, at his wit's end and looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. answers, he came to Los Angeles in search of his oldest sister. "After two or three weeks of looking and not being able to find her, I was homeless and I ended up here," says Burris, motioning to the Lamp Lodge, a 49-unit apartment building among the numerous housing projects operated by nonprofits on Skid Row. He receives disability payments and VA benefits, but still struggles to pay the $279-a-month rent on his one-bedroom apartment. He rolls his own cigarettes to save money. He treats the bipolar and post-traumatic stress conditions with medication that has led to insomnia and more medication. He is now light- and sun-sensitive and always has the sensation of being hot. A bright spot Still, his neighbors say, Burris is a bright spot -- one of the best-adjusted and most productive members of their community. He cares for a resident who is incapacitated in·ca·pac·i·tate tr.v. in·ca·pac·i·tat·ed, in·ca·pac·i·tat·ing, in·ca·pac·i·tates 1. To deprive of strength or ability; disable. 2. To make legally ineligible; disqualify. , doing her shopping and running her errands. At night, he takes his turn on a four-hour security shift in his building. On Labor Day, Burris also coordinated entertainment for a holiday celebration and barbecue in the parking lot of the Lamp Lodge. His karaoke machine provided the music, and between getting other residents to sing, he belted out several songs himself, including Elvis classics. Most recently, Burris has also been in charge of the makeshift garden made up of plant containers dropped off in front of the building by Farmlab, a downtown-based group that this summer is attempting to "green" Skid Row by contributing fruit and flower boxes in several locations. Jaime Lopez Wolters, an agriculturalist with Farmlab who has worked with Burris this summer, says he has been an ideal fit in the program. "I'm amazed to see someone so interested and knowledgeable about the plants and taking care of them," he said. "And, of course, it's a plus that he's an Elvis impersonator singing to them." The gardening has also spread Burris' reputation as an Elvis impersonator beyond Skid Row, with tales of how he has crooned "Don't Be Cruel" and other classics of 'The King' to struggling plants. "I talk to them, and sometimes I sing Elvis songs to them," he said. "Does it work? You don't see them wilting even in the heat, do you?" tony.castro(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3761 CAPTION(S): 7 photos Photo: (1 -- 3 -- color) MUST SEE: DON'T MISS THE VIDEO OF 'THE KING' OF SKID ROW SINGING ELVIS AT DAILY NEWS.COM (4 -- color) Former Elvis impersonator Roland Burris, 52, may not look like The King as he stands outside the Lamp Lodge on Los Angeles' Skid Row, but the 10-year resident sure sounds like him. (5) Former Elvis impersonator Roland Burris sings 'The King's' songs as he waters plants outside Skid Row's Lamp Lodge. (6) Hefting a watering can, Roland Burris croons Elvis tunes as he makes plants bloom outside the Lamp Lodge on Los Angeles' Skid Row.The former impersonator can still sing a mean song. (7) Former Elvis impersonator Roland Burris, 52, croons as Lamp Lodge employee Terrie Holder listens outside the Skid Row hotel. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer |
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