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For Elvis Presley fans, Friday, Jan. 5 at the Paramount Theatre marks a night when The King's music will be in one era, then into another. Four Elvis Presley stylists, in addition to other featured guests, will present the music of Presley during The Elvis Birthday Tribute.

The concert follows the singer through his early rock-a-billy years, his movie years, his 1968 comeback television special and his Las Vegas concert years.
Presley would have turned 72 on Jan. 8.

The tribute is split between four Elvis performers, covering roughly the years from 1956 to 1973. Donny Edwards will perform in the early rock-a-billy years segment, Rick Saucedo will present the movie years, Matt Lewis will re-create the 1968 comeback special and Shawn Klush will perform in the Las Vegas concert years segment.
"People just can't see him anymore," said Klush about the appeal of Presley stylists like himself.

"If someone puts on a tape of Aloha from Hawaii (a 1973 Elvis concert), that brings back a bunch of memories."
The 37-year-old Klush, who resides in Pittston, Penn., has no real memories of Presley since he was only a child when The King died in 1977.

But the Presley stylist was surrounded by music when he was growing up.
"My father, Ed, was a disc jockey in the 1950s," said Klush last year. "By 16 years of age I had every Elvis, Beatles and blues album that existed.

I was an only child and music was a big part of my growing up. Most of what my dad played at home was Dean Martin, Elvis and Mahalia Jackson."
Klush first performed as Elvis when he was three years old, but has been doing it professionally since 1985.

During some intense years, he played more than 600 dates in one year.
Klush's Elvis gigs have included performing in the famous Poconos region followed by a tour of Canada where he won a prize in the Worldwide Elvis Competition in Montreal. This caught the attention of the Las Vegas show, "Legends in Concert," where in 2004, he starred as Elvis in their Branson, Mo.

, production. He also alternated in their Las Vegas and Atlantic City show rooms. Klush also portrayed Elvis in the TV miniseries Shake, Rattle and Roll, which aired on CBS in 2000.

Klush believes he is a better Elvis stylist because he surrounds himself with people who associated with Presley. In the tribute show, for example, guest artists include: D.J.

Fontana, Elvis' original drummer who played on more than 45 recording sessions between 1956 and 1968 and performed on 28 movie soundtracks; The Sweet Inspirations, who appeared with Elvis on almost all of his concert tours from 1969 to 1977; and the Fabulous Ambassadors Band.
"I understand his personality in a different way because of knowing the people who worked with him," said Klush in an interview last year. "I take that into consideration when I am performing.

I talk to the Jordanaires and Joe Esposito (an Army buddy and road manager for Elvis) and I draw from them on a professional level. I do not take it to the extreme by saying 'This is me,' but I stand on stage and say, 'This is how it was.'"
As for this year's tribute show, Klush said that some changes might be in place.

"We always try to change it up a bit; do different songs from that era," said Klush, who handles the time from 1969 to 1973 in the tribute show. "Maybe it is the anniversary of what went on during that time period or maybe it is the 40th year since a song was written, so we make note of it in the show."
But one thing that stays the same is Klush's commitment to his craft.

"If you are not doing it from your heart," he said of his performances as Elvis Presley. "Then you are not doing it right."
The Elvis Birthday Tribute will be presented at 8 p.

m. on Friday, Jan. 5, at the Paramount Theatre, 23 East Galena Blvd.

, Aurora. Tickets range in price from $20 to $49. Tickets are available at the Paramount Theatre box office, by phone at (630) 896-6666, or at all TicketMaster outlets.

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