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The very best Elvis judges anywhere
COLDWATER TRIBUTE ARTIST WEEKEND Report on the Coldwater Legion First Floor activities by Nevin Grant (Oldies 1150 CKOC and The King’s Court)
Little did Darlene McKay or Doug McKenzie realize the tradition they were creating when they launched Coldwater Ontario’s First Annual Tribute Artist Weekend a couple of years ago. Doug Mckenzie is a tribute artist from Shakespeare, Ontario who does Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly and is half of the Blues Brothers (Jeff Marsh is the other half). Doug contacted several other leading tribute artists who donated their time and talent to make the Tribute Weekend become a reality and raise badly-needed dollars for the Coldwater Legion. May 23rd and 24th 2008 saw the unveiling of Coldwater Tribute Artist Weekend Three and it outstripped the first two. Friday evening was an "open mike” session, showcasing several of the entertainers as they rocked into the wee hours. Saturday’s action followed the traditional noon-hour parade of entertainers. Once again the Orillia Legion Pipe & Drum band led the way and then visited the Legion where they provided a stirring concert to a most appreciative audience. Saturday afternoon and evening the Coldwater Legion had TWO floors hopping with non-stop tribute entertainment. Starting at 4:30 PM you could enjoy a delicious dinner featuring a steak, Caesar salad and baked potato for ten dollars. Try to top that at any restaurant! Among the featured tribute artists were Dawn Peddie, Jeff Marsh, Rick Duin, Brycen Katolinsky, John Cigan, Terry James, Amber May Hoffman, Doug McKenzie, Cathy Carbone, Robert Pooran, Mason Cigan, Joey Cundari, Herb Neher, Zachary Peddie, James Gibb, Tanner Hoffman, Anthony Carbone, Brenan Katolinsky and Jamie Hoffman. I hope I haven’t missed anybody. We all did miss the fantastic tribute to Marty Robbins traditionally provided by Garry Reader who was unable to make the festivities due to ill health. We wish Garry well.
All of the artists were amazing but a few highlights will be noted. Kudos to Dawn Peddie whose Patsy Cline and Wynonna Judd tributes were downright electrifying. A special mention also to Cathy Carbone. Many of us had never seen Cathy do Barbra Streisand before, but her soaring vocals had everyone convinced of her unique talent. Brycen Katolinsky has added Dion (of Dion & the Belmonts) to his tribute archive while younger brother Brenan is now doing Buddy Holly. Rick Duin’s Johnny Cash, Doug McKenzie’s Roy Orbison and Jeff Marsh’s Garth Brooks were delivered with vivid reality. John Cigan has been a hot property on the tribute circuit the past few years and delivered a convincing set of “Concert Elvis” classics. Joey Cundari and James Gibb and Robert Pooran are true specialists when it comes to Early and Movie Elvis, while Herb Neher, a well-known Kitchener ETA (Elvis Tribute Artist) showcased his talents as Las Vegas Elvis in his Coldwater debut. No Coldwater Tribute Weekend would be complete without the good humour and singing served up by Terry James as Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.
Will there be a COLDWATER FOUR in 2009? You betcha …. And make sure you do yourself the biggest of all favours by visiting this charming town during the 2009 Tribute Weekend. Oh, by the way, I almost forgot. How much is the admission to the Legion Tribute concerts? It’s FREE! Beat that! Nevin Grant
Wendy King covered the upstairs shows This was my first introduction to both Coldwater and the special tribute weekend held every May. I loved it! Doug Mckenzie told me Ii would not believe the hospitality from this little town and boy, was he right. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. Darlene did a superb job of organizing everything and having it run smoothly. At last report it’s believed the weekend brought in 15 thousand dollars (and that's with offering the entire weekend of entertainment for free) Nevin has already commented on the fun of the parade and what was happening downstairs at the legion, but I was upstairs where it was non stop entertainment from noon til 10 p.m. when the karaoke continued downstairs. A few of the highlights (and there were many) included Doug McKenzie and Dawn Peddie's duet of the Roy Orbison classic "cryin'". It gave me shivers. The same can be said of Dawn Peddie sharing the mic with Rick Duin as Johnny Cash and singing " Jackson "....just amazing sound! Cathy Carbone was Barbra Steisand and I was blown away with her vocals. I'd never heard Cathy sing before and I guess we know now where Anthony Carbone gets his talent (not to leave out drummer Dad Michael). Jeff Marsh came out in a great black and red shirt with lightning bolts as he launched into some Garth brooks hits. (How does he remember all the words to ain't goin' down til the sun comes up?). As for the various Elvis tribute artists, it was great to see how all these entertainers have grown and honed their talents. James Gibb had the upstairs rocking nonstop with his early Elvis tribute. The guy moves so fast he left scuff marks on the floor! His version of "I believe" was fantastic. Joey Cundari also rocked the house showing he can not only do 50s and 60s movies, but 70s Elvis. Great job with suspicious minds. Rick Duin managed to switch gears from Johnny Cash to Elvis and does them both so very well. John Cigan provided a fantastic 70s Elvis set with his smooth tones. Jamie Hoffman did a great version of "Its A Wonderful Life", and Herb Neher donned his black jumpsuit for some 70s ballads. Our upstairs emcees were Robert Pooran whose renditions of Elvis' ballads and movie songs are always so smooth and lovely, and Terry James and his oversize martini glass as Dean Martin and Sammy Davis junior. Let's not forget the kids who just keep getting better and better. Brycen and Brenan Katolinsky, Zachary Peddie and Mason Cigan. We feel like we've watched them all grow up! Speaking as a fan, I had a great time and enjoyed every single performance. Can't wait for next year to spend more time with our new Coldwater family! Wendy King
On March 29 th 2008 , tribute artist friends of Dan Coursol gathered at a London , Ontario ballroom to stage an exciting tribute evening fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital. A great night was enjoyed by all with a bountiful buffet, silent auction goodies, and a terrific stage show. $5,000.00 was raised for the Children’s Hospital and Dan Coursol says they could have done two shows as this one was sold out with several weeks to go! Among those performing were Paul Ross, James Gibb, Anthony Carbone, Tim E., Kevin Bezaire and Danny Granger as “The King”. Rick Duin served up his celebrated tribute to Johnny Cash. Shon Carroll delighted the audience with a most accurate portrayal of Dion DiMucci, and Dan Coursol was excellent performing as Conway Twitty. A special Kodak moment saw Paul Ross and Marcus Wells reunited for a song as “Double Trouble”. Members of “The King’s Court” were honoured to attend the festivities. Dan is already dotting the “i’s” and crossing the “t’s” arranging his 2009 fundraiser. Don’t you dare miss it! Nevin Grant
Lady Luck's "People's Choice" 2008
Paul Ross After a winter that seemed as if it would never end—the feel good event of the spring was the Lady Luck People’s Choice event in Oshawa on April 20th, 2008. When Elvis fans get together—its like a family reunion. The fact that this was a fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Society of Durham made it just that much more special. Joanna Johnston put together a jam packed show starting off with the Energizer Bunny himself, Pete Paquette. In his glitzy gold jacket….he took us back to the 50’s for the classics –“Don’t Be Cruel”, “Hound Dog” and “Got a Lot of Livin’ to Do“ It was also great to hear Pete’s version of “ A Little Less Conversation”. If it wasn’t already hot in that hall, it was when Pete got done. The ten competitors included Billy Cruise (filling in for Will Ganzon), Doug McKenzie, Elvis Gauthier, Paul Ross, David Muggeridge (who flew in from North Carolina), Geph Mitchell, Adam Scott, Larry Tschekalin, John Cigan and Bruce Herron. There were table dances and some red undies hitting the stage. It was great to hear some of the guys try out some new material (just in time for festival season). I especially enjoyed Doug McKenzie’s version of “Impossible Dream”, and the little heard “Patch it Up” from Paul Ross. Special guests included Oshawa’s own Jackson Begley, “Little Elvis” Steven Pelleriti of Toronto and 14 year old Matt Nardi from Montreal. This was Matt’s first Ontario performance. Watch for him in Collingwood! When the votes were tallied, John Cigan was the 2008 People’s Choice winner with Larry Tschekalin coming in second and David Muggeridge third. Powerful,energetic performances by all of them. Thanks to all the ETA’s for always giving 100 percent to the fans. It’s the most fun I’ve had on a Sunday afternoon in ages. Wendy King
The return of Double Trouble came with a one two punch Award winning Paul Ross and Marcus Wells together, on stage, for the first time in over a year, plus a blast of winter on top of it! The fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society was held at the Brantford Legion and the die hard Elvis fans came out for the much anticipated return of two highly respected and talented ETA’s. Plus a special guest appearance by Anthony Carbone. It was nice to see Elvis tribute artist Elvis Aaron at the show too. Paul and Marcus took us on a ride through all of the eras of Elvis from the Gold Lame early years (Paul) through the movie years (Marcus) into the leather clad Elvis of 1968 (Paul) and both of the guys wowed the crowd with various 1970’s songs. It was a treat to hear some of the songs we love but don’t hear enough like “Any Day Now” , “Heart of Rome”, and “Impossible Dream”. The guys made sure to do what they do best … those power songs like “Hurt”, “Unchained Melody”, and “If I can Dream”. Marcus did an especially touching tribute to his mom with her favorite song “My Boy”. The guys interspersed a few Christmas songs into the mix as well, which got us all singing along and into the Christmas spirit. I hope this is just the first of many Double Trouble performances. We’ve missed you guys! Despite the snowstorm that was pounding outside, inside we were warm in the glow of great music, good fun and wonderful friendships, many of which exist because of that one special man…ELVIS PRESLEY. Please click here for event photos. Wendy King
Results for Angus 2007
King of Kitchener 2 had a great turnout. Results can be found here.
Brantford 2007 was a huge success. Results can be found here.
The highly anticipated Collingwood results can be found here.
Check out our report on Windsor's ElvisFest here.
Nevin and Heather Grant attended the second annual Coldwater, Ontario event. Pictures and results can be found here.
Lady Luck Music People's Choice Event....Oshawa, Ont. Sunday, March 25th. The casual atmosphere and the commeraderie among those who attended made for a fun filled afternoon. We especially enjoyed everyone standing and doing the gestures during Robin's "C'mon Everybody"! There was great enthusiasm from the Red Hat Ladies who also apparently wear "red" underwear and threw some on stage whenever possible. This year's People's Choice winner was Larry Tschekalin from Sudbury. He wowed the crowd with his energy doing some of the real "mover" songs like "Shake, Rattle and Roll". He was overcome with emotion from the win and it was great to see such a heartfelt response. 2nd place was John Cigan who did Elvis proud with "My Way" and "My Boy".
Nevin Grant reports on the Elvis Birthday Bash held January 13/07 at the Oshawa Legion:
Here are the results for Angus/2006: Windsor 2007 results |
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