For a 7-year-old future basketball star, Ryan Rose knows a whole lot about a rock ‘n’ roll legend who died long before he was born.
“I know he had black hair, he bought a pink Cadillac for his mom and his first hit was ‘That’s All Right (Mama,)’” Ryan boasted, the hint of a Southern accent in the Las Vegas native’s voice.
“His first movie was ‘Love Me Tender’ and my favorite song is ‘All Shook Up’ because it was the first one I learned when I was 3.”
Though he just returned from commemorating the 30th anniversary of the King’s death in Memphis, Ryan planned to hit the road early this morning in his powder blue jumpsuit to make it out for the 8th Annual Elvis Fest, running today at the Orange County Market Place.
Ryan’s chauffeur is his professional Elvis-impersonating father, Don Rose, who performs regularly in various Sin City lounges.
For the second year, the pair is set to perform individually and together throughout the day, joining five other Elvis tribute artists, including a comedic impersonator, and numerous karaoke crooners vying for a spot in the Los Angeles County Fair’s Karaoke Contest.
“It’s difficult to explain what made Elvis so great. It’s just a phenomenon,” Rose said. “He broke down all the musical barriers between black and white, country and gospel, rich people and country people — he brought everybody together.”
The cultural icon continues to unite several thousand people — including a 9-foot-6-inch stilt-walking Elvis — in Costa Mesa each year for Elvis Fest.
The Jailhouse Rockers of California fan club will be displaying and selling souvenirs and memorabilia and offering visitors a chance to snap their picture with Elvis during the all-day event, donating proceeds to the Elvis Presley Memorial Trauma Center in Memphis.
Founded in 1991, the nonprofit group meets monthly to “keep the spirit and name of Elvis Presley alive” by listening to and performing his music and sharing Elvis-related news.
“We try to be philanthropic like the King was,” said longtime member Dennis Skiles, adding Elvis helped establish the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, performed to raise money for the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii and gave away countless Cadillacs, not only to friends, but also to strangers.
