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Elvis Presley may be best known for his hip swivel, sneer, cheesy movies and hits like "Jailhouse Rock," but the icon is most notable as one of the early pioneers of rockabilly. He'll be remembered on Friday 6 at the Elvis Birthday Tribute, two days before the King would've turned 71. Ryan Pelton—a full-time performer who won an Elvis-impersonator contest seven years ago—will sing Elvis tunes along with the Jordanaires, a 1950s group who used to record with Elvis; Elvis's original drummer, D.J. Fontana; and his concert backup vocalists, the Sweet Inspirations.

Are you Elvis?
Eh, I'm not Elvis. And I'm not one of those freaks who walks around impersonating him all the time or has Elvis stuff all around my house...and my mom doesn't have an Elvis room.Whoa, a mom with no Elvis room?
No, I'm just a normal person. It's like acting. And I do my best to put him in a good light.So, you think he's dead?
Absolutely. I work with a lot of people who worked with Elvis—his best man and head of the "Memphis Mafia" [the nickname for Elvis's posse], Joe Esposito. Joe says emphatically, "He was my best friend, I wish he were here, but he's gone."Have you ever seen the Elvis-mummy flick Bubba Ho-Tep?
I wasn't overly impressed with the creativity. They just plugged in a bunch of stereotypes; Elvis is such an easy target. What's your favorite song to perform?
"Polk Salad Annie." I enjoy some of his Broadway stuff like "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Impossible Dream"...more about what matters in life. But I like all kinds of music.Like Britney Spears?
I like "Everytime" and "Toxic." Her and Jessica Simpson look a lot alike...she's the only reason I saw the new Dukes of Hazzard.So you look like the King and love the ladies, too?
Yeah, there you go.—Leah Pietrusiak

The Elvis Birthday Tribute is Friday 6 in Aurora.