Roland Julius aka Elvis of Boston

How & when did you get into being an ETA? 

Elvis was coming to the Boston Garden in 1971.  I remember the ticket lines where very long and we tried to get their as earlier as we could. Many Elvis fans where already there waiting in line for the box office to open their windows and we heard someone yell out to my girlfriend’s sister Liz to come up front.

My girlfriends Claire sister Liz was in the Boston Elvis fan club at the time and a few of her friends got in line the night before. We got tickets two seats from the side of the stage!

I myself had taken the whole concert in. The next time I got together with a few my buddies and musicians the following week I started to try to sing like Elvis and do a few of Elvis songs. My favorite singer at that time was Wilson Picket because he had a great sound and feel to his music. I was singing songs at that time from Rare Earth to Gran Funk Railroad, from seeing Elvis in concert totally changed my singing from that day on. I was now an “Elvis's style” singer back then. It was not until Elvis passed away around the late seventies that people started saying that I was an “Elvis's impersonator”. In the middle nineties they started to call “Elvis's impersonators” “Elvis Tribute Artists”.

 What do you like most about being an Eta?

After fifty years I look back and ask myself that question and I think just being on stage expressing my own feelings in each song and then meeting the Elvis fans after the show.

 How long do you see yourself doing this and do you see yourself doing this in the next ten years? Gee, you know I see many older entertainers like “Tom Jones”, “Engelbert Humperdinck”, “John Fogerty”, “Tommy James”, “Willie Nelson”, “Frankie Valli”, “Loretta Lynn”, “Dolly Patron”, “Tina Turner”, “Petula Clark”, “Roberta Flack” all still performing on stage now and then. So, who really knows the answers to “when do you feel its time?”.

 Do you feel that Elvis would be proud of what you are doing? 

You know I sheared from Elvis's friends, and I also saw a movie, and, in that movie, Elvis met an Elvis impersonator at the airport once and was no way impressed with manner. So, I'm really not sure about Elvis would really enjoying the total gig. I guess Elvis would just say “there's another one”.

 What's so special about Elvis to you?

 Special? That's it! I believe that Elvis was SPECIAL in many ways and because he appealed to different generations and social media. Elvis his one performer who will outlast most entertainers for years to come.

 Do you have a favorite ETA besides yourself and if so, why?

 There are a few great performers and have got the “Elvis-gig-thing” down to really skill. They just are so smooth with their own show and the people love them. In my own New England area, I could name a few. How about “Dean Z”, oh, and there's “Ben Portsmouth”. Outside I've got a few I enjoy also like “Doug Church”, “Cody Slaughter”, “Matt Lewis", "Bill Cherry” just a few that I've seen perform.

 What does be an ETA mean to you?

 Keeping Elvis's feeling of music real and alive. To show how Elvis will always appeal to everyone.

What's your favorite Elvis song and why?

 Wow, okay, that's always a very hard question for me. There's just so many great songs. Because I love New England and grew up in Boston and loving Boston and our American history I'd have to say, “An American Trilogy”.

 What do you like to do besides being g an ETA?

 I really love the outdoors and the four seasons of the New England area. Oh, and watching football in a small pub.

 How do you think you defer from other ETA? What makes you unique compared to them?

 Okay, that's really easy to answer. I've always loved listening to all kinds of music so I enjoy performing Elvis's songs, but I sometimes sing other songs in my show which I like, and I can feel. That's just me. So, you'll be surprised at my show for sure. I've seen this guy called “Metal Elvis” and that's how I performed like in the late seventies. I'd have to say that I perform like how I feel.

 Anything else you would like to add

 I've been very lucky as a performer, and I only have the Elvis fans and my mother that I love to thank for over fifty years performing.