MONCTON – He makes his living channeling the King of Rock and Roll, and has quickly become known as one of the best Elvis impersonators in the world.
Moncton’s Thane Dunn is a fiercely private man when he’s not on stage, but he did reveal to Global News a bit about how he became obsessed with the King.
“I think Elvis had a connection with people something we don’t see with stars these days,” he said.
Dunn says he tries to duplicate that connection in his own stage performances. Growing up in Moncton, he was heavily influenced by his boyhood idol.
But it was in grade six when Dunn had his first chance to channel Elvis on stage.
“They had like a talent show and I got beat by a group of girls that were doing a clog dance with those big Danish shoes.”
But his Elvis persona has followed him ever since.
“When I was in high school, I was in several rock and roll bands and the thing I always got from people is, you sound like Elvis.”
It was in 2009 that Dunn realized what he was meant to do.
“I won the world’s largest Elvis tribute contest and I came home and I quit my full time job and say this is what I am going to try to do.”
He hasn’t looked back since. Now he performs to sell-out crowds across the country, wearing an impressive collection of costumes.
“People were so crazy about Elvis that they would try to grab a hold of the cape and try to haul him off stage.”
Dunn said that’s happened to him. He said he will continue channeling Elvis in every performance he does.
“The big climax where the cape comes up and I turn my back to the audience and they see that cape. You get a sense of what it was like to be Elvis Presley.”
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