Hundreds of Elvis fans will strap on their blue suede shoes to see the King perform at Stuart’s Opera House on Saturday.
But Southeast Ohio is no stranger to slicked-back hair and bejeweled jumpsuits because Dwight Icenhower, the Pomeroy native who is now a world-renowned Elvis tribute artist, has been wooing the region since he was 16.
“Every town has their own local Elvis who shows up at karaoke and stuff, but nobody did shows like I did,” Icenhower said. “I was the Elvis.”
His passion for performing started when he was a student at Meigs High School. A member of the band, Icenhower was approached to participate in a variety show themed “the birth of rock ‘n’ roll.”
Though he had been an Elvis fan since age 5, years after the King died, he was shy about singing in public. Three Elvis tunes later, he was booked for local festivals, backyard barbecues, even the varsity football coach’s wedding.
“That’s what got me rolling into this Elvis thing,” he said. “It was the classic story of something taking off very small and snowballing.”
Now, Icenhower is headed to Tokyo and Brazil to sing some of the biggest hits in history, but first he’ll take the stage
at Stuart’s.
“To me, Dwight is the closest I will ever get to seeing Elvis Presley perform,” said Jennifer Hughes, Dwight Icenhower Fan Club director, in an email. “When he gets on stage, he turns on that captivating voice and you wonder, ‘How can that voice come from that guy? I thought Elvis was dead.’ ”
The Dwight Icenhower Fan Club, headquartered in Jackson, Ohio, has about 500 members. Though Southeast Ohioans make up most of it, many members also come from different parts of the Midwest and Florida.
And those fans will follow him anywhere, Hughes said. Each year, the club travels to the Bahamas or the Caribbean to see Icenhower perform on a cruise ship. But for his next concert, they won’t have to travel very far.
“He’s a dead-on performer,” said Brian Koscho, marketing director at Stuart’s Opera House. “He studies Elvis’s moves, voice and career. It really is like you’re watching Elvis. Dwight nails it, down to his mannerisms and stage moves.”
This will be Icenhower’s third performance at Stuart’s. Out of the venue’s near-100 shows each year, Koscho said Icenhower covers a completely different genre than it’s known for.
“He’s got a really dedicated fan base in Southeast Ohio, which makes for a cool atmosphere,” Koscho said. “He’s an unbelievable performer.”
More than 300 of the 400 tickets available for Saturday’s show have already been sold. Koscho said that’s the best Icenhower’s performance has ever done at the venue.
“It’s always nice to come back home,” Icenhower said. “You feel like you never left.”
oy311909@ohiou.edu
