Shawn Klush
Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock and Roll” and one of the 20th century’s most important entertainment figures, died in 1977, leaving behind an unfillable gap in the American music industry. Following Presley’s death, the concept of an “Elvis tribute artist” reached a more prominent place in the cultural zeitgeist. While some of these Elvis tribute artists were rather corny, some were and are excellent tributes to Presley’s life and music. The very best of these niche performers, by many measures, is Pittston native Shawn Klush.
Klush was born in 1969, just about six months after Presley’s iconic “’68 Comeback Special” aired on NBC. Music played a big part in Klush’s youth. His father was a disc jockey, so Klush became familiar with many popular artists, including Elvis Presley, very early on. He first started singing Elvis’ songs when he was three years old.
His first formal performance in Presley’s style was when he sang “Memories” during an eighth grade school play. At that point, it was clear that Klush had talent, but it would be a little while longer before the accolades started rolling in. In the early days of his Presley-inspired work, Klush made a name for himself by performing throughout the Poconos.
One of the first major splashes of Klush’s career came in 1999, when he portrayed Elvis on-screen in the television miniseries “Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story.” The miniseries ran on VH1 and NBC, making it the first time many Elvis fans outside of Pennsylvania caught a glimpse of Klush.
The mid-2000s saw Klush’s profile grow substantially, thanks in large part to the increasing popularity of Elvis tribute artist competitions. His tour of Canada culminated in winning the Worldwide Elvis Competition in Montreal. Around that same time, Klush began paying tribute to Presley on the “Legends in Concert” circuit, which saw him perform regularly in Branson, Missouri, as well as in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
He received the People’s Choice Award from Gibson Guitar Company as the “Best Concert Elvis,” won the $25,000 grand prize in the World Elvis Tribute Artist Competition, and was named a “Worldwide Ambassador of Elvis” at the Las Vegas Hotel. His association with Las Vegas was further cemented when he became a regular at the annual Las Vegas Elvis Fest. To illustrate Klush’s enormous popularity, he was named the “World’s Greatest Elvis” by BBC1 television and an international voting base of 6.5 million viewers.
But the greatest honor of Klush’s career came in 2007, when he was named the first ever “Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist” by Elvis Presley Enterprises. Among the judges of that competition were Elvis’ longtime drummer DJ Fontana, Joe Moscheo of the Imperials, and Knox Phillips, the son of Sun Records’ Sam Phillips. Most importantly, Klush was the first Elvis tribute artist to earn such a title from Elvis Presley Enterprises, following decades of awkward interaction between the Presley estate and the tribute artists.
In the 2010s, Klush continued to be a desired talent. In 2013, while promoting the aforementioned Las Vegas Elvis Fest, Klush performed “Suspicious Minds” on the “Late Show with David Letterman.” In 2016, he was tabbed to play an alternate universe version of Elvis on-screen for “Vinyl,” a miniseries with a production team that included Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger. His acting credits also include a pair of appearances on “Impractical Jokers,” and a role in the comedy series “What We Do In The Shadows.”
Beyond the United States and Canada, Klush’s career has taken him around the globe, from Australia and South America to Europe, where he tours across the entire United Kingdom several times per year. His performances have been marked by a strong attention to detail and authenticity, having been backed by artists who played with Presley. The mannerisms, voice and look of Presley’s original live act seep into every one of Shawn Klush’s performances. It’s no wonder why he is considered to be “The Closest to The King in Concert.”