The Villages - August 2017 - 24

Vinny Masiello - Village of Country Club Hills

hoW do you look the part?
My hair is dark, and when I perform I usually wear the
eagle suit and incorporate Elvis' moves, along with some
of my own.
hoW did you become an elvis presley
impersonator?
I was in a band for a long time and a friend of mine was
having a party for his mom, who was a big Elvis fan. He
offered to buy me the suit if I'd sing some Elvis songs
for her. I did and his mother loved it. I kept the suit and
continued to perform. I think everyone of all ages can
appreciate Elvis. He was a multitalented, humble and
gracious man.

What do you do When you're not
playing elvis?
Gina and I have a food truck called "Between the Buns,"
and we actually just became a Villages-approved food
vendor. Sometimes when we are working an event, I dress
up and sing Elvis songs to our customers. They enjoy it
and I've gotten bookings that way. It's pretty surreal. I
also have worked for Freedom Pointe since I moved to
Florida three years ago.
tell us about your performances.
I have performed at a variety of venues, some along the
East Coast and most here in Florida - in and around The
Villages. I get requests to perform for many private clients,
and my shows typically run for an hour to 2 1/2 hours.
I always give 100 percent of myself. I have to take a little
time before each show and get into character as I warm
up my vocals. Elvis' shoes are big ones to fill, that's for
sure, and I try my best to "feel out" my audiences to see
what they are up for.
What does your audience enjoy?
I have found that my audiences really respond to oneon-one interaction, so I always go out into the audience
and give them that Elvis "character" - a kiss, a scarf,
it just depends on the crowd. Sometimes you get some
firecrackers in the audience and they want the full show;
sometimes the group is reserved, so I tone it down to
accommodate their wishes. Recently, I did an Elvis show
and a woman was jumping up and down and fanning
herself, so of course I went over and played to her. It's
great to see their reactions. I love to be able to take
someone back to a moment of time in their life when they
were creating memories. Music is such a huge part of our
lives, and certain songs speak to us about good times, sad
times and the soul.

AUGUST 2017

BrianAJackson/iStock/Thinkstock

What's your favorite elvis song?
"The Wonder of You." It's the first Elvis song I sang to my
fiancée, Gina, when I was trying to win her heart.

tell us a fun fact about yourself or elvis.
In the early 1980s, I worked for an Elvis impersonator
called "Little El." We were doing a show in Gaithersburg,
Maryland, and there was a collector in the audience who
had the actual Gibson acoustic guitar Elvis played. He let
me play it on television for our closing song, "Love Me
Tender."

superpopov/iStock/Thinkstock

What's your earliest elvis memory?
I saw Elvis for the first time on his ''68 Comeback Special."
I was watching with my mom and I remember thinking,
"Wow, who is this guy?"

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