Long live the king

Elvis Aron Presley has been dead for 28 years, but you wouldn’t have

known it Sunday in Costa Mesa. To pay tribute to the king of rock ‘n’

roll, the sixth annual Elvis Fest was held at the Orange County

Market Place.

Despite the overwhelming heat, Elvis fans and impersonators spent

the day singing songs and performing the dance moves that he

originated so many years ago.

“I always have a good time singing Elvis songs to anybody,

anywhere, anytime,” said Bob Ramirez of Norwalk.

He said he has been singing Elvis tunes since age 9, and that the

singer was his first and last music teacher. The first record Ramirez

ever purchased was “I Got Stung.”

Ramirez said he came to the Elvis Fest because he loves to watch

Elvis impersonators, and he said all the performers at Sunday’s event

were outstanding.

Eleven-year-old Joe Banuelos of San Bernardino, who says Elvis is

his idol, has been doing Elvis impersonations for three years. He

said he doesn’t like new music because the lyrics are neither

memorable nor meaningful.

Wearing one of his five Elvis jumpsuits and a pair of Elvis-style

red sunglasses, Banuelos performed numerous songs in the Elvis

karaoke contest, including “Treat Me Nice,” “Fool Such As I” and

“Don’t Be Cruel.”

He said “Don’t Be Cruel” is his favorite to perform because he

gets to do a lot of Elvis dance moves.

Banuelos said he started performing as Elvis after he met Kirk

Wall, a popular Elvis impersonator who works at Disneyland.

“I had my Elvis costume on and he brought me on stage,” he said.

“The first time I met him, I thought ‘Wow, he’s good -- I should

start being like him and impersonating what he impersonates.’”

Members of the Jailhouse Rockers -- one of thousands of Elvis

Presley fan clubs -- were at the festival selling memorabilia and

baked goods in an effort to raise money for the Elvis Presley Trauma

Center in Memphis, Tenn.

“We’re devoted fans who strive to keep a positive memory of Elvis

alive,” said Maria Warren of Whittier. She said the group raises

money and makes donations to various charities in Elvis’ name. “He

was very, very big on helping others.... He was a good guy.”

Warren said she has been an Elvis fan since “Love Me Tender” was

released when she was a child.

“I fell in love for the first time when I was 8, and it never went

away,” said Warren, who was sporting one of her 20 Elvis T-shirts.

Ginny Thompson of Costa Mesa said she is one of the only Jailhouse

Rockers who actually met Elvis. She and a girlfriend used to go to

Las Vegas to see his shows twice a year, and during one visit whe met

Elvis at a party.

After Elvis died, Thompson said, she purchased two copies of his

“Moody Blue” album but was so upset she couldn’t listen to it all the

way through. One of those copies has never been opened.

“I don’t have that much memorabilia because I have good memories,”

Thompson said.

She added that some of the Jailhouse Rockers members have whole

rooms of their houses dedicated as Elvis shrines.

Warren said many of the members of the group visit Graceland for

the anniversary of Elvis’ death on Aug. 16. She said more than 15,000

fans from all over the world attended the annual candlelight vigil to

honor his memory this year.

“If it wasn’t for Elvis, rock ‘n’ roll wouldn’t be as powerful as

it is,” Ramirez said. “It’s too bad he died so young, but fame is

hard to handle.... I don’t think I could handle fame myself.”

* LINDSAY SANDHAM is the news assistant. She can be reached at

(714) 966-4625 or lindsay.sandham@latimes.com.