Texas native, Vince King, took home top honors tonight in Myrtle Beach’s Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest preliminary round.  After finishing a strong 2nd place in the 2009 Myrtle Beach contest, Vince proved persistence does, indeed, pay off and the 2nd time can be a charm.

Vince  performed his first song tonight mid-way through the first round and brought the capacity-crowd to their feet with an thundering version of Elvis’ “Hurt”. Vince faced some admirable competition this evening in a tightly-contested field of 14 Elvis tributes, but his talent and dedication to re-creating Elvis’ legacy would not be denied. Vince rolled to the semi-final round where he chose to perform two Elvis classics, “My Way” and “Suspicious Minds.” Vince’s renditions of these two Elvis trademark tunes along with his charismatic stage presence vaulted him to the title of  Myrtle Beach’s 2010 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist winner and earned him a trip to the August Finals in Memphis.

Rounding out this year’s top 3 were Paul Hunt and Gino Monopoli (both pictured below)  placing 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Both Paul and Gino gave Vince a “run for his money” with memorable performances that wowed the Myrtle Beach crowd but ultimately (pun intended) Vince’s magnetic stage presence proved too much for his worthy competitors.

The audience was also treated to performances from the 2009 Myrtle Beach Ultimate Elvis Tribute winner, Nathan Belt. Nathan, now Myrtle Beach’s year-round Elvis tribute, opened the show by leading all 14 contestants in a rousing version of “Viva Las Vegas” backed by the Legends In Concert band, George Strait tribute Larry Turner, and the beautiful Legend’s  back-up singers. Later in the show, while the votes were being tabulated, Nathan also treated the throngs of Elvis fans to a moving version of “Unchained Melody”. Paying homage to Elvis’ softer side, Nathan poured his soul into the song with every key stroke on the glimmering, white, baby-grand piano.

Adding to the festivities, the evening’s emcee, Steve Fairchild, provided the crowd with two signature Garth Brooks songs before the winners were announced.

After Vince was coronated this year’s winner, all 14 Elvi re-took Legends In Concert’s Myrtle Beach stage for a reprise of “Viva Las Vegas” giving the crowd one last taste of an evening dedicated to celebrating Elvis’ legacy.

Congratulations to Vince King (pictured below, center) and best of luck as he moves on to the final round in Memphis.

Grab your jump suits! The Ultimate Elvis Tribute Contest is making a stop in Myrtle Beach, SC this Saturday July 25th at 8pm. Legends In Concert theatre in Surfside Beach will host a preliminary round of the much-esteemed contest for the second time.

Over a dozen Elvis impersonators will convene to belt out some of Elvis’ most-beloved tunes. This year’s competition is sure to be filled with numerous treats including a special performance by Lake George contest winner and Myrtle Beach’s resident Elvis tribute, Kevin Mills(pictured right), and the return of last year’s Myrtle Beach winner, Michael Sokolik, Jr.

This year’s competition will also be accompanied by the 1st Annual Fabulous Fifties Festival; the brainchild of Legends In Concert’s Regional General Manager, Chris Beattie. The festival comes to the area on July 24th and 25th and will feature a charity golf tournament, a Fifties Sock Hop , and a classic car cruise. To kick things off on Friday July 24th, a charity golf tournament is being held at Wachesaw Plantation East, former host of the LPGA and 2007 Grand Strand Course of the year. After the golf tournament, a Fifties sock hop will shake, rattle ,and roll into Studebakers night club in Myrtle Beach.   On the afternoon of Saturday July 25th, over 50 classic automobiles will roll into the Legends In Concert parking lot in Surfside Beach and then cruise to Chick Fil A of Murrells Inlet. The weekend’s festival will culminate with the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest at Legends In Concert at 8pm on Saturday evening.

Make your plans to attend all of these fun-filled activities this weekend!

Tickets for the Ultimate Elvis Tribute  Myrtle Beach contest are moving fast so purchase them now by clicking this link ELVIS TRIBUTE TICKETS-MYRTLE BEACH or by calling the ticket office directly at 1-800-960-SHOW.

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