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.

Myrtle Beach Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist finalist, Vince King, will make an upcoming limited appearance at Legends In Concert’s Myrtle Beach venue from August 8th through August 17th.

Vince will bring his highly-regarded King of Rock-n-Roll tribute to Legends In Concert in Myrtle Beach beginning this Saturday August 8th.  He returns to Myrtle Beach fresh off an admirable second place finish in our preliminary Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest.  Vince astounded the local crowd with on target vocals and a bright, refreshing homage to Elvis.

Experience Vince during this limited run at our Surfside Beach location! All of his performances are guaranteed to provide a top-notch representation of the King’s vocals and savvy stage presence.  Reserve your seats now and catch a glimpse of this sure-fire rising Elvis tribute artist!!!

For the second straight year, Elvis fans were completely captivated with over one dozen tributes to the King of Rock-N-Roll at Legends In Concert in Surfside Beach, SC.

This 2009 version of the competition featured contestants from all over the United States. Elvis tributes came from as far west as Texas to bring their special brand of Elvis to the throng of Elvis-hungry fans.

The evening’s festivities were emceed by resident South Strand favorite, Steve Fairchild, who portrays Garth Brooks throughout the country at Legends In Concert venues. Steve opened the one night only engagement with an energized and Garth Brooks-ified version of  Elvis’ “That’s Alright Mama”, immediately drawing the crowd into an Elvis-filled evening.The evening also featured Kevin Mills, who made two special appearances throughout the evening bringing his Elvis magic to the crowd with impeccable versions of ”Polk Salad Annie” and “My Way”.

 The competition opened with the return of last year’s Myrtle Beach contest winner, Michael Sokolik, Jr., who brought local fans to their feet with an energetic & youthful version of Elvis. From there, the night shined on with a dozen more Elvis acts who belted out spirited versions of all of Elvis’ hits from the rare ”Edge of Reality”, to the spiritual ”You Gave Me A Mountain”, and the ever-popular ”Suspicious Minds”.

When the dust settled at the end of round one, only Nathan Belt of Grapevine, Texas, Michael Sokolik, Jr., of Socastee, SC, and Vince King of Pearland, Texas were left standing as the final three. Each of the three then performed two more Elvis hits for the judges. Michael once again took the stage with non-stop movement ala Elvis’ early days and he was followed by Vince King, who provided the crowd with a well-balanced approach to the King of Rock; mixing both melodic vocals and a polished resemblance to Elvis. But the evening belonged to Nathan Belt, who performed third in the final round. Nathan opened his set with a breathtaking rendition of “Hurt” that kept the capacity crowd in awe and resulted in an extended standing ovation. Nathan’s vocals soared to peaks that, at times, seemed almost effortless on his part.  Tonight, Nathan had the complete package; Elvis swagger, towering vocals, and a charm only Elvis himself could exude.

The judges votes were in!  Nathan Belt  (pictured above) saddled in first place followed by fellow Texan, Vince King, who placed a close second. Michael Sokolik, Jr.  rounded out the top three finalists.

As the curtain fell on Myrtle Beach’s second annual Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Preliminary round, the entire ensemble of Elvis tributes treated the crowd to one final Elvis anthem, “Viva Las Vegas”. 

Shortly after 11:30pm, all the “Elvi had the left building” , capping off the Fabulous Fifties Festival weekend which is certain to become an enduring tradition along the Grand Strand for years to come.

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.