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THE VELVET ELVIS
Jonny, aka "The Velvet Elvis", and his band also recreate the excitement of Elvis Presley in his prime, with both the guitar chops, mutton chops, and vocal chops to impress even the most die hard fan. Billy Bop, a rockabilly fanzine in Belgium, went so far as to call Mr. Barber, “Mr. Rock and Roll himself!”
Joining Jonny onstage is Scotty Baxendale, legendary lead guitar player and guitar builder (who has made guitars for James Burton, Johnny Depp and Carl Perkins, among others. www.colfaxguitarshop.com); Mad Dog Mike Minnick, who has manned the skins for many great rockabilly bands including Hillbilly Hellcats, Paul Galaxy, The Aquasonics, and GT & The Sidewinders; and Ian P. Gilchrist or "The Man Behind The Curtain" on bass.“The greatest thing about playing this music is you get the opportunity to completely rock out four generations of fans and everyone knows the words and can sing along," says Barber (who was given his nickname by a fan who said he 'didn't so much look like Elvis as he did a velvet painting of Elvis'). "Elvis may have been the man on the stage, but I'm the man in the painting."
I've seen Elvis.
Dave Flomberg, Rocky Mountain New January 12, 2007
I've seen Elvis in myriad forms and faces, in taped recordings and on the T-shirts of old women wearing costume jewelry and too much makeup in Memphis. I've seen Elvis on products as diverse as lunchboxes, board games, religious iconography and dinner plates.
I've seen Indian Elvis, black Elvis, Chinese Elvis, old Elvis, baby Elvis, fat Elvis, thin Elvis, jumpsuit Elvis, '68 Comeback Elvis, rockabilly Elvis and even Elvis Costello.
I've spent my fair share of time in Las Vegas, land of 10,000 Elvises. And I've borne witness to Val Kilmer's Elvis, Harvey Keitel's Elvis, Don Johnson's Elvis and Kurt Russell's Elvis on screen.
And on Jan. 8 I saw the Velvet Elvis, Chris Barber, who is, hands down, the best Elvis I've seen (save for that Costello guy) live.
Certainly, the stage was perfect for it. It was the King's birthday - he would have been 72 (or is 72, depending on which tabloid you read) - and Barber was at Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret.
Through a medley of rockabilly Elvis-era tunes and Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Hank Williams covers, Barber and bassist Michael Baird put together an educational, high-energy romp through the face of early-'50s rock, sprinkled with snippets of sparkling reverie and punctuated with chunks of cabaret-appropriate comedy. As Mrs. Buzz put it: "I haven't had this much fun in months." And we do have lots of fun.
Best Elvis Impersonator- Chris Barber
Published: Thursday, March 24, 2005 Although calling Jonny Barber a renaissance man may not be fair to Leonardo da Vinci, there's no question that he's got plenty on his plate. He leads Spiv, an enjoyable power-pop band, oversees Pop Sweatshop, a label whose catalogue brims with interesting acts, and, in his free time, channels Elvis Presley. Inspired by a pilgrimage to Graceland last fall, Barber has the hair and the chops, if not the waistline, to bring the King back to life -- figuratively speaking, that is.