Gibb’s looking forward to bringing Elvis back to Leamington

For Harrow’s James Gibb, this will be his first time performing on the Sunset Amphitheatre stage at Seacliff Park, but it’s certainly not his first time on a big stage.

After years of competing in various Elvis Festivals across Ontario and the U.S., James is a seasoned veteran who can conjure the King of Rock and Roll with ease.

“I’ve loved Elvis since I was 13,” he said. “But my start (as an Elvis tribute artist) didn’t happen until 2006.”

James said his wife, Lisa, knew of his love for Elvis and — unbeknownst to him — signed him up to compete in the Windsor Elvis Festival that year.

“She signed me up and didn’t tell me until about six weeks before the festival,” he told the Sun last week. “I spent that time getting my outfits ready and practicing.”

He says he bombed.

“It was awful, but from that point on, I decided that I wanted to improve,” he said.

That’s when he sought the help of Windsor’s Pete Palazzolo, who gave him voice lessons and taught him proper breathing techniques. That made all the difference in the world.

“I enjoyed it so much, I just kept doing it,” he said. 

In fact, he’s won the Collingwood Elvis Festival twice in recent years and competed at the much heralded Niagara Falls Elvis Festival this past April, where he was a finalist.

As for playing on the Amphitheatre’s outdoor stage with the lake in the background, he says he’s looking forward to it.

“That venue has got me pumped,” he said.

He will be joined on stage by the Mystery Train Band, who will play backup for the show.

His usual band, the Silvertones, has previous commitments, so he reached out to Mystery Train for their availability and they said yes.

The band, out of Toronto, has played backup for James on a couple of nostalgic cruises in the past.

He promises a show ranging from the 1950s Elvis to the 1970s Elvis, complete with a costume change — maybe even a little leather.

And he’s not lost on the rumours that Elvis spent time in Leamington in the 1970s, although he’d love to see a picture of the King from those visits, just to wrap his head around that.

The show starts at 7 pm at the Sunset Amphitheatre on Saturday, July 20 and admission is free. The Kinsmen Kanteen will be open for refreshments and fans are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets and your dancing shoes.

The LTGO bus hours will be extended until 11 pm to accommodate the extra traffic.