When Andy Stankovich takes to the stage you may be forgiven for wondering if your ears are deceiving you. He isn’t Elvis, although the authentic Elvis costumes and his natural body movements coupled with his jet black coiffure and natural sideburns help you to set aside logic and reason the instant Andy starts to sing . . . “close your eyes, it could be the King”.

With the ability to cover every era, from “That’s All Right” to “Way Down” and also every genre of music: rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm and blues, gospel, country and with a repertoire of over 150 songs, it is not very often that Andy is unable to fulfil a request for a particular song.

Andy somehow manages to inject a little of his own uniqueness into his performance, whilst at the same time delivering a vocal reproduction of Elvis at his best.

Andy has taken his tribute show throughout New Zealand and overseas, performing at many charity events and making guest appearances on local and national radio and television. His first CD, eagerly awaited by many, entitled “My Journey” was released in 2002 and proved very popular with the legion of loyal fans.

Even as a child Andy loved Elvis, learning to play the guitar so he could accompany himself while he sang. It was obvious to family and friends, privileged to be present at one of his impromptu performances that he had a whole lot of talent to share. However it was not until 1998, after much persuasion from his family, friends and with the confidence gained through public karaoke evenings, that Andy took the plunge and hit the road as a professional.

Andy feels he has been given a gift, that is, a voice which when he sings sounds remarkably like Elvis. He feels humbled to be able to recreate some of the magic that was Elvis and takes delight in his ability to share his gift and bring people together to enjoy and share good times, helping create new generations of “Elvis fans” and perpetuate the legacy of Elvis.

Andy regards his shows as a tribute to Elvis and classes himself not so much an Elvis Impersonator but rather as an Entertainer; his tribute shows being his way of “keeping the music alive”.

I wiggle my shoulders, I shake my legs, I walk up and down the stage, I hop around on one foot. But I never bump and grind. Why, that's vulgar. I'd never do anything vulgar before an audience. My mother would never allow it.

Elvis Presley