Many of Elvis Presley’s original fans didn’t see him in concert when they had the chance, because they thought they had more time. The singer died 49 years ago at the age of 42.
Tom Brown at Graceland
Through tribute artists, the Nashville Elvis Festival at The Factory at Franklin this weekend seeks to replicate the feeling of seeing Presley perform live, says festival host and longtime Elvis enthusiast Tom Brown.
“It's a brotherhood of guys who, individually, where they're from, have grown up as Elvis fans, and in some way, this is a way for them to to pay tribute to him, and for an audience to get a feeling of what it might have been like to be able to see Elvis in concert,” Brown says.
Not unlike a pageant system, Nashville Elvis Festival is a qualifying event for the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist contest in May at Graceland — Elvis’ former home in Memphis. This year, the festival will feature 10 headliners for its 10th anniversary, including eight ultimate champions and two champions of the Nashville festival. Emilio Santoro, a Nashville competitor, went on to win the Graceland contest in 2024.
While some may have missed their chance to see Presley live, many attendees wouldn’t have had the chance — because they weren’t alive then. Brown, who has also hosted Graceland’s tribute artist contest since its 2007 inception, has seen audiences flip from an estimated 90 percent original Elvis fans who followed the “King of Rock and Roll” when he was releasing music to about 80 percent fans who discovered him after his death.
“Talent is timeless,” Brown says.
“I'm so fascinated that this younger generation would be speaking to Elvis's story and learning about Elvis,” he says. “Every day they learn a little bit more. For us older fans, it just thrills us to see that he still is reaching people. Even though he's gone, his story, his music, is still reaching people.”
Brown credits Baz Luhrmann, whose 2022 movie Elvis brought about a new set of fans. Another Luhrmann creation, the documentary EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert was released in 2025.
Nashville Elvis Festival will feature 20 competitors representing 10 states as well as Great Britain, Canada, Norway and Ireland. Brown says during his tenure that he’s watched contestants who couldn’t speak English, but learned the songs and stage banter (“Thank you very much”) phonetically.
“There's something that speaks about Elvis's presence — his charisma, his talent, his voice — that speaks to people that don't even understand what he's saying,” he says.
Across four nights, this year’s festival will feature a concert dedicated to love songs, a nod to Presley’s 1956 breakout year, a concert following Presley’s life story and a show dedicated to Presley’s gospel music, among other events.
In addition, Brown will interview Jerry Schilling, a close friend of Presley, and Sandy Martindale, Elvis’ former girlfriend and the wife of Wink Martindale, a lifelong friend of Elvis.
“We never want to lose sight of the real man, so we always try to have people there that actually knew the man to tell us about him,” Brown says.
Brown is often asked how long the festival will continue. He points out that William Shakespeare’s plays are still performed and Ludwig Beethoven’s music is still performed today. Plus, Luhrmann has a musical in the works.
“We always have fans asking, 'What do you think Elvis would think about all this?' It's well known within the Elvis world of the people that he knew that often, when he was reflective, he would ask them, ‘do you think they're going to remember me when I'm gone? Have I really done anything that's lasting with just these crazy movies and this music? I mean, is this going to survive?’”
Nearly five decades after his death, the answer to that question is yes.