Annual Elvis Festival Takes Over The Factory at Franklin

Over the weekend, The Factory at Franklin transformed into a hotspot for everything Elvis as the Nashville Elvis Festival took over Liberty Hall. With live music performances by world-renowned Elvis tribute artists, celebrity appearances and an Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist competition, there were many exciting, immersive and entertaining events that celebrated the music and legacy of Elvis Presley.

Hosted by lifelong Elvis enthusiast Tom Brown, the Elvis festival started when co-founders Brown and Brian Mayes judged at the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Contest in Memphis back in 2009. At the time, they had both lived in Nashville and realized that Nashville did not have an Elvis festival. With Elvis recording over 400 songs at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Brown and Mayes knew that an Elvis festival in Nashville was necessary.

Born in Tupelo, Miss., Brown grew up surrounded by Elvis. Being born in the birthplace of the legend, Brown’s life has always felt intertwined with that of Elvis.

“All my grade schools were schools that Elvis went to. I grew up on a street two streets behind the birthplace, so Elvis was just always there. He was alive then, and there were people in town who still knew him and still talked to him, so he was Elvis, but he was also like this hometown guy. People that I knew also knew him,” Brown told the Williamson Scene.

Because of his deeply rooted connections to Elvis, Brown spent most of his life as not only a fan but a perseverer in keeping the Elvis community alive. From judging Elvis tribute competitions to hosting events for Graceland, Brown’s dedication to Elvis shines through his work. His favorite part about hosting events like the Nashville Elvis Festival is looking out into the crowd and seeing older generations watching the tribute artists and feeling young again.

“I see ladies who are older that look like they are 16 again. And I see young kids, and I see all age groups of people, and everyone is smiling. And that’s pretty fun,” Brown said.

Throughout the weekend, several performers from all over the world dressed up in their best Elvis attire and gave the crowd a leg shaking, lip quivering performance to remember. The performers spend hours getting into character, blow drying their hair into the perfect pompadour and dressing in clothes that are almost exact replicas of Elvis’ outfits from all eras. Two of these performers, Cote Deonath and Emilio Santoro, invited the Williamson Scene backstage to walk through their full transformation into The King.

Deonath’s love for Elvis started early, singing and dancing to Elvis records at just two years old. Taking after his grandmother’s infatuation with The King, Deonath was captivated by Elvis. He started taking voice lessons at the age of 4, and from there continued to grow both as a musical artist and an Elvis enthusiast.

“I remember telling my grandmother that Elvis was my superhero,” Deonath said.

From start to finish, Deonath’s Elvis routine takes about an hour. From getting the perfect Elvis hair to extenuating his Elvis-like features with foundation and contour to putting the final touches on his outfit, he makes sure to take his time to make sure that he can fully channel his inner Elvis. While getting ready, he plays whatever Elvis songs he is about to perform on a loop, mimicking the unique vocal structures.

For Deonath and Santoro, the Elvis tribute community is like a family. With Santoro being from England and Deonath hailing from Florida, it seems unlikely that the two would have ever met if not for their shared love, passion and dedication to Elvis. And now, they are best friends.

“I was in a competition last year, and they’re all competing against each other, but everyone is still so willing to help each other out,” Santoro said. “Backstage, someone forgot their jewelry for the outfit that Elvis would have been wearing. One of the other competitors gave them their jewelry so that they wouldn’t get marked down by the judges for being wrong. So, I think the community aspect of it is really important. We’re all here for the same reason, because we all love Elvis.”

It was clear a strong sense of fellowship lingered over the crowd at the Elvis festival, as faces young and old danced, sang and came together through their shared love of Elvis Presley.