Elvis Presley is one of the most impersonated figures of all time. But why?
“I think that Elvis’ effect on people and the response to him and his music make people want to be more like Elvis,” says local legend Leigh Crow (a.k.a. Elvis Herselvis) who’s been imitating the rock ‘n’ roll icon since 1989. “It’s good to be The King.”
The performer stands proudly as the first woman to don the pompadour and zoot suit, swing her hips wildly, and whip audiences into a frenzy in the manner of Elvis the Pelvis.
One could say that Crow, who turns 59 this month, has put the “king” in “drag king” with her gender-bending tribute to the highest-ranking rock ‘n’ roll royal.
Backed by The Straight White Males, Elvis Herselvis toured the country, including The Second International Elvis Presley Conference at the University of Mississippi, in the early ‘90s.
Like Elvis, who bucked trends by performing songs that, in his era, seemed better suited to black artists like Fats Domino, Little Richard, and Chubby Checker, Crow karate-kicked against convention by just suiting up as The King. So much so that Graceland pulled funding from the aforementioned conference when it was announced that she’d be involved.
But eating crow was never an option. The talented performer with the vocal chops and swagger to match parlayed her newfound celebrity into launching five groups including ‘60s bubble-gum cover band The Whoa Nellies (with Peter Fogel and Connie Champagne) and queer classic-country band Velvetta, and acting in numerous Sick & Twisted Players’ productions in the early ‘90s and Thrillpedders’ shows in the 2010s. She has paid her success forward by spotlighting the next generation of gender-bending artists at her Dandy Drag King Cabaret.
While Elvis Herselvis has mostly left the building, Crow is excited to revive her seminal act for the annual Elvis Presley Tribute Party, presented since 2017 by Steve Indig (of Elvis Bowie Birthday Bash and New Wave City fame) to celebrate momentous highlights from The King’s career.
Elvis Presley Tribute Party 2024 (Sun/28, Make-Out Room, SF.) shines a light on the fateful moment, 70 years ago this month, when the aspiring artist, just shy of 20, broke through with his first hit, “That’s All Right,” and, just days later, debuted his signature “rubber legs” dance move at what many regard as the first rock ‘n’ roll concert.
A benefit for Blue Bear School of Music, Indig’s sequin-studded event will give The King his flowers with energizing tribute performances from HowellDevine, Lydia Walker, Johnny Dilks, Ben Fong-Torres, and Herselvis, herself—all backed by the San Francisco Elvis All Stars.
I spoke to Crow, who’s set to perform “That’s All Right,” “I Was the One,” “It’s Now or Never,” and “Suspicious Minds,” about getting back into character, Elvis’ undeniable queerness, and being an example by just being who she is.
48 HILLS I read that you don’t do Elvis Herselvis much anymore. Why is that, and what’s it like to resurrect the character for an event like this?
LEIGH CROW After my first 10 years of performing as Elvis Herselvis, I wanted to pursue my own voice as a singer and actress. I’ve never retired the character, but I like to save it for special occasions and great shows like the Elvis Presley Tribute Party.
48 HILLS How did you create Elvis Herselvis?
LEIGH CROW Elvis Herselvis came about in 1988 during the planning of a drag show at The Nightbreak on Haight Street for the weekly lesbian party Female Trouble. The show was supposed to feature several different male rock impersonators, but by the time the show came around, I was the only performer who followed through, leading to a full 20-minute lip-sync drag set to Elvis songs. The audience loved it. I would later start singing live at the request of Arturo Galster who performed live as Patsy Cline.
48 HILLS How much of the character is homage and how much is satire?
LEIGH CROW Elvis Herselvis is an homage that is informed by satire. While I have always loved Elvis’ music, Herselvis is not officially an Elvis tribute artist but her own creation in the image of Elvis.
48 HILLS Has your interpretation of The King changed over the decades?
LEIGH CROW Over time, my interpretation of Elvis has changed. I was about the same age as “young Elvis” when I started performing—and now, I have outlived him by quite a bit. I think there’s a golden age of Elvis and I didn’t want to necessarily lean into the jumpsuit-era Elvis. Now, my interpretation is less based on a specific Elvis in time and more of an amalgamation of all of his images.
48 HILLS Women as different as Eurythmics’ Annie Lennox and KD Lang have also paid tribute to The King. What does a woman bring to Elvis impersonation that a man can’t?
LEIGH CROW I think a woman impersonating Elvis can bring a vulnerability and a sense of irony that I have not seen in male Elvis tribute artists.
48 HILLS You’ve said that Elvis is the last bastion of masculinity but also has a queerness to him. Could you elaborate on that?
LEIGH CROW We must remember that in 1950s America, a man wearing eyeliner and a pink shirt in the style of jazz musicians was shocking. Even the fact that he had very long hair for the time and colored it. He was obsessed with his clothes. He moved in a sexy way on stage—literally from the pelvis—that was more evocative of burlesque. He had an overt femininity that was very threatening to the status quo of the time.
48 HILLS Speaking of threatening the status quo, what was your experience like at The Second International Elvis Presley Conference?
LEIGH CROW My experience was overwhelmingly positive, except for the fact that Graceland pulled funds when they found out there was a lesbian Elvis impersonator and an impersonator who billed himself as Elvis Presley Junior. But because they did that, a local paper wrote a story about it and it got picked up on the wire as we toured—and we got so much great free publicity everywhere we went.
48 HILLS Do you know if things have changed as far as Graceland’s take on queer female Elvis impersonators?
LEIGH CROW I don’t know if things have changed about Graceland’s stance on queer Elvis impersonators. I do know that there are female Elvis tribute artists who are queer and they are registered with the official Elvis Tribute Artists registry, which I politely declined. As I mentioned before, I am not strictly an Elvis tribute artist.
48 HILLS You’ve played so many characters over your career. I’m always blown away by how many within Sick and Twisted Players’ and Thrillpeddlers’ productions alone. Where do you get that uncanny ability to morph from character to character?
LEIGH CROW I have always been a mimic and started doing impersonations early in life. Perhaps some of my ability to morph into different characters comes from the struggle of being able to be my own authentic self in a heteronormative society. My ability to pass early in life helped me to mimic other characters later on.
48 HILLS You’ve raised awareness for drag kings throughout your career. Are drag kings finally getting the respect they deserve?
LEIGH CROW I always hope to bring awareness to other drag kings through my visibility. I don’t think that drag kings get the recognition they deserve. There are some wonderful new modern kings who I think are fantastic.
It’s difficult that during the rise of modern drag, we have a very visible and famous drag queen saying to The Advocate that drag kings are unable to be subversive in the same way queens are and that we are somehow less deserving of platforms and entertainment dollars. It has affected kings’ ability to gain more mainstream visibility.
48 HILLS The song “I Hope I Can Be the Next LEIGH CROW” makes me think about the next generation of drag kings. What legacy would you like to leave them?
LEIGH CROW I don’t know about leaving a legacy, but I would like to be an example. Showing people an example just by being my honest self, being a person of size, being a masculine woman, being a lesbian. Just showing people that you can be exactly who you are.
48 HILLS What’s coming up for you outside of Elvis Tribute Party?
LEIGH CROW At OASIS, I am co-hosting the Mama Cass Tribute Cabaret on July 29, doing Top Hats, Tuxes, & Tiaras: A Big Band Cabaret with the San Francisco LGBTQ+ Swing Symphony on August 3, and playing Captain Kirk in the “Way to Eden” episode of Star Trek LIVE, which runs August 7 through the 31. My classic country band Velvetta plays El Rio for Cowgirl Palooza on September 2.
ELVIS PRESLEY TRIBUTE 2024: 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LEGEND OF THE KING Sun/28, Make-Out Room, SF. $10-$50. Tickets and more info here.
