So how does a guy with a business restoring art and painting church
ceilings become one of the most electrifying entertainers in Las
Vegas and the most sought after and accomplished Elvis stylist
perhaps in the country? Equally fascinating is the question of
how a guy steeped in the musical style of Led Zeppelin, who actually
fronted one of the most successful East Coast heavy metal bands,
has gone on to write music which captures all of the melodic integrity
of the Americana movement while injecting a traditionalist country
sound with rockabilly pizazz? Anyone who has ever seen Steve scribble
a sketch or bought a print of one of his interpretive celebrity
portraits can easily see him painting the basilica of east coast
churches. But if you were one of the lucky ones to catch Steve's
signature Elvis Entertainment show in Bally's Jubilee theatre
in 1999/2000 ("Love Him Tender: The Spirit of the King")and
his transform of the Blue Note Cabaret into a celebration of Elvis
Presley's style and music (in the naughty musical comedy "Tease")
or if you just recently saw him over the last four and a half
years at the Fitzgeralds Hotel & Casino main room you could
still be asking how a guy from back East decides to impersonate
the greatest performer of our time.
Steve might say something like this. Elvis Presley was a performer
whose music can still top the charts today in country, pop, and
in Europe. A man with more #1 hits than the Beatles in England.
If my mission is to entertain audiences as completely as possible,
why not recreate a complete experience of Elvis Presley's performance
so that audiences experience not just the music of Elvis Presley
but grasp the real "Spirit of the King" as if he were
performing today RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW! To accomplish this goal
Steve decided to distinguish himself from all of the Elvis impersonators
and stylist. Yes, Steve did master all of the physical nuances,
moves, and conversational tones of the man from Memphis. Next,
he studied the entire body of Elvis's music, the novelty of some
of his arrangements, and even his sense of humor and abilities
as a band leader in live performances. Finally, Steve took his
considerable skills as a composer, guitar, and bass player, and
vocal stylist and set about to fully perform rather than slavishly
mimic or depict Elvis's signature performances. Without ignoring
music from any of Elvis's periods, Steve decided to PERFORM with
all of the athleticism and sexual confrontation of Elvis at his
most vital (think ' 68 comeback special - black leather). The
response to this style of Elvis Entertainment in Las Vegas has
been exceptional.
Over 4000 Public performances at the Fitzgeralds (4.5yrs) MGM
Grand (3yrs),The Paris as the voice of God in the Queen Production
‘We Will Rock You (2yrs) Aladin Blue Note Cafe (1Year) Riviera
(6mon) and Bally’s - not to mention many more private limited
and corporate engagements at Caesar's, Belagio, Flamingo, Venetian,
Wynn, Four Queens, Golden Nugget, Desert Inn, Plaza, Imperial
Palace, Harrahs, Treasure Island, The New Frontier, Mirage, Mandalay
Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, New York New York, Monte Carlo, The Stardust,
Stratosphere, Circus Circus, Sahara, Hard Rock, The Las Vegas
Hilton, The Palms, Tropicana, Embassy, California, Sun Coast,
Green Valley Ranch, Gold Coast, Sams Town,Las Vegas Convention
Center, The Orleans, Rampart Casino,The Horseshoe, Lady Luck,
and that is just Las Vegas - not listed are many many more dates
around the world - Finally, Steve remains the only entertainer
depicting Elvis to be chosen by the Las Vegas Review Journal Staff
- Best Elvis in Las Vegas two years in a row ( 2006, 2007 )
The Bally's show ("Love Him Tender"1999/2000). (a major
Strip Casino, Jubilee Theatre Showroom) met with rave reviews
from local papers and the L.A. Times. These reviewers praised
Steve ingenuity for including sections where Steve imagines Elvis
performing today's music. “ Steve Connolly is a born showman”
Mike Weatherford -Review Journal and Long time Las Vegas entertainment
writer Joe Delaney noted not only how Steve was capable of fully
entertaining the audience as a humorist but also again recognized
him as "perhaps the best of the Elvis depictors". Fans
of Steve's version of Elvis Entertainment include well known musicians:
Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Kenny Logins, Dennis Miller, as well
as President Clinton and Donald Trump. Bobby Morris Elvis’
Conductor at The International calls Steve “The #1 Elvis
on the plannet”. All have publicly recognized Steve as the
best in Elvis Entertainment. Finally, in 1999 Steve won a prestigious
contest in Las Vegas recognizing him as the Best Elvis in Vegas.
Today Steve is painting full time devoting his artistic talent
to interpreting Elvis in the visual medium of fine art painting
and Steve also is performing for public & private corporate
events nationally and internationally re-creating his signature
show : "Spirit of the King" He still finds time to
write original music and spend time with his wife and three
children. Unfortunately, Elvis Presley is no longer available,
but thankfully Steve Connolly is still " alive and kicking".
“The hardest working king in show biz” Catch him
live! |
