From Newfoundland to Memphis
from Memphis to Newfoundland

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On A Sunny Summer Day I Was Helping My Dad Do Renovations On Our House. This Date Was August 16, 1977. I Was Just 12 Years Old.  Oh …  Yes I Remember This Day Quite Well As This Is When I Heard The News Of Elvis’s Death. That Swept Threw My Hometown Of Parker’s Cove, NL.

A ll Of A sudden My Mother Just Came Running Out Of Our House She Was Crying.  Then My Dad Said Concerned “What Is Wrong”?  My Mother Replied “Elvis Just Died”.  My Dad Replied By Saying “ He Is No More To Die Than Me”.

At This Time I Didn’t Know Who Elvis Really Was. But, I Could Tell From My Dad’s Reaction That Elvis Must Have Been Extremely Popular.  About One-Month Later On September 30 My Dad Had A Massive Heart Attack.  And Passed Away.  I Always Felt Responsible Some How For My Dad’s Death.

The Following Year My Mother, Siblings And I Moved To Marystown, NL. This Is Where My Mother Realized She Could Not Take Care Of My Siblings And I.  Most Of My Siblings And I Were Placed In Various Homes Across Newfoundland.

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This is When I First Started To Take Interest In  Elvis’s Music. I Escaped My Life Circumstances Through Elvis’s Music. I Really Missed My Family. I Would Express It In The Music, As I Would Sing.

In The Fall Of 1979 This Movie Was Aired On CBS Called “Elvis” Starring Kurt Russell. This Movie Really Showed Me How Much Of A Nice Man Elvis Really Was.  And How Much I Wanted To Be Like Him.
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The High School Where I Was Attending At The Time At The End Of Each School Year They Would Have A Talent Contest.  I Entered The Contest And Sang “Old Shep” And Won Second Place. Then I Knew From That Moment On That I Wanted To Pay Tribute To Elvis.

In 1984 I Got My First Spot On TV Singing Blue Suede Shoes And Hound Dog By Appearing On The Harris And Harris Country Jamboree Located In Carbonear, NL.

Later On That year I Performed In An Elvis Contest Backed By The Ducats.  It Was Great To get To Sing With Elvis Tribute Artists Like Myself.

Then In 1986 I Had The Pleasure Of Performing With Country Star Joan Kennedy From Saint John, NB. It Was Great To Perform With Nashville Musicians.

Also, In 1986 I Took A Shot Writing My Own Songs. I Wrote A Song Called “Don’t Leave Me Now”. Ironically, At The Time I Did Not Know Elvis Had A Song With The Same Title.

In 1987 I Moved To Ontario.  This Is Where I Started Performing On Stage And In Various Talented Shows And Won Many Of Them.

The Year 1988 Was When I Performed In A Talent Contest At Club Dallas In Hamilton Ont. Where I Won First Place.

1990 Is When Karaoke Became Very Popular. Of Course I Wanted To Become Part Of It.

In 1992 CH News In Hamilton Ont. Was Doing A Story On Karaoke.  They Filmed Some Of The People Singing And I Happened To Be One Of Them. They Also Interviewed Me.

Yet, The Year 1993 – 1994 I Performed In “The Images Of The King” Contest. Held In Memphis, Tennessee.  While In Memphis I Tried Out For The Elvis Scene In The Movie “The Client”.  I Was Also Interviewed And Sang Live On Memphis News.    While There I Saw Graceland And Recorded In The Legendary Sun Studios. This Was The Dream Of My Lifetime.

1995 Went Back To Newfoundland Did Numerous Shows And Also Some Fundraisers.   It Was Very Fulfilling.

1996 I Ventured Back To Ontario And Performed In The Elvis Festival In Collingwood, Ont.

However, In 1998 I Went Back To Collingwood, Ont. For The Third Time And Got To Meet Some Of The Gentlemen That Worked With Elvis. Such As The Jordanaires, JD Sumner & The Stamps And DJ Fontana.  It Was A Real Privilege Meeting These Talented Men.
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Late 1999 Early 2000 I Decided To Make My Way Back To Newfoundland. In The Fall of 2000 I Performed At The Newfoundland Hotel With Well Known Guitarist Lew Skinner Of The Ducats.

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2001 Around The Time Of 9/11 I Had A Very Good Spiritual Experience.  During This Time I Recorded A CD Of My Favorite Southern Gospel Songs.

From 2002 – 2004 I Performed Mainly Karaoke.

The Year 2004 Was When I Meet The Lady Of My Dreams. To Date I Am Volunteering With The St. John’s Nursing Home Board (Eastern Health) Not-For-Profit Organizations And Other.

I Would Like To Say The Happiest Day of My Life Was February 26, 2006 When I Married Debra S Yetman Who Is Now My Manager And Wife.

August 2006 – Appeared On The Cover Of The Newfoundland Herald Which Is Rated The Number One Entertainment Magazine In Newfoundland & Labrador.

August 2006 – Performed my “One Night with you Show” in Tribute to the memory of Elvis

January 2, 2007 – Appeared on “Out of the Fog”  Promoting my show for January 4 for my Tribute to what would have been Elvis’s 72nd birthday. (Elvis’s birthday is January 8. 1935)

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April 2007 -  Tribute to Elvis’s Movies “Elvis at the Movies)

August 2007 – Interviewed by Toni Marie Wiseman from NTV news “Backstage Pass”  and appeared for a half our special “Entertainment News” August 2007 – Interview by CBC Radio The Performance Hour” & Radio Noon with Rolanda Walsh & appeared on “Here & Now” CBC News
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August 17 2007 – 30th anniversary of Elvis’s passing.  Performed my “Elvis Forever” Show. It was a sold out show!

From September –  to date I have volunteered for many private organizations, singing telegrams, private functions, fundraisers, & music therapy

As Far As Paying Tribute To Elvis I Do Not Consider Myself An Impersonator.  I Am A Tribute Artist.  That Pays Tribute To Elvis And Dresses Elvis Style. There Is Only One Elvis And In No Way Shape Or Form Do I Think I Am Elvis.

E-mail Albert

 

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