Well done, ETA Bruno Nesci!

Editor’s Note

Photo credit: Lori-Anne Crewe for SB Mag.

I happen to catch a portion of ETA Bruno Nesci’s promotional conversation this week on Zoomer Radio regarding the upcoming annual Niagara Falls Elvis Festival . I first met Bruno at the 2017 Flaming Star Festival—one month after starting SIDEBURNS Magazine, and I have enjoyed watching Bruno perform and compete over the ensuing years and witnessing his many successes as an ETA.

December 18th, 2023.

I covered three of the NFEF, and the last two years of the Collingwood Elvis Festival where I had the pleasure of meeting Robbie Lane in 2019. As with most things I have written for SIDEBURNS Magazine over the past 7 years, I like to find a connection to the ETA world. After hearing Bruno on Zoomer Radio, I decided to repost an article I wrote in 2019, which ties the Elvis festivals, Zoomer Radio, Bruno Nesci, Robbie Lane, and SB Mag up in a nice little package. Cheers, everyone! C.M.

Zoomer Radio: Robbie Lane

Photo credit: https://www.robbielane.com/photos.html

I always listen to Zoomer Radio while driving in my car, and when I heard that Robbie Lane would be making an appearance at the 2019 Collingwood Elvis Festival, I was intrigued by the prospect of meeting him. In the early 1960s when I was a young teen, Robbie Lane and his band, the Disciples, played at a dance that I went to at Salfleet High School in Stoney Creek, Ontario. Their music was part of my favourite tunes that I heard on my transistor radio, and I was looking forward to asking Robbie about the early years in Canadian music.

Photo credit: https://bobbycurtola.com/en/biography/

During our conversation at Collingwood, I mentioned to Robbie that his long time friend Bobby Curtola also performed at Saltfleet High, and that Bobby was a distant cousin of one of my sons-in-law. During the years before his passing in 2016, Bobby Curtola made many appearances at Robbie Lane and the Disciples’ shows at The Duke Live, 1225 Queen Street East, Toronto, ON; and on Oct 19th, 2015, Bobby presented Robbie with the Cashbox Magazine Canada Music Award—a well-deserved honour for his over 40 years in the music industry. In August, 2016, Robbie Lane paid tribute to the late Bobby Curtola with a humorous, touching, and eloquent speech.

What follows is a description of Robbie Lane’s career with the Disciples provided by Wikipedia, the Free Encyclpedia:

Robbie Lane and the Disciples is a Canadian rock band, that peaked in the 1960s.  A cover of Neil Sedaka's "What Am I Gonna Do" was their biggest success, reaching #10 in 1966. They also recorded an early version of the hit song "Soul Deep" in 1966.

Beginning as Ronnie Hawkins' backup band, Robbie Lane & the Disciples later gained attention as the band for Canadian CTV-TV's “It's Happening”. Composed of guitarist Terry Bush, drummer Doug Copeland, harmonica player William Cudmore, keyboardist Paul Denyes, vocalist Robbie Lane, tenor saxophonist Paul Mifsud and bassist Gene Trach, the group recorded several singles during the mid '60s. After an attempt at a solo career in the mid ‘70s, Robbie Lane (aka Robin Curry) and the band re-formed in the mid ‘80s.

The following is a mini interview from Zoomer Radio’s website. “Q&A with Robbie Lane, Host of Robbie Remembers and The British Invasion”, by AM 740 Staff, was posted on June 8th, 2017. Edits by SB Mag editor, Carolyn MacArthur:

Q. How did you get started in broadcasting?
A. I was playing with my band, the Disciples, at a club in Toronto and the owner asked me to help him beef up the Saturday night business. I suggested he start a dance on those nights and tie in with a radio station. I asked 1050 CHUM if they’d meet with us about this and they started doing a Saturday night Oldies Dance. The Club Owner asked me to voice the “spots”; and after a few weeks, they offered me a show on CHUM, then I moved on to Zoomer Radio.

Q. What’s the best movie you’ve ever paid money to see?
A. The Godfather. One of the best.

Q. If you could only go to one more concert in your life, who would you see?
A. There are so many acts I’d like to see, so I’ll just pick “Ringo Starr and his All Star Band”.

Photo credit: https://www.robbielane.com/

Q. Everybody has one thing they cook really well. What’s your specialty?
A. I’m an expert at grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches with a secret ingredient.

Q. What would your partner say is your most annoying habit?
A. I procrastinate. She hates that.

Q. Coolest person in entertainment history – GO!
A. Gotta be Frank Sinatra.

Q. Favourite gift you ever received?
A. My fav gift has to have been my daughter Shelley.

Q. One classic TV show you wish they’d remake.
A. Cant think of one.

Q. One classic TV show they should never, ever touch.
A. Perry Mason with Raymond Burr. Leave it alone.

Q. Do you prefer a crew neck of a V-neck style of t-shirt?
A. I wear mostly V neck. I tell my wife, Marilyn, V is for virgin. She says they must be old T

Zoomer Radio: Sam Houston and Neil Hedley

Sam Houston and Neil Hedley with SIDEBURNS Magazine Editor, Carolyn MacArthur. Photo credit: SB Mag.

Prior to meeting Sam Houston and Neil Hedley backstage at the 2019 Collingwood Elvis Festival, I heard Sam say on stage, “Who likes sideburns? Nobody, right?” When I met Sam a few minutes later, I jokingly told her that I took exception to her comment about sideburns, seeing the name of my magazine is “SIDEBURNS’. Sam found it all very funny, as did I.

Sam is not the only one with a good sense of humour. Neil Hedley told me that a fan who was meeting him for the first time said that he looked better on the radio. LOL I

n the photo at the left, Neil is giving his best Elvis lip curl and doing the signature pointing that so many ETAs do in photos.

Editor’s Note: Neil Hedley left Zoomer Radio since the writing of this 2019 article. Jane Brown joined Sam Houston and is co-hosting The Morning Show with Sam & Jane, weekdays from 6 am to 10 am on Zoomer Radio.

Follow that Dream

January 8th, 2024. I had an interesting dream last week in which Elvis, dressed in a frou-frou outfit more befitting rock legend Prince than the King of Rock ‘N’ Roll, took the cape he was wearing and handed it to me. It was not like any cape I have ever seen him wear; this one was made of lace! As my daughter and I laid the cape on a table, we marvelled at the fact that it was a round lace table cloth that had been folded in half. On Elvis’s shoulders it looked like a beautifully designed and expertly crafted piece of costumery.

While the dream warmed my heart, I did not attach much relevance to it—until today.

I remembered, of course, that today is Elvis’s birthday; but I had no intention of posting anything. For personal reasons, I just did not feel ready. But when my FireStick failed again and I was unable to watch my paid channels, I was searching on my laptop for a movie on Pluto’s free listings. I was not searching for an Elvis movie, since I have more than one box set of DVDs and had just watched "Girl Happy” last night, when “Elvis has Left the Building” popped up. Ok, a dream, a rare movie, and add to that an EPE t-shirt at Giant Tiger (of all places)—all in one week. Was Elvis trying to tell me something?

This post is for you, Elvis. Happy birthday! And thank you for the inspiration.

Elvis Has Left the Building is a 2003 black comedy film directed by Joel Zwick  and starring Kim Basinger as a cosmetics saleswoman who accidentally kills a series of Elvis impersonators as they travel to a convention in Las Vegas. John Corbett plays an advertising executive and her love interest. Tom Hanks has a cameo appearance as one of the dead Elvis impersonators. Angie Dickinson plays Basinger's mother, a former mechanic for the real Elvis, which explains why we see a young Harmony seated next to the ‘real’ Elvis (played by Gil McKinney). 

The film opens with Harmony (Basinger) driving down a long, winding road, the music of Elvis playing on the radio.  She feels that her life is empty and artificial. She is a traveling cosmetic saleswoman, setting up "Pink Lady" training seminars in the western portion of the United States. When she is asked if she's "one of those Mary Kay ladies," she replies, "No, we're pink, they're more salmon."  While she is popular and successful selling "Pink Lady", there is nothing real or honest in her life.

As Harmony travels around the country, trying to figure out what is missing from her life, Elvis impersonators keep dying in her wake.  She is romantically pursued by Miles (Corbett), but dismisses his advances for fear he might die too.

Credit for the above: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Has_Left_the_Building , with edits by C. MacArthur for SIDEBURNS Magazine.  

I enjoyed the movie, a pleasant surprise that I happened upon on today of all days, Elvis’s birthday.  Probably a lot of Elvis and ETA fans saw it 20 years ago, but it was new to me.  What follows are comments from other viewers. C.M.

8/10  Relilies Funny, Funny, Funny:  This movie was a delightful surprise. I laughed all the way through it. Although it poked some gentle fun at Elvis impressionists and a number of other things, it left the memory of the King alive and well. I wish I had seen it on the big screen.

I enjoyed seeing Kim Basinger in this movie and she was quite funny.  She is still looking good.  The romance in the movie was a bit predictable, but didn't take away from it at all.  You just need to be in the mood to watch something silly and enjoy it for what it is. The cameo appearances by some well-known actors added to the film. I had to check the credits to make sure I was seeing who I thought I was seeing in one scene.

8/10  JoJo  A Connection to Elvis:  I'm not saying this is the best movie I have ever seen.  It is, however, a pretty funny movie.  I had a special connection Elvis (and still do) and watching this movie helped me, in a way, feel a little closer to him.  The movie is about Elvis impersonators.  Harmony clearly had a connection with Elvis like I did.  She respected him like I do.   And since I do, I was a bit hesitant about watching this movie.  But as I started watching it, I realized it's not trying to offend Elvis, but it's simply giving out a message that maybe it would bother Elvis, having all the impersonators around.  Knowing Elvis, it probably would.  So, while this isn't the greatest movie around, it definitely gives a message in a humorous way.  My connection with Elvis just got stronger!

9/10  Tkleeman:  Elvis is angry and the Pink Lady is his emissary of doom!

This movie starts a bit slow, and you have to bear a bit of malice toward Elvis impersonators (who doesn't?), but it is hilarious.  Kim Basinger is perfect as the guardian of Elvis's true spirit who unwittingly brings doom to a whole string of bogus Elvis's as she keeps pure the memory of her own childhood encounter with the real thing.  And the Elvises all come to such delicious ends.  The final mass annihilation of Elvises opens Harmony's eyes and we see finally see the angry Elvis behind all of the misfortune. If you like black humor, don't miss this gem. I only wish they had a found an actor to play the real Elvis who looked more the part.

Credit for the reviews: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377057/reviews, with edits by C. MacArthur for SIDEBURNS Magazine.

Focus ON: Curtis Cowan

Introduction

Happy Anniversary, SIDEBURNS Magazine!

Editor’s Note: It has been such a pleasure posting some of the biggest names in the Elvis tribute world over the years since I first started SIDEBURNS Magazine on September 10th, 2017. This past year has been a struggle, and I wondered (for health reasons) if I should continue writing articles and interviews that take untold hours to compose, edit and publish. I continue to receive requests from artists like Curtis Cowan, who sent an impressive bio that highlights his successes in years gone by, and Katrina Renner, who is just starting her promising ETA career, and I think maybe my tour of duty bringing fans information about all ETAs is not quite over. SIDEBURNS was started as a magazine for ETA fans, and every person who performs their special tribute to Elvis Presley has fans who follow them and enjoy reading about them. So as I begin Year 7 as editor of SIDEBURNS Magazine, I wish to thank you all for liking, sharing, and following what I post. YOU are the reason I started SB Mag! With much love and appreciation, Carolyn XO

A Departure from the Usual

The following post represents some advancement I have made in my tech skills. With the help of AI (Artificial Intelligence), I was able to add questions to the bio I received from Curtis Cowan. It was an interesting, challenging, and sometimes hilarious process. With AI, I had to take special care that it represented my voice; so bottom line, I still spent hours editing…LOL. Having the computer generate questions works well in some circumstances (such as with a prewritten biography); but my preference is still with ETAs answering my original questions. Please enjoy…

Focus ON: Cutis Cowan

Carolyn MacArthur (CM):  Curtis, your journey as an Elvis tribute artist is truly remarkable.  Let's start from the beginning.  What initially drew you to portray Elvis in the 50s, and how did you get involved in the "Elvis Elvis Elvis" show?

Curtis Cowan (CC): I portrayed Elvis in the 50's in the "Elvis Elvis Elvis" show with Warren Brown and Rick Preston and then later, Calvin Tietz. We were backed by a 5 piece band that included Robin Liabo on guitar, Greg Alcock on keys, Thom on bass, Geoff Gilliard on drums, and Mary Ann on backing vocals. Our soundman was Graydon Parr. We toured Canada for 18 months. After the “Elvis Elvis Elvis” show, I portrayed Elvis in the ‘50s and 68 Comeback in a "Double Trouble" backing track show with Brian Simpson. We played 86 shows in Vancouver at various pubs and legions.

CM:  It sounds like you've had quite a versatile career.  Moving forward, you were a part of the "Ultimate Elvis” show band.  Can you please tell us more about your role in this band and what made it special?

CC:  Certainly, Carolyn.  Being the rhythm guitar player in the "Ultimate Elvis” show band was a fantastic experience.  Brian Simpson spearheaded this project, and it allowed us to bring the magic of Elvis to the PNE for six incredible years.  The chemistry within the band and the dedication to Elvis's music made it truly special. I was the rhythm guitar player with the "Ultimate Elvis” show band. We also appeared on "Red Robinson's Canadian Bandstand Show".

CM:  Your journey doesn't stop there.  You also owned your own tribute act agency called "Legendary Rockers’.  Can you share some of the most memorable acts or moments from that venture?

CC:  "Legendary Rockers" was a labor of love, Carolyn.  I had the privilege of working with over 200 acts worldwide. It's hard to pick just one memorable moment, but helping talented artists pay tribute to their musical heroes and seeing the joy they brought to audiences was always special.

CM:  You've had a diverse career, even recording an album of original songs in Nashville, produced by Chip Young.  Could you tell us about the song "Snowing Me Under" ?

CC:  "Snowing Me Under" is a significant song for me.  Chip Young, who produced the Elvis album "Guitar Man", got me the opportunity to record it (this was before I started writing myself).  It was originally written for Elvis, but sadly, he passed away before he could record it.  Recording this song in Nashville was a surreal experience, and it holds a special place in my heart.

CM:  What would you like to share with SB Mag readers from about your time at the Arlington Cabaret and other western Canada clubs/theatres?

 CC:  I had my own show called "Memories" at the Arlington Cabaret backed by the Frank McCormack (RIP) band. We performed every week for almost 2 years, starting in 1986. I also did shows with the "Bowery Boys" band and the "Noteables" band.

I performed in 3 dinner theatre productions as Elvis in Regina, SK and Winnipeg, MB at Celebrations and Applause dinner theatres. One was called "All Shook up" and the others were "Really Elvis" and "The Nurses Who Wore White".

CM:  It's clear you've had a wide range of experiences. You even portrayed Elvis in the TV adaptation of “Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure”.   What was that like?

CC: Portraying Elvis in the TV adaptation of “Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure” (Episode 8) was a fun and unique experience.  It was a different take on Elvis, mixing comedy and rock 'n' roll, and I enjoyed being a part of it. I was also in a karaoke video alongside Marilyn Monroe and James Dean lookalikes for a karaoke video called "Candle in the Wind". I was also the Elvis entertainment for the wrap party for the movie "Needful Things" by Stephen King that was directed by Fraser Heston, and featured Max Von Sydow and Ed Harris. I also made appearances on other television programs: The Vancouver Show, The Variety Club Telethon, Lifestyles for Success, Inside Stories, Toronto Mississippi, and Our Town.

I then had my own band "Flyer" and recorded 2 albums and 2 singles of my own material, produced by Frank Ludwig (keyboard player with Trooper) garnishing some radio airplay in the USA and Europe.

CM:  You've truly left your mark on the entertainment industry!  Finally, tell us about your current music endeavors, like your duo "Time Warp" with Mike Irvine.

I play lead and rhythm guitar and keyboards and I love to sing in my current duo "Time Warp" with my friend Mike Irvine. I've been in many facets of the music industry over the years and have loved it all, from dinner theatre to telegrams to, playing many many local venues, to touring Canada.

CM:  Curtis, your journey from Elvis tribute artist to your current musical endeavors is a testament to your dedication and passion for music.  Thank you for sharing your incredible experiences with us.

CC:  Thank you, Carolyn.  It's been a pleasure reminiscing about my musical journey with you and SIDEBURNS Magazine readers. Rock 'n' roll lives on, and I'm grateful to have been a part of it in various ways throughout the years.

Top Row: Gord - vocals/keyboard. Pam - vocals/tambourine. Phil - vocals/bass guitar.

Bottom Row: Mike - vocals/guitar. Vern - drums. Curtis Cowan - vocals/guitar.