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Lee “Elvis” Halpern
10/25/2008 - By by Gayle Davis
Photography by McKay Imaging
Lee “Elvis” Halpern is The King of Marlboro
Black hair, mounds of gold jewelry, shady sunglasses…it’s not your imagination…it’s Elvis…Lee Elvis that is…living right here in Marlboro! Born Howard Halpern in 1951, the Brooklyn boy’s looks earned him the moniker of “Elvis” no matter where he went. By the young age of 3, Halpern began to emulate the “King of Rock ’n Roll,” and he hasn’t turned back since. By 9 years of age, this “Elvis emulator,” as he likes to be called, started to perform professionally at various venues. From touring in Malaysia to performing at corporate trade shows, Lee is doing his part to keep the legendary star’s spirit alive.
The look-a-like says the highlight of his whole career was meeting Elvis in Las Vegas, back in 1969. He describes the experience as “awesome.” Today, Halpern continues to make a living touching people’s lives as “the King” once did. He says that when he gets on the stage something takes over within him. He truly believes he was “touched” by the world-famous, hip-swiveling performer.
Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977 at the age 42. He left behind a legacy rich in history, and Halpern sees to it that Presley’s fascinating past is carried on, day in and day out. The career Lee has made for himself has been an amazing ride! Although he has done countless performances, big and small, he is gearing up to tour yet again – this time in China. His wife, Janet and their two children are proud to call the man they love “Elvis.”
Living In Marlboro invites you to sit back, relax, and really get to know the “celebrity-like” man who has probably made your head turn and cause your jaw to drop at some point when you’ve seen him around town.
LIM: How old were you when you looked in the mirror and said to yourself, “You know, I really look like Elvis Presley?”
LEH: Well it’s been a long road doing Elvis. I started this relationship at an early age; I’ve been performing actually, for 48 years. As we say, “Performing or entertaining in the professional field is really when you receive your first dollar.” This happened when I was 9 years old. I did a thing in Brooklyn for a children’s chronic disease hospital. I got paid $5 with the band I was working with. It all started then. There children who came out of the womb and went right into the hospital and never saw the light of day again; they would die within the hospital confines. I [must] look back at this experience as a very touching experience. I remember a little girl started a fan club back then, and recall performing in front of these little kids…seeing the excitement and all of their reactions to my performance. Whenever I did perform, the “Elvis” always came out. At the time I was Lee Howard – my professional name.
LIM: So at the age of 9, you weren’t performing as Elvis just yet?
LEH: It was always Elvis. I just couldn’t get out of the stigma of Elvis. The relationship started when I was 3. I used to take records out of my sister’s record collection; I would mimic Elvis by singing and dancing just like him. By the time I was 6 or 7 years old I started singing lessons. It was 1958. My mother used to take me out of school…we would get on the train to New York City for these lessons. Then I started guitar lessons. I’m a schooled guitar player. The Elvis thing was always in me! From the age of 9 I was the first rock-and-roll guitar player booked for club dates for weddings and bar mitzvahs; I got a call from Herb Sherry, who was one of the biggest bandleaders in Brooklyn. So when I would get called up to do one or two numbers, they would call me up by introducing me as “Elvis” and not Lee Howard. No matter how I would dress, I was always referred to as Elvis, Elvis, Elvis…
LIM: You are now 56 years old and you’ve basically spent your whole life emulating the “King of Rock ’n Roll.” You have said that you don’t consider yourself an impersonator…can you explain?
LEH: Yes. Back in 1977, when Elvis had died, a manager defined me back then as more than just an impersonator. We got up to see Sid Bernstein, who was the promoter of promoters. (Note: Halpern maintains his relationship with Bernstein, who is 90 years old, to this day.) He took me up to his office in 1978 and had me perform. No introductions or anything. No microphones. We were at the Radio City Music Hall offices…and Sid Bernstein just sat there dumbfounded. At around that time he had been managing Laura Branigan, he had actually booked Elvis Presley with Jerry Weintraub, he booked the Beatles in Shea Stadium, he booked Tony Bennett, and he booked Woodstock. The list goes on and on. Here I am in his office singing; I just blew him off the seat. He sat in his chair with his mouth wide open. Here’s the man that booked the biggest! He didn’t know what to do with me, so he sends me up to a guy named Ron Delzner, also a tremendous promoter. He sat in his chair, scratched his head, and also didn’t know what to do with such an immense talent of “an Elvis.” Elvis had just died, but I had been doing Elvis long before anybody else. The emulation of somebody means the desire to equal and surpass, out of love and devotion for the person. An impersonator is one-word mimic. You put on the sideburns, shake your leg, and you’re Elvis. Emulation means you are separating a person. When you are on stage you are doing the person the best that you can possibly do…you are doing it to perfection. It all comes out through your pores. Your whole desire is pulled together; from your toes to your head you are doing Elvis. Everything is Elvis.
LIM: Besides your looks, what else do you bring to your “performance?”
LEH: When I get on stage, people swear it’s Elvis. I have so many mannerisms. I have never studied everything about him performing. It just comes “au natural.”
LIM: Have you ever met the man to whom you’ve devoted your personal characterization?
LEH: Yes. Back in 1977, when Elvis had died, a manager defined me back then as more than just an impersonator. We got up to see Sid Bernstein, who was the promoter of promoters. (Note: Halpern maintains his relationship with Bernstein, who is 90 years old, to this day.) He took me up to his office in 1978 and had me perform. No introductions or anything. No microphones. We were at the Radio City Music Hall offices…and Sid Bernstein just sat there dumbfounded. At around that time he had been managing Laura Branigan, he had actually booked Elvis Presley with Jerry Weintraub, he booked the Beatles in Shea Stadium, he booked Tony Bennett, and he booked Woodstock. The list goes on and on. Here I am in his office singing; I just blew him off the seat. He sat in his chair with his mouth wide open. Here’s the man that booked the biggest! He didn’t know what to do with me, so he sends me up to a guy named Ron Delzner, also a tremendous promoter. He sat in his chair, scratched his head, and also didn’t know what to do with such an immense talent of “an Elvis.” Elvis had just died, but I had been doing Elvis long before anybody else. The emulation of somebody means the desire to equal and surpass, out of love and devotion for the person. An impersonator is one-word mimic. You put on the sideburns, shake your leg, and you’re Elvis. Emulation means you are separating a person. When you are on stage you are doing the person the best that you can possibly do…you are doing it to perfection. It all comes out through your pores. Your whole desire is pulled together; from your toes to your head you are doing Elvis. Everything is Elvis.
LIM: Have you ever met the man to whom you’ve devoted your personal characterization?
LEH: Now we go back. It was just before I turned 18…October 6, 1969. My parents had gotten me a trip; my dream trip to…
LIM: It’s coming… Las Vegas, right?
LEH: Right. It was actually July 26, 1969. We were at opening night at the International Hotel in Vegas; we were one of the first guests to step inside the hotel. The swimming pool wasn’t even built yet! We got shipped out to go to another hotel to go swimming. While swimming, I became personal friends with Ricky, Billy, and David Stanley, who were Elvis’ stepbrothers. My mom was playing [the] slot machines with Vernon Presley [Elvis’ dad]. Elvis was set for his opening night there. Barbra Streisand closed a day before, and Elvis opened on the 26th. We were there to see him that night. Well let me tell you, it was a star-studded event. I got autographs from Wayne Newton to Johnny Tillotson to Dick Clark to who-knows-who in the business; but I was there to see the one who made my music career, that started when I was 3 years old. I saw the show [and] it blew everything away. The lights, the action…everything was there!
LIM: Did Elvis see you in the audience?
LEH: Well, at almost 18 years old, my mission in life was to meet him. There was this other girl I became friends with while there. We snuck downstairs through the kitchen, through the elevators and went downstairs to his dressing room. Low and behold, Elvis came out of his dressing room! We met him. I equate it to Moses going up to the mountains to receive the tablets and coming down with the white beard. I came back with a whole different attitude and look. I became more and more like Elvis after that. If you look at my pictures from back then you can see what happened; you see my transformation from Lee Howard to Lee “Elvis.” Something had to have happened!
LIM: So you were touched by the King.
LEH: Exactly. When he shook my hand…
LIM: Did he care that you were stalking his dressing room?
LEH: It wasn’t even stalking! It just happened as soon as we got down there. He opened the door and shook my hand. I said, ‛Elvis, you are my inspiration. You started me in this business when I was 3 years old.’ And then, in his words, he said, “Son, if something should happen to me I could see you taking over. Taking over my dynasty…and taking over my music, and keeping my music alive!” He spoke it in his southern drawl. Elvis just saying this to me was an amazing event. And then I remember playing roulette (I wasn’t quite 18 yet) with his manager, Colonel Thomas Parker, smoking his cigar right across from me, but it didn’t stop there. I was told that Elvis would be performing at Madison Square Garden.
LIM: Where did you sit for that show?
LEH: I got my own tickets to see the show up front. I saw him at the Garden on the evening of June 10, 1972. The last show that I had seen him perform in was March 19, 1975, in Las Vegas. I got this TCB necklace that Elvis gave me. He put it on my neck at the concert at the Hilton.
LIM: Do you think he recognized you from when the two of you previously met there?
LEH: Yes, I presume so. Yes I think he did.
LIM: What does TCB stand for?
LEH: Taking Care of Business, with a lightening strike across. That was his motto. He gave this to me. (Lee Elvis was wearing the necklace at the interview.)
LIM: Did you appear on stage with him?
LEH: No, I was in the audience. I had been up front, and he leaned down and gave it to me.
LIM: Why don’t you walk us through your resume? Can you highlight some of the things that you have done as Elvis?
LEH: I had a pretty steady run when I started…at a place called the Island Squire in Quorum on Middle Island, Long Island. The owner had seen me previously at the South Shore Inn in Rockville Center, so [he] booked me for the Squire and I had a long run there, for about 9 years. This was in 1978 or 1979. But before that I was on a United States ship, around 1968, that went to France with orchestra leader, Meyer Davis – he played for all the kings and queens. It was the biggest ocean liner in the world at the time.
LIM: Did you have a manager then?
LEH: No, I never did back then. I did club dates on my own. I did Holiday Inns and Ramada Inns all over the country at that young age.
LIM: How much did you make doing this, if you don’t mind answering?
LEH: At that time it was like $500 a week, with room and board. Back then, it was a lot of money! The ship was an experience alone. Mohammed Ali’s manager, Angelo Dundee, was on the ship going to England to be with Ali, who was going to be fighting Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship of the world. My parents had to come with me, because I was underage at the time. It was an amazing experience going back and forth performing. I had the experience of touring in Malaysia and Singapore…back in 1987 and 1988. I was in Jakarta and other cities in Malaysia. I did major corporate events all over the country.
LIM: What is the biggest thing that you have ever done?
LEH: Well, let’s back up a bit. I had won the East Coast Major, which I never wanted to do. It was for the best look-a-likes in 1985 and was featured in the Daily News…”Ron Smith’s Celebrity Look-A-Likes” on the east coast. I don’t cherish it, because I never did anything with impersonators. But the biggest experience so far to date was definitely my first tour to Malaysia. The reaction of the people coming off the plane…it was like being a major rock star. Hundreds of people were at the airport with signs. The newspaper articles were all front-page stories. Michael Jackson had little articles and I was front-page news!
LIM: What have you been doing from the 1980s until now?
LEH: It’s been a lot of corporate work, for major corporations doing shows that I get called out for…trade shows as Elvis. I am trying to get a China tour set to hit about 12 cities there, featuring my 12-piece band. We have been busy getting the funding together for it to get it going. It’s been in the works for the past two years.
LIM: What has been your fascination with Elvis and why do you think his legacy continues to live on?
LEH: Well, it’s amazing. I own an ice cream truck that I work on for major events as Elvis. People buying ice cream all want to get on the truck and take pictures and videos with me. I hear comments like, “Elvis in not dead.” They believe it for sure that he never died. They say, “He’s been working on an ice cream truck since 1977!” The thing is, when you see little children like 5 years old, 4 years old, 3 years old, and hear them say, “Daddy, there’s Elvis!”…that makes my heart melt. Elvis has been dead for 30 years and they look at me and they think he’s not dead; they believe it in their hearts.
LIM: But what’s your fascination with it?
LEH: Elvis is just like the stock market. It has its ups and downs; but by me walking around and meeting people, there is so much interest… I don’t see the fascination ever stopping, but the market of Elvis is like a wine – it can only get better as the years go on. There will always be a market for it.
LIM: Have you ever been to Graceland?
LEH: Oh, absolutely! Several times.
LIM: What is your favorite Elvis era?
LEH: I liked the comeback era in ’68. The beginning of Las Vegas was [also] great.
LIM: What is your favorite song that Elvis sang, and what is your favorite Elvis song to sing?
LEH: I have several songs I like that Elvis had sung – “Suppose,” “Sylvia.” I love to sing “If I Can Dream,” “Memories.” I love singing a song called “Indescribably Blue” and “The Impossible Dream” I love his meaningful songs. A lot of what he sang had meaning in his life; that gets to me. I bring people down when I sing “Bridge Over Troubled Waters.” My daughter and I perform “Daddy Don’t You Cry.” We do that together.
LIM: Your daughter performs with you?
LEH: My daughter looks like Lisa Marie, so sometimes we do that song together.
LIM: There must be something in the genes!
LEH: Must be. Who the heck knows? My wife doesn’t look like Priscilla! (laughs)
LIM: Elvis had a strong back-up band. Tell us about yours.
LEH: I have a group called Bill Turner and Blue Smoke; it’s a 12-piece band. We basically go on without rehearsal. I bring professionalism to the stage, as do they. They’ve been with me a long time.
LIM: Around town you are always dressing the part. Where do you get your costumes?
LEH: It doesn’t matter really what I wear, people still see me as Elvis. I do what I have to do though, when I’m performing. I just feel and come across as Elvis. My wife and I make my elaborate costumes.
LIM: You are basically Elvis 24/7. Does the attention ever get to you?
LEH: No, because it’s all in good fun. People all love it. The people in Marlboro say to me, “Why don’t you run for mayor? You know everyone!” But I love the fact that when I do perform I do it well. When I go on stage it’s Elvis. It’s like turning on a switch. From the mannerisms to the way I act, talk, carry myself…it’s Elvis. That’s why it’s emulation. I loved him very much.
LIM: You mentioned you are married and have a daughter.
LEH: Yes. And I have a 17-year-old son as well.
LIM: Are your kids embarrassed that their dad is running around as Elvis, or do they support you?
LEH: No. They love the fact because their friends say how cool it is to have an Elvis for a father. Friends of theirs have written essays and stories about me in their classes. They use me in other things in school. It’s kind of flattering.
LIM: Do you ever take a break and shave off the sideburns, get a haircut, and put away the jewelry?
LEH: I swear I have tried it. I gave it a shot. I shaved the sideburns, cut my hair short…I did this when I was in Brooklyn. And everyone was still calling me Elvis, and I said, ‛How can this be?’
LIM: Do you ever wake up and say “I don’t feel like being Elvis anymore?”
LEH: No…there is some aura that comes out of my pores. It’s there ‘til the day I die, I guess.
LIM: What sort of philanthropic things are you involved with?
LEH: I did a lot of stuff for hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy. My wife works for a cerebral palsy organization in Maplewood. I was involved in performing for the Cancer Cares program at Centra State Medical Center in Freehold. I did something for an animal rescue league called Rescue Ridge. I do a lot of things for Senior Citizens.
LIM: You must have some Elvis memorabilia. Describe some of the items that you have.
LEH: Oh yes. I have albums. I have a 1969 gold-plated album that is on my wall; I have 45’s framed; I have ceramic plates. I never went “crazy-crazy” as a collector.
LIM: You were born and raised in Brooklyn. How and why did you make your way to Marlboro?
LEH: In 1995 we moved here. Coming to Marlboro is like being in Brooklyn! We found the right home, the schools are great, we have a good mayor in office now – Mayor Hornik. We like it here.
LIM: Do you receive support from the community in what you do?
LEH: Yes. They have an Elvis in town and they find it amusing. They love the fact that they have a celebrity in Marlboro. People think I’m a celebrity.
LIM: If someone were to ask you if Elvis is dead or alive, how would you answer that question?
LEH: I would say, Elvis’ music, his spirit, his whole life of music is alive. But I would say his physical body, his whole person, has been laid to rest. But his music and vision of what he wanted to leave behind is alive. Everything that he worked for in life…his sweetness and sincerity of his music is very much alive.
Stats:
Favorite restaurant:
Jesse & David’s
Favorite movie:
Batman — The Black Knight
Favorite music:
Abba, Elvis, Andrea Bocelli
Pet peeve:
people who honk their horns for no reason
Three people you’d like to have dinner with:
Carrie Underwood, my wife Janet, and Elvis (if he were alive)
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