Born to be king: CNY’s top Elvis impersonator shares career wisdom

Michael Paul Callahan, 63, from Oswego, New York, craves the spotlight. Equipped with over fifty-thousand dollars of Elvis inspired costumes, Callahan spends most of his time traveling the northeast as an Elvis tribute artist.

He does anything from acting, gospel singing, and modeling, to hosting charity dinners and fundraisers; Callahan prides himself on making every Elvis experience memorable.

“I spent my whole life listening to [Elvis] music in the shower, and now I’m getting paid to do it,” Callahan says. But just like other jobs in show business, being an Elvis impersonator is not a one-man operation —  his shows are a success with help from his wife Connie, his son Aaron, and his grandson Seamus.

On top of performing most of Elvis’s top hits, he makes it one of his goals to sing some of his lesser-known songs, such as “Raised on Rock” and “T-r-o-u-b-l-e”.  It’s all about being able to make people happy by performing as Elvis, a personal hero to many.