Miles brings Elvis tribute to Strand for final farewell

Eddie Miles will size up his sideburns one final time in tribute to the late King of Rock ’n’ Roll.

The longtime singer of “A Salute to Elvis and Country Legends” will hang up his jumpsuits after his retirement concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, at the Alabama Theatre in North Myrtle Beach.

The Kentucky-based 60-year-old has long considered the Grand Strand like a second home, so the timing for this farewell fit perfectly, also with taking into account health considerations and counsel from cardiologists. Miles thanked Myrtle Beach and all the fans who have “kept me working,” especially after his recoveries from two back surgeries and a heart operation – “when I didn’t think I would do any more shows.”

Question | How did North Myrtle Beach and the Alabama Theatre earn the nod for this final farewell concert?

Answer | That’s the main reason it just worked out. ... They had called me from the Alabama Theatre to ask if I was interested in that particular date in January. I already had some contracts to do some shows in Indiana around the first of January, so I took that date in North Myrtle Beach and announced that will be my last show. ... If I had to pick a place, that would be the most appropriate, because I have been pretty much a steady figure there at the Alabama Theatre for the past 15 years or so. ... It’s a long trip, but I have been doing it 7-8 times a year. The theater is a beautiful facility, world renowned, and I’ve just been treated so well by all the people there... and this just seemed kind of like a perfect spot.

Q. | What’s the most cherished memory from your tenure in the 1990s owning the Eddie Miles Theatre in North Myrtle Beach? Did it cement the Grand Strand as like a second home?

A. | I’ve always felt at home there. When I had my theater, J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, who once sang backup for Elvis, did a bunch of shows with me. I just remember a lot of sold-out performances there, and I had a great band of musicians and great singers there. ... Then, I went to the Alabama Theatre and asked about trying my Elvis show there, and I kept going back all these years.

Q. | It’s no secret that Gene Simmons of KISS keeps the black dye handy for his hair. How much of the dark tint have you kept flowing every year?

A. | Of course, I always had to dye it, but my hair was dark brown and almost black as a kid. ... I touch it up when it’s time to do a show. Everybody’s asking, “What are you going to do when stop doing the Elvis shows?” I will probably just let it go natural. When you reach age 60, your hair should be silver; when you get to a certain age, dyeing your hair starts to be looking ridiculous. Now, Ronald Reagan looked good; he pulled it off somehow.

Q. | Will the perfectly trimmed sideburns remain on your facial profile?

A. | I don’t think so; I always just did it for the Elvis shows. Sideburns have come in and out of style through the years. It has looked good since I was a teenager. I first did it when I was a kid, because it was in style in the 1970s. ... There are more guys doing Elvis tributes than ever. A lot of them do them with wigs, and glued-on sideburns; I never wanted to fool with that part. So, sure: The sideburns will come off. I cut them off for a year or so in the mid-1990s, when I had back surgery and had to lie low for a year. Well, I cut them short, not all of them.

Q. | Ever see Elvis perform live?

A. | I was just out of high school at the time, in 1973. ... He was coming to Louisville, and I can still remember it. ... I scraped up money for tickets,and I wanted tickets up close. Back then, the highest priced ticket you could buy was $10, along with $7.50 or $5 levels. I saved enough for the $10 ticket. He was still good looking then; he didn’t put on the weight till his last couple of years, in 1976. ...

He came back in 1977 – he died that year at age 42 – but somehow, I was in the midst of a job that was taking me out of town. So, I ended up not getting tickets, then I later started doing Elvis tributes for a career. I met a lot of people who worked with Elvis, such as J.D. Sumner, Charlie Hodge, Scotty Moore, and D. J. Fontana, the drummer who was there when Elvis came on the scene. It’s been a pretty good ride.

Q. | What former Elvis musicians’ words/compliments have meant the most to you from your tribute shows through the years?

A. | J.D. Sumner, doing shows with us at my theater in North Myrtle Beach, he broke down in tears; he said, “I feel like I’ve gone 25 years back in my life.” That was a wonderful comment.

Q. | What's your favorite song by Elvis that you’ve never done live yourself?

A. | “Mystery of the Rosary” ... It’s odd that Elvis, with his gospel background, did this song, because it’s a Catholic song; it’s about the Holy Rosary. ... Anybody would be impressed with his vocal rendition, and it probably appeals to Catholics more than anyone else, because of the reference to Mother Mary.

Q. | Since 1989, when you began your tributes to Elvis in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., how have your renditions – and how have others’ portrayals of Presley’s songs – changed with age, or have they endured without much tweaking?

A. | They’re pretty much the same. The whole deal with my shows was to present the music as close to the way as Elvis did. Dwight Yoakam did a rendition of “Suspicious Minds” that was kind of successful. There really haven’t been many changes, because Elvis’ recordings and music is what we go by. ... When you’re doing the Elvis material and trying to sound like him, audiences expect the hair, the scarves, and the jumpsuit. .. Elvis’ music always raised goosebumps on me, and if you can goosebumps raised on crowds, then you’re on the right track.

This story was originally published January 17, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Miles brings Elvis tribute to Strand for final farewell."