Gino Mercuri as Elvis. PHOTO BY DAVE MCKEOWN
Originally published in the Pottsville Republican-Herald on June 24, 2021
SUMMIT STATION - Is Gino Mercuri lonesome tonight? No, but he is feeling sick. When we talk on the phone, his memory strays to a brighter summer day, a scorching Sunday at the Schuylkill County Fairgrounds. It was 17-year-old Mercuri’s latest gig as an Elvis Tribute Artist (ETA), not to be confused with an Elvis impersonator. “If you talk to an Elvis Tribute Artist they’ll say that they’re doing a tribute to Elvis,” Mercuri said. “If you talk to an Elvis impersonator, they’ll tell you they are Elvis.”
When he’s not studying at Abington Heights High School, where he will begin his senior year this fall, Gino is channeling the King to nostalgic audiences. Grace Karrer, who is in charge of entertainment at the Fairgrounds, counts herself as a fan.
“There are some Elvises I like and some Elvises I don’t like,” Karrer said, wearing a shirt from Graceland that her daughter Jessica gave her for Mother’s Day.
“He’s great. He sounds just like Elvis if you close your eyes. My house is full of Elvis. I have velvet paintings, ceramic busts. When I die, I want Elvis at my funeral.”
“Could you imagine going to school with a kid who looks like Elvis?” Jessica said. “That would be awesome!”
“He’s a good kid,” Grace adds.
Growing up in Clarks Summit, Mercuri would visit his grandfather Joe Doherty every day after school. Doherty, himself a musician, taught Mercuri about the music of the 1950s and 60s.
“He’s just my favorite artist,” Gino said about Elvis, “the power in his voice and his personality, his charisma. He brought in a new musical era.”
After years of listening to Elvis’ music, Mercuri learned that his voice sounded a lot like the King’s.
“When Gino is on stage, he feels the music,” said Tracy Mercuri, his self-described “momager” and “biggest fan.” “He doesn’t choreograph or force it, it comes naturally to him.”
Tracy is responsible for her son’s finances, travel arrangements and costumes. The jumpsuits come from B & K Enterprises, the world’s premiere Elvis jumpsuit manufacturer. He gets custom shirts from another Elvis costume company based in Thailand. A hairdresser in Clarks Summit gives Gino the ‘70s Elvis look.
In the trunk of her Subaru Outback, Tracy carries sound equipment, backing tracks and copies of Gino’s CD of Elvis covers (which she designed). Signed copies were available at the Fairgrounds for $20.
“This is his high school job,” Tracy says. “Some kids work at McDonald’s. Gino sings Elvis.”
It’s an expensive job and the whole family is involved. On the Fairgrounds stage, Mercuri goes over the setlist with his girlfriend Gabriella Gabrielov. Doherty adjusts the height of the speakers.
“Should I call Dad?” Mercuri asks when he runs into trouble with the speaker plugs.
At the age of 13, Mercuri became a professional ETA, with people wanting him to perform at local events and private parties. His first gig was at the Bedford Tower Apartments senior living facility. From there, his voice took him to Memphis and to Tupelo, Miss., Elvis’ birthplace, where he came in first in a youth ETA contest. In Saratoga Springs, N.Y., he came in third place in another Elvis impersonation contest. He performed in the “Pro” division, with people who had paid tribute to Elvis for decades.
“It was fantastic,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d even make it to the final round, it’s a really great surprise. Every time we go down to Memphis or Tupelo there’s a great camaraderie between the guys.”
From his fellow ETAs he has learned new vocal techniques and ways to interact with the audience, but “if you want to really improve, you should see the real Elvis.”
Later this year, Gino will be back in Tupelo performing at ElvisFest, and will make an appearance at the Graceland Soundstage in Memphis. He wants to attend Bloomsburg University majoring in marketing and business management, then go to law school.
“Unless it works out really well,” he says, “I can’t imagine doing this forever.”
When it’s finally time for sound check, Gino steps up to the microphone. The 17-year-old in basketball shorts and camouflage cowboy boots, his thick black hair covering his eyes (“People ask him all the time if it’s his real hair,” Tracy says. “They think he’s wearing a wig.”), starts to sing. And the voice of Elvis comes out.