Kirk Wall was the only Elvis impersonator for the first years of the annual Elvis Festival, the only event of its kind in California held near the anniversary of Presley’s death, which started as a car show at the Orange County Market Place in Costa Mesa and relocated four years ago to Historic Main Street in Garden Grove.
Now in its 20th year the 62-year-old Anaheim resident is among more than 20 entertainers performing in honor of the king of rock and roll at the festival which returns Sunday, August 25 and runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wall serves as the official festival host and in addition to greeting attendees and posing for photos throughout the day, he will kick off the stage shows at 10:30 a.m. with an Elvis medley of songs which includes dance numbers with the Halau Hula Lani Ola Dancers in a “Blue Hawaii” tribute.
He brings his fiddle-playing prowess to the stage at 3:10 p.m. with his band Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies which will perform bluegrass versions of Elvis songs. The band, which has a standing gig at Knott’s Berry Farm, will also perform a Beatles tribute that involves Elvis tribute artist Martin Anthony.
Earlier in the day Wall will serve as the efficient for the wedding of Elvis fans Sylvia Ronquillo, 67, and Jesse Nava, 68, of Yorba Linda.
Wall is a jack-of-many-personas. A singer from his earliest years, he attended college on an opera scholarship, has appeared in scores of professional musical theater productions, has led bands ranging from rockabilly to swing ensembles, and has created several colorful alter-egos blending his years of experience as a comic-tinged singer and actor.
But he’s been doing Elvis longer than anything: nearly 40 years.
“I never thought I’d be doing this as long as I have,” said Wall, who moved to Southern California from New Mexico in the late ‘70s. “I moved to California to pursue acting and be in a band. Becoming an Elvis impersonator was the last thing on my mind. And now I’m older than Elvis was when he died. But my phone keeps ringing, and I’m still having fun, so I’m going to keep at it awhile.”
“I’ve never been able to do anything without trying to make it a little funny,” he said. “Even when I was singing in church choir, it was hard to do it without a little smirk on my face. So, when I came up with the idea of doing an Elvis thing, I couldn’t help but make it a little bit comedic.”
Over the years, that developed into Wall’s incarnation as an Elvis tribute artist who loves and admires the king but doesn’t mind having an enjoyable time. Think of him as the jester in the court of tribute artists to the king.
“Every Elvis impersonator has his own niche,” said Wall. “There are young Elvises, movie Elvises, leather-jacket Elvises, Las Vegas Elvises and every possible combination but from my very beginning of doing Elvis, I’ve tried to make it a funnier Elvis, with a lot of ad-libbing and playing with the crowd. Over the years, I think I’ve become more of a tribute to Elvis impersonators than a traditional Elvis impersonator myself. But I don’t ever want anyone to think that I’m actually making fun of Elvis. Because I’m not. I might be making fun of myself, but I have nothing but respect for the king. He’s the one who made me. Well, I have a little joke i like to tell in every performance: In 1970, there were only three Elvis impersonators. By 1980 there were six. There are now at least 85,000 Elvis impersonators around the world. At this rate of growth, experts predict that by 2040, Elvis impersonators will make up a third of the world population which means one out of three people on the face of the planet will be an Elvis impersonator.”
In addition to Wall and the other lineup of Elvis singers, the festival includes the King of Cadillacs Car Show, the Hound Dog Motorcycle Ride, Elvis fan clubs, strolling entertainment, memorabilia and collectibles, food trucks serving special Elvis-themed items and the restaurants and merchants on Main Street.
Admission and parking are free.
The festival on historic Main Street is located between Garden Grove Boulevard and Acacia Parkway in Garden Grove. Use the address of 12911 Main St., Garden Grove, on GPS or other map/directions locators. Parking is available at adjacent lots of Concorde and Coastline College.
More information and the complete schedule are available on Facebook by locating the 20th Annual Elvis Festival page, or by sending an email to elvisfestival@yahoo.com or calling 714-267-4657.
