Local tribute artist Thane Dunn to perform at the Moncton Wesleyan centre Jan 31

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BY ALAN COCHRANE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

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Forty years after a landmark TV special that shifted Elvis Presley's career back into high gear, Moncton tribute artist Thane Dunn hopes to recapture that magical moment with a January show that will benefit local Boys and Girls Clubs.

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Thane Dunn will perform an Elvis tribute show at the Wesleyan Celebration Centre Jan. 31, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Boys and Girls Club.

"The 1968 Christmas special was a real turning point for Elvis. It brought his career back to where it should have been," Dunn said yesterday. "It really had an impact on him. It brought back his confidence and led him to want to perform in front of people again."

Dunn, a native of Moncton, has spent many years perfecting the art of walking, talking and singing like Elvis Presley. He says the hard work has paid off to the point where he has made a name for himself. Dunn has performed all over Canada and the United States and won several awards.

The Elvis Birthday Celebration show announced yesterday will be his only Moncton appearance for 2009. The show will be staged on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. at the new Wesleyan Celebration Centre on St. George Boulevard. Tickets will go on sale later this month for $37. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Boys and Girls Clubs in Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe.

"Elvis was known for his generosity to his fellow man," Dunn said in a news release to announce the January performance. "Besides being known for giving away cars and jewelry, he supported numerous charities and especially those which benefited children."

Besides proceeds from the show, Dunn has arranged for paper guitars to be distributed to several stores in Metro Moncton. People will be able to purchase them in exchange for a donation to the Boys and Girls clubs.

"Children are our future and The Boys and Girls Club give children a chance to thrive, provide a safe haven to keep kids off the streets and out of trouble."

The show focuses on Elvis's triumphant 1968 Comeback Special, in which Dunn will be wearing an exact replica of the now famous black leather suit made by Elvis's original tailors.

The "68 Comeback Special" is considered one of the landmark performances in Presley's career. Born in 1935, Elvis Presley rocketed to stardom in the mid-1950s with songs like Heartbreak Hotel and Blue Suede Shoes. But his blossoming career was cut short when he was inducted into the U.S. Army. He spent much of the 1960s making movies and trying to keep up with a brutal schedule that many say contributed to his downfall. The year 1968 was a big one for Presley. His daughter, Lisa Marie, was born on Feb. 1. In June of that year, he took his band into a TV studio and put on an informal jam for a live audience. The TV special aired on NBC in December and was a huge success. It paved the way for Elvis' return to live performances in Las Vegas and around the U.S. in the early 1970s. These shows were Presley's last shot at greatness. Within a few years, he would fall into a pit of depression and drug abuse following his divorce from Priscilla. He died in August of 1977.

Dunn says the show will pay tribute to Presley at the height of his power and showmanship.

"It's like two shows in one, the 1968 comeback and the early Vegas years."

Besides the classic Presley songs with his eight-piece band the Cadillac Kings, Dunn will also perform songs by other people that Elvis performed, like Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline. Opening act for the show will be a Roy Orbison tribute artist from New Brunswick.

During the Moncton show, Dunn will give away a copy of the guitar Elvis used in 1970, which includes a custom-made pick guard and is personally signed by Presley's original drummer, D.J. Fontana. Also during the show, a trip for two to Graceland from Fairway Tours in Riverview will be drawn. Dunn will be travelling with the winner and will perform at the White Horse Saloon in Nashville. He is also scheduled to record some songs at a studio there.

The Elvis Birthday Celebration show will be staged at the Moncton Wesleyan Celebration Centre on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $37 and will go on sale at Frank's Music, 245 Carson Drive Moncton; Ayer Avenue convenience, 325 Killam Drive; Maggie's Flowers, 620 Coverdale Road Riverview. They are also available online at www.ticketewindow.ca., or by calling 1-877-700-3130.