Photo By Spc. Justin Snyder | Sgt. Pablo Rey, water treatment specialist with the 431st Quartermaster Detachment,...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Sweat dripping from his brow from the hot, Fayetteville sun, Sgt. Pablo Rey, a water treatment specialist with the 431st Quartermaster Detachment, is humming a familiar tune. After a few bars of notes, he breaks into song.
“I’ll have a blue Christmas, without you,” crooned Rey, a native of Orlando, Fla. “I’ll be so blue thinking about you.”
With the opening lines to one of Elvis Presley’s most famous hits, the Soldiers around him glance and smile. For a few minutes, they forget about the sun and listen to his rendition of the Christmas classic.
“I know it’s kind of ironic singing this song in the dead of summer,” said Rey, curling his lip similar to that made famous by the King of Rock N’ Roll. “But any Elvis song is worth singing and I just love his music.”
For the next 14 days, Rey is a Soldier supporting the 2014 Quartermaster Liquid Logistics Exercise (QLLEX), operationally controlled by the 633rd Quartermaster Battalion here, at Fort Bragg, N.C.
However, when he returns home to Florida he transforms from Soldier to Elvis. In his spare time, he doubles as an Elvis Presley tribute artist performing at concerts, birthdays, weddings, parties and even funerals.
“There are people out there who have put in their will that they wanted an Elvis to sing Amazing Grace or other tunes at their burial,” said Rey. “It’s truly an honor to make those wishes come true and to be ‘The King’ for a little bit.”
At first glance, one might say that being an Elvis impersonator is a strange match for Rey. Coming from Cuban, Thai and Chinese decent and being born 12 years after Elvis died, he doesn’t exactly fit the mold of your typical Presley fan.
However, after closer examination you can start to see the resemblance. His jet back hair blows in the wind and his facial expressions at time resemble that of the Rock N’ Roll legend. Mid conversation he begins speaking like the King, and after a few bars of one of his many hit songs, you’re whisked away to a time long ago surrounded by screaming girls in a Las Vegas showroom.
“At first it was just a fun thing to do,” said Rey. “But after a while, I started to take it very seriously. It’s hard for me not to be Elvis all the time.”
His love for Elvis actually started when he was only three years old. Often found dragging a guitar around and with a jittery leg found in most young children, his family would refer to him as Elvis.
As he grew older and learned more about Elvis and his music, he began to mimic his facial expressions and voice. He even found his favorite food, a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich, was the same as Presley. Because he looked older, he was able to sneak into a karaoke bar at the age of 12 and first tested out his voice in front of a crowd.
“The voice came very natural to me,” said Rey. “When I got on that stage I went from Pablo to Elvis, and it was a feeling I loved.”
He continued to practice and attend the karaoke bar weekly. Soon the regulars knew him as Elvis Rey, and his reputation began to spread.
“I’d go places and people would approach me asking for Elvis tunes or ask me to talk like him,” he said. “I was always very honored to live in his shoes for a few hours a night.”
He began entering competitions and found a lot of success in his new Elvis persona, leading to paying requests for his services. For a realness factor, he added makeup, a wig and rhinestone jumpsuits to his act. Then in 2006, he decided to join the United States Marine Corps as a water purification specialist.
Once in the Marines, he used his special skills to raise morale of the young enlistees in basic training.
“I’ve performed for thousands of people and done more concerts/events than I can count,” said Rey. “But being able to sing for the guys in basic training and having them tell me it reminded them of home and was keeping them going at night, that is truly one of the best experiences of my life as Elvis.”
He began traveling the country in association with the Marine Corps Community Services as a Marine Corp Elvis, singing for the deployed and locals as a morale booster. The largest of his concerts was singing to a combined 168,000 servicemembers and locals while in Japan as part of Friendship Day at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakumi.
“It was such a cool honor to sing for that many people,” Rey said. Elvis still has quite the following overseas so they seemed to enjoy it a lot,” said Rey of his experiences overseas. “I’m just a regular guy living a crazy dream as Elvis, and I have been blessed.”
After his service to the Marines concluded in 2010, he was offered a chance to perform professionally as Elvis in Las Vegas as part of the Legends in Concert show. However, Rey turned down the chance to perform in Las Vegas to join the Army.
“I love being Elvis and I love performing for people and making them smile,” said Rey. “But in the end, my love for the military outweighed my love for the money and the fame.”
Familiar with the parallels of his decision to join the Army over performing and that Elvis himself walked away from the fame and fortune in 1958 as part of a mandatory two-year service to the Army via the draft, Rey said his decision had nothing to do with his character and hero. However, he does look up to Presley for his decision.
“Since the first moment Elvis made it big, he was in the spotlight and could never really be a normal person ever again,” explained Rey. “For him to serve his country and risk his career as a singer to do it, I think that says a lot about the person he was and his greatness.”
While he admits that the money he could have gained from taking the offer sometimes haunts him, he’s very happy with his life as an Army Reserve Soldier and part time Elvis tribute artist.
Before Elvis passed away in 1977, he was said to have told his manager and friends that imitation was the greatest source of flattery and that he liked the impersonators as long as they were doing it out of appreciation for his work and not as a joke.
For Rey, his passion for Elvis’ music is what drives him to continue as a tribute artist. He also appreciates the fact that with his gift he is raising morale amongst his troops today.
“If it was not for Elvis, we would not have the music or the bands we have today,” said Rey. “I think it’s very important for kids to understand fully what Elvis meant to music and the world as a whole.
“I’m honored to carry the torch and bring Elvis’ legacy to a whole new generation,” he said. “This is what I was put on earth to do and if I can bring a few smiles to people faces along the way, I know I’m doing something right.”
| Date Taken: | 06.10.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.10.2014 15:32 |
| Story ID: | 132702 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | ORLANDO, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 491 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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