There is a new kid on the Elvis tribute artist block, and he made quite the impression at this year’s Elvis Festival.
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So much so, headline act Donny Edwards has invited him and his family to Las Vegas later in the year.
His name is Elijah Mannah and he is just seven years old.
Elijah, his three older siblings Melissa 16, Matthew 13 and Jacob 12, and their parents Simon and Evelyn Mannah live in Sydney.
His parents say Elijah is not your average seven year old boy.
“I would describe him as a young boy with an old soul,” Simon said.
“Elijah has an incredible love and passion for music, especially Elvis Presley, which is very rare for his age as is in no way influenced by us.”
Elijah’s family say he constantly sings and performs Elvis songs and knows more than 50.
He is totally self taught by watching hours of old Elvis films and YouTube footage.
For the last couple of years, Elijah has asked his parents to take him to Parkes for the Elvis Festival.
Simon said he has also desperately wanted to see an Elvis show.
“Last October I rang Elvis tribute artist Paul Fenech to tell him about Elijah and organise for him to experience an Elvis show,” Simon said.
“Paul was very accommodating and arranged an evening in November for the family to go to a show at his Elvis Pizza cabaret restaurant at Rushcutters Bay.”
It was a memorable night for the Mannah family and everyone else at the restaurant as they experienced something truly special.
Paul invited Elijah to perform with him on stage and the crowd went crazy as this seven year old boy, living his dream, gave a performance that was unforgettable for everyone present.
Paul Fenech was very impressed by the tiny ‘King’ and they made an immediate connection.
“As parents, seeing the joy and delight that Elijah and everyone present experienced, we knew we had to take our son to Parkes for the Elvis Festival,” Simon said.
In December in the lead up to Parkes, Paul asked Elijah to perform with John Elvis Collins and himself on the morning show.
They also did a photoshoot and article with The Daily Telegraph.
Finding accommodation in Parkes for the Elvis Festival was definitely challenging, but the Mannahs were able to secure a room in a hotel due to a last minute cancellation.
They also secured tickets for all the Donny Edwards shows Elijah wanted to experience.
Simon said that’s where fate stepped in.
“The hotel we stayed in was the same one the main feature act Donny Edwards from America was staying in,” Simon said.
Elijah spotted Donny Edwards and recognised him immediately.
He walked up to him with his guitar, said hello and began singing a tune for him.
“Donny was taken back by this little boy who had the confidence to walk up to him and sing a song,” Simon said.
“He was very impressed and they immediately bonded.”
From the moment the family arrived in Parkes, Elijah was determined to have fun and leave his mark.
He grabbed his guitar and they all headed for Cooke Park.
“He began performing and caught the attention of many people,” Simon said.
“Elijah continued his adventure through the park singing and performing and attracting a lot of enthusiastic interest from the crowd.”
In the evening they attended Donny Edwards’ concert.
“Donny called Elijah up on stage to perform with him, and the crowd went wild,” Simon said.
The following day in Cooke Park Elijah was interviewed by Prime 7.
On the Friday evening Elijah performed a duet of That's Alright Mama with Donny.
“The crowd erupted as this seven year old was strutting his stuff with one of the world's best tribute artist, interacting with the audience and having a ball,” Simon said.
Donny asked Elijah to join him and the 2016 Miss Priscilla, Helen Rowbotham, in the Street Parade in front of 14,000 onlookers, and he had a magical time.
“Elijah was also really thrilled to meet Elvis Comeback Special producer Steve Binder,” Simon said.
“So many other people wanted a photo with Elijah and he was embraced wholeheartedly by the community.”
At Donny’s Saturday night concert, for the third night in a row, Elijah was called up on stage to perform.
This time they sang Suspicious Minds and the crowd absolutely loved it once again.
By this time Elijah was attracting a lot of attention from people who wanted to talk to him and take photos with him.
“Everyone embraced Elijah,” Simon said.
“People were wonderful to him and he loved every minute of it as he was living his dream.”
The final night of the festival topped off a remarkable experience for Elijah and his family.
Paul Fenech called Elijah on stage on two different occasions to perform with him.
The night ended in a standing ovation, people screaming and cheering in excitement for what they had just witnessed.
Elijah had arrived in Parkes five days earlier virtually unknown, but this remarkable boy with an incredible talent, full of love and passion for Elvis Presley, certainly left his mark.
As a result of the incredible audience reaction, Paul Fenech has asked Elijah to make special appearances in the Elvis and Priscilla show touring Australia and New Zealand.
It includes American tribute artist Bill Cherry and Kay Shannon on March 18 at Panthers Leagues Club and March 19 at Bankstown Sports Club.
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