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Danna Interviews Tony Roi

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March 30, 2006

This is the first interview of what I hope will be many. I must say that I chose one of my favorite Branson show entertainers to conduct this. The first time I saw Tony Roi was at the presentation for Best Performer of the 2005 Branson Critic Awards. I was told that he was ill - although I guess I couldn’t tell - he sounded wonderful. Upon seeing his show this year, I must say I was amazed. It was then that I realized his voice wasn’t at his peak at the awards.

When I was a young girl in the early seventies, I had the privilege of seeing Elvis in concert. It was an impressionable time in my life, but the entire Astrodome of Houston, Texas was equally impressed. I shared with Tony how Elvis came out and the whole Astrodome lit up, literally. I realized it was from the flashbulbs of thousands of cameras.

I’ll never forget how Elvis entered the arena in his trademark Cadillac convertible. I clearly remember him pulling away from the rails about 10 feet because the ladies were pulling at his clothes. I stared in eager anticipation awaiting him to drive by me wishing I, too, could reach out and touch him. I’ll never forget the voice, the costumes and the performance; it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Now as I sit beside Tony Roi, I couldn’t help but feel butterflies in my stomach after just having heard his exceptional performance. I understand why his fan base is so large. So ladies, eat your hearts out!

Here’s the interview with Tony Roi:

Danna: I’d like to start with a little bit about your background. Where you were raised?

Tony: I was raised in Florida; I was born in Havana Cuba. My parents fled that Communist country when I was 3 ½ years old. I lived in Florida ‘til I was 10. Then I moved to New Jersey. I finished school in Northern Jersey…then we moved to Georgia. I lived in Georgia for 4 or 5 years…Stone Mountain.

Danna: Oh, you may be familiar with where I moved from in North Carolina (and where Doug and Lori live now). Cashiers and Highlands near Whitewater Falls.

Tony: Yeah, I know exactly where that is. Small world. Yeah…I had the best time there. In ’81 or ’82 we put a show together and I was involved with a production company. Took us to the southern states, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky. I performed as Tony Roi with a large orchestra doing Ronnie Milsap, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, Barry White and a little bit of Elvis towards the end. People grew to expect the Elvis songs because of the resemblance.

Danna: When did people start making the comparison with you and Elvis?

Tony: It started when I opened my mouth to sing. It was mind-blowing. I couldn’t understand why I had this voice that sounded so much like Elvis. Initially I resisted being an impersonator or a tribute artist because of the typecasting and you limit yourself; because some people may not respect you for being who you are. At some point in time, I looked around and saw that individuals were making a really good living imitating Elvis.

Danna: Did you ever go to the show and say to yourself, “Man, I’m WAY better than that?”

Tony: “Yeah! For me it was natural to just go into that zone. In 1985 I started playing in Miami Beach and there were several nightclubs called “Pickles”. It just so happened Legends in Concert were performing and they were performing at the Marco Polo Hotel. And the cast and the producer wanted to go out and see the town. They strolled into my show. The producer said, “Man, you can do a great Elvis. Would you like to join Legends and do Elvis?” I resisted for the same reasons. I didn’t want to be typecast. His response was, “Well, it’s a totally different venue. It was a different show with lasers… multimedia…really first class.” He encouraged me to do this because it would really open up doors down the road. So that’s what I did. I took his advice. It was about at the same time that I won the Star Search contest held in Ft. Lauderdale. They gave me a check and contract and I had a decision to make: To go with Star Search or take a 5-year contract in Las Vegas with Legends performing as Elvis. So I took Las Vegas.

Danna: So you performed for how long in Las Vegas?

Tony: I was in Las Vegas for 4 years. From there we did a city tour that took us from Maine, Austin, New York…even Broadway. I appeared on David Letterman three times. I got to do Regis and Kathie Lee.

Danna: Are you going to get a chance to see him (Regis Philbin) on April 7th? I’ll be at the dedication of the Titanic Museum on April 7th and I’m actually doing an interview with him as well.

Tony: Yeah, I’m going to try to see him. Oh, I forgot to mention I was also a guest star on All My Children. In my part I was fulfilling an actress’ fantasy to have Elvis Presley open her nightclub. In 1990 I moved to Hawaii.

Danna: I bet you fit in well there. Several of his movies were filmed there. I’m sure you had a large fan base in Hawaii.

Tony: I was truly well respected there (Hawaii). I opened shows at the military bases along with Kool and the Gang. It was Tony Roi and Friends: A Special Tribute to Elvis. I came out as myself first…did all of my own originals and in the second half did the tribute to Elvis. In 1992 I was shopping for a label for my originals and Jack White, who was in LA, discovered me. He gave me a 7-year contract. It was then he flew me down to Germany where we recorded an album and released seven singles on that album.

Danna: It’s my understanding that your album that was released in Germany went Gold; is that correct?

Tony: Yeah, it was a great experience and it still is. We’re working on a new album. The newest album should be released in July. Since a kid of 17 I’ve made my living singing and entertaining; doing what I love. I’ve had the opportunity to take it to many countries, including Japan, Hong Kong and…Europe. My next big adventure I think is going to be South America. Latin music. I write Latin music and me being Latin I have the opportunity to speak the language also. I really want to push the Latin thing and I want to push the album. The Elvis Experience has been a phenomenal thing…broaden my horizons…

Danna: Could you even have foreseen the huge success of the Elvis Experience? How amazing and popular the show has become? It is well and truly one of the best shows in Branson, MO.

Tony: Thank you. I’m totally blessed. I’m mesmerized by the response of the people. Look at the amount of the people that see the show now. Wow. We’re not even in the season yet.

Danna: No, we’re not.

Tony: Look around you…we had 200+ people today. That’s phenomenal. I really think it’s going to be a great year. I’m not going to put the Elvis Experience on the back burner. I’m gonna take it to the next level…concerts…maybe a movie. Something that’s my project…through the eyes of Tony Roi. How Elvis affected me…and I’ve had the opportunities to do my originals, too.

Danna: Let me ask you as far as your own voice versus being Elvis. Is it one and the same or do you have to tweak it a bit?

Tony: No it’s one and the same. Whether I’m singing as Elvis or Tony Roi, it’s the same voice.

Danna: It is truly amazing how much you sound like him and what’s more you even have his grin. Tony Roi and his lovely wife (Laughing). How did you meet your wife?

Tony: She was a dance captain in Atlantic City. I met her and started flirting with her. One thing led to another and I proposed to her on stage.

Danna: Wow, that’s a great story…and you have two children?

Tony: Brandon and Isabelle. 8 and 7. Brandon is a drummer. My daughter is into dancing and singing and is quite the actress.

Danna: Who would think…wonder where she got that from?

Tony: Oh yeah, exactly…who does that come from?

Danna: Is anybody else in your family in the entertainment business?

Tony: One brother and three sisters…none in entertainment. My mother just passed away, of course.

Danna: I’m sorry; I didn’t know that.

Tony: She died in her sleep. She had a bad heart.

Danna: I understand…my Mom had a massive heart attack, too.

Tony: She died peacefully. MY dad thought she was snoring. She took a deep breath and that was it. My dad is 71. The funny thing is Elvis would be my dad’s age.

Danna: What do you like to do when you’re not performing?

Tony: I enjoy running. It helps my lungs. Spending time with my family, (pausing) my life is really going well.

Danna: I think you have a long career ahead of you. I’m kind of curious…is doing the show day after day…does it put a strain on your voice?

Tony: No, it’s a muscle and you have vocal cords and you just have to take care of it. You have to know when not to use it and not to talk. It’s tough and you have to be disciplined. You have to rest your voice. There’s a time that I just shut down completely. From 10:30 – 11:00 I shut down and I just don’t talk. Then I get a good night’s rest and then in the morning I start vocalizing.

Danna: (At this point I shared with him my experience seeing Elvis in concert I told him of what I can remember, I honestly can’t say that seeing Elvis in Concert was any more impressive than what I saw and heard tonight). I really feel like your voice is amazing. I think I have the funnest job in Branson.

Tony: No, I do.

Danna: Okay! What I’d like to do is give your fans a chance to think about some questions that are important to them so that when I interview you next, I can include those questions.

Tony: That’s a really great idea. I’d enjoy that.

Conclusion:

I thanked him for his time and for allowing me to sit in his audience and enjoy a really fabulous Danna Golden and Tony Roi show. I felt as if I was transported back to a time when I was much younger (and much thinner) and found myself just as impressed as that evening when thousands of flashbulbs went off in the Houston Astrodome to the amazement of a very young girl.

Keep reading for next interview scheduled. Write in your questions to me, Danna Golden, at:

For Branson Shows questions: bransoncritic@hotmail.com
For Real Estate questions: dgolden@pruofozarks.com