Presley Fans Fight to Be King of the Elvises

In July 1977, Elvis Presley wrote a letter to an early pioneer of a now booming industry. "Congratulations on winning the talent competition," the king wrote to the Elvis impersonator. "Mimicry is a sincere form of being a fan ... This is a great compliment to me that you would work so hard on that act like mine but never neglect your own special abilities to be yourself also."

This week, 30 years after Elvis died, aged 42, the winner of the official Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist contest will be anointed at Graceland in a riot of rhinestone, bulging catsuits and slicked-back hair.

Ten finalists will compete for the title, including a former soldier from Crewe who once did his impersonation of the King for the Queen, and a part-time DJ from Wellingborough.

The rewards, other than the kudos of being the official Elvis tribute artist, might not have been enough to rouse the real King from his hamburger and barbiturate slumber - the winner will receive $5,000 (£2,500) in cash and a contract to perform on the first official Elvis cruise. But the real jewel among all the fake rhinestone is a $3,000 gift certificate toward the purchase of a jumpsuit, an essential tool in any self-respecting Elvis impersonator's locker. All the finalists will receive a commemorative Elvis karaoke CD set.

With the new jumpsuit clinging to his flesh, the winner will also get the chance to record at Sun records in Nashville, home to Elvis for much of his early career.

"There are competitions all over the world and they're all fantastic, but to have one run by Elvis Presley Enterprises is something special," Paul Larcombe, the former soldier, who won a heat in Blackpool, told the Associated Press. "It's already enhanced my career just getting over here."

The other competitors include three Canadians, an Australian and a Norwegian Elvis.

The competition represents a change of heart for the gatekeepers of Elvis's legacy. Previously the hordes of Elvis impersonators on cruises, variety shows and even in Chinese restaurants had been viewed as a vulgar distraction from the sanctity of the singer's memory.

The move comes in the wake of the 2004 sale of Elvis Presley Enterprises, which controls the rights to exploit the Presley name, by his daughter Lisa Marie Presley.

"This is a genuine, spontaneous aspect of the Elvis phenomenon," said Jack Soden, the chief executive of Elvis Presley Enterprises who has long opposed admitting the impersonators to the King's Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, "and we should embrace it to some extent. We want to be careful, though. There are still people out there dressing up and performing like Elvis who probably shouldn't be."