By Sherri Coner
When Tim Mack takes the stage, audiences often wonder if Elvis truly left the building.
Perfecting the King of Rock and Roll’s velvety croon paid off five years ago when Mack, 19, became a professional Elvis Presley Tribute Artist.
Seeing the movie ‘Grease’ at age seven made her only son a lifelong Elvis fan, said Mack’s mother, Stephanie Deel-McMannis of Greenwood.
“Tim has watched every single Elvis movie,” Deel-McMannis said. “He also learned everything he could about Elvis’ music and about his life.”
A fan from a young age
Elementary school classmates were confused by Mack’s interest in Presley, especially since the majority of them had never heard of the musical great with the crooked grin.
Teasing and taunting only worsened as this 2022 graduate of Franklin Community High School got older. Mack took the peer nastiness in stride.
While most teens and young adults strive to be clones of their peers, Mack was never that kind of guy.
“Tim has always been true to himself,” his mother said.
Some audience members are also surprised that such a young man is so devoted to Presley, who died at age 42 in 1977.
Mack explains there’s no mystery. He simply loves Presley.
When this slightly built natural blonde leaves the dressing room, his hair is jet black and he is wearing replicas of Presley’s famous attire, freshly pressed by his grandmother, Trish Bearden of Greenwood. His rhinestone covered one-piece jumpsuits with bell bottom pants and large Presley-inspired rings adorning most of his fingers glitter under the lights.
Joy in the performance
When Mack merges the croon with Presley’s signature hip swivel style, crowds explode with joy.
He takes that part in stride, too.
Though a significant anxiety disorder has affected most of his life, Mack was initially as baffled as his family was, that he could actually perform at all in front of crowds.
“Even though I have these anxiety problems, for some reason I never get one ounce of stage fright,” he said. “I feel the calmest when I’m on stage, actually.”
Along with practicing on his own, Mack mentions the mentorship of an older friend who also performs as Presley.
Two years ago, Mack performed for a crowd of 7,000 people during Elvis Week at Graceland, Presley’s mansion in Memphis, Tenn.
“It was absolutely breathtaking,” he said of the experience.
Traveling to Presley-loving destinations
Elvis Week takes place each year during the mid-August commemoration of Presley’s death and includes music and a candlelight service.
After funeral services attended by 80,000 heartbroken fans and fellow musicians, Presley was laid to rest in the Meditation Garden at Graceland, where his parents, Vernon and Gladys Presley, his stillborn twin brother, Jessie, his daughter and her son, Benjamin, are also buried.
Traveling to gigs with his mom and sometimes with his grandmother too, Mack has performed in Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia and Mississippi, just to name a few Presley-loving destinations.
Locally, Mack’s girlfriend, Mae Miller of Beech Grove is always near the stage.
“I think it’s amazing that Tim does this,” she said. “I’m glad I’m here to experience it with him.”
Mack always looks beyond the glitz of Presley.
“His music brought people of all races together,” Mack said of the best-selling solo music artist of all time, with more than 500 million records sold worldwide.
“Elvis was truly a gift,” Mack said. “He was an amazing performer but an even better person.”
For booking information, find Mack on Facebook.
