Clearance Giddens

Clearance Giddens is an American Elvis impersonator called "Black Elvis". He performs sporting a pompadour, sideburns, and bright red jumpsuit. Giddens' Black Elvis act regularly appeared on national TV programs in the 1990s, and he was cast as Black Elvis in the 1992 film Honeymoon in Vegas.

Early life Giddens grew up in Painter, Virginia, and works as house painter. He received his first guitar as a gift from his mother. Upon leaving school, he worked in local fields to support his family. Giddens' parents are devout Christians and his mother was initially hesitant about his Elvis act because she considered it worldly.

Clearance Giddens's early influences are country and gospel music, specifically Elvis Presley, James Brown, and Roy C. His family did not have a TV, so he only watched it at his uncle's house about once a month. He remembers being in disbelief in his early teenage years when he first saw Presley dancing and singing on TV since he never heard a white singer with so much soul before. He recalls hiding in the closet to listen to Elvis because his strict Christian mother did not allow rock and roll in the house.

Career Origin of Black Elvis Giddens learned to strum "Love Me Tender" because it was a favorite of his then-girlfriend, a devoted Elvis fan. As he was clowning around singing Elvis songs, she suggested he seriously pursue an Elvis impersonator career. He remembers thinking "Black Elvis? Nobody's going to buy that." For his first national TV spot, he faced his fear of flying to attend The Arsenio Hall Show in California but was so exhausted upon arriving that he slept through his performance. Shortly after waking up that evening, he answered a knock at his hotel room from Entertainment Tonight staff, who asked him to be on the show. and the Howard Stern Show.

A Hollywood casting director reached out about a film role that involved parachuting out of a plane with other Elvis impersonators as part of a recurring joke in the 1992 romantic comedy Honeymoon in Vegas, which starred Nicolas Cage, James Caan, and Sarah Jessica Parker. Even though he said he couldn't get over his fear of jumping out of a plane, he was cast as Black Elvis and appeared in other scenes. Giddens struggled to book shows of his own despite his growing profile, and he made his act sound more intriguing by performing with a band called The Flamin' Caucasians (and later The White Trash Band). By 1994, he was earning about $2000 per show. After seven years of Elvis classics like Blue Suede Shoes, Clearance Giddens was ready for something new. He released singles of his own and subtly altered his look, trimming his sideburns a little bit and wearing cowboy hats. he makes appearances in various productions, such as a 2018 Apple ad that showed Elvis impersonators talking on a group FaceTime calls. He still considers his life to be unbelievable.

Discography

+ EPs and albums Title Catalogue Year Notes # Jump, Shout, Scream 1993 Can You Feel the Flavor? 2009 As Black Elvis

Filmography

+ List Title Role Director Year Notes # Viva Elvis – Channel 4 1×75 1991 Elvis Special, presented by Jonathan Ross Himself 1991 Honeymoon in Vegas Black Elvis Andrew Bergman 1992 Homicide: Life on the Street