Elvis tribute artist now calls Roblin home

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This article was published 25/05/2017 (3080 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Elvis has left the building — and he’s found a new one.

The King of Rock and Roll, or rather, one of his tribute artists, discovered perhaps a surprising home for himself in Roblin.

“It was a bit like a camp, a little piece of heaven,” explained Eric Gustafson, who has toured concert halls, cruise ships and churches as Elvis Presley, of finding Roblin.

Known by his stage name Daylin James, a couple of his fans — a husband and wife in a nursing home — were struggling to get their Roblin home off the market, when they suggested to Gustafson, who once lived in Marquette and was seeking a quiet life around Winnipeg, to look at their home.

He loved it, and fell in love with the community in the process. He moved to Roblin last December.

“They are super friendly, people wave at you driving down the street,” Gustafson said, almost in disbelief.

“At first I didn’t want anybody knowing what I did for a living, but I ended up doing a show here and it sold out a week before the performance.”

Initially, Gustafson was hesitant to disclose his job, knowing people may draw conclusions between his private life and his stage persona, when, as Gustafson puts it, “Daylin is only a bar of soap I put on the shelf for sale.”

But Roblin has proven to be welcoming, which he appreciates.

His tenure as Elvis dates back to grade school, when Gustafson, growing up in Thunder Bay, Ont., made his first fan. His mother enjoyed listening to Elvis, so her son would lip sync the King’s songs.

“I did it to get in her good books,” Gustafson chuckled.

By 16, he added a guitar to his repertoire, and started playing shows around town. He’d visit nursing homes where people said he sounded like Elvis.

“I’m pretty sure I sucked badly, but people liked it.”

Gustafson didn’t stick with it. He jumped from a wedding band to a rock band and then a heavy rock band, before his wife-to-be said he had to give up his time-consuming hobby for the sake of his family.

“She was right,” he said.

Ten years after putting away his Elvis impersonation for good, or so he thought, Gustafson, now with a two-year-old son, was asked if he’d bring his tribute out of retirement for a house party. He didn’t want to, but was eventually convinced — good money for a half-hour of work does that.

It went well, and his phone rang from there.

Wanting to know if he really looked and sounded like Elvis, Gustafson entered his first sanctioned competition. He was named the Canadian national and international Elvis Tribute Artist grand champion in 1997.

He soon flew to Japan for a four-month contract and was eventually recruited to join Legends in Concert, a live show featuring numerous tribute artists, based in Las Vegas. Gustafson did intermittent work for them, throughout the United States, for seven or eight years.

For the last 15 years, Gustafson has largely stayed in the Prairie provinces — with numerous shows in Brandon, including one production earlier this month — though he does odd shows across the border, in Costa Rica and a yearly trip on Royal Caribbean cruise lines where he’s the main attraction — Sailin’ with Daylin, it’s called.

“I’m still active but I’m getting to the point now where I know my days of Elvis are pretty much done,” he said. “I don’t want to do Elvis much longer; that’s why I have so many other shows now, so I can diversify.”

Daylin James holds a country western show, a gospel performance, a rhythm and blues show and a celebration of Broadway music, among others.

He has long yearned, however, for a simpler life, pulling him away from the 120-140 shows he does annually.

It’s what helped him settle in Roblin in the first place.

“The lure of moving to Roblin, having a regular life, working at the Co-op, it’s … very compelling to want to be like everybody else,” he said. “Every time I think I’ve gotten to that point, my rock,” which he defines as Jesus Christ, “tells me you’re not done, you’ve got to go back and perform.”

The positive reaction he hears, certainly while visiting hospitals or nursing homes, makes it all worth it, he said.

On the personal side of things, he’s got a mortgage for a new home and there are nuptials to plan.

“Like I say, I’m waiting for the safe to fall because my life has never been this smooth.”

» ifroese@brandonsun.com

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