“I also like ‘I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You,’” adds Richie, acknowledging that “Elvis always closed his shows with that song.” Discloses Santa, “For a short time, Elvis changed it to a different last song, but the audience didn’t like that, so he changed it back!” Santa, “Elvis recorded over 700 songs.” Some of Santa’s favorites include “Return to Sender” - also still a favorite of his manager and his brother, Robert - in addition to “Blue Hawaii,” “Make the World Go Away,” “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” and “Suspicious Minds.” “Plus I had the hair,” he adds with a smile.Īccording to Mr. “I always sang Elvis tunes in my regular clothes at gigs,” reveals Richie, “but about ten years ago, I decided to become a tribute artist because Elvis’ music brought me the most joy, and it’s still what I want to do.” It was around this time that an unknown comic from Brooklyn - Andrew Dice Clay - got his big break and asked Richie and his band to back him up at venues across the country.Ĭontinuing to work professionally as a musician for the next several decades, Santa covered many different artists from Sinatra to Bon Jovi but no one influenced him the way he was inspired by “The King.” He also sang the title track to the late-80’s television show called Fast Forward.
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Santa started his professional music career in the early 1980s with a band called Neighborhood Jukebox, a group which opened for Roy Orbision in 1984 and performed live on CBS’s 101.1 FM radio. Exclaims Richie, “Trying to sing and move like the KING became an everyday occurrence in the Santa household.”Īs a young man, Mr.
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“When I was about eight years old,” Santa continues, “I saw an Elvis movie on TV and asked my mother, ‘Mom…who IS that?”Īs a youngster, Richie went on to share his love for music and Elvis with his younger brother, Robert, who also grew up to become a professional musician. Santa, “I’ve been a fan of Elvis my whole life,” going on to add, “Most tribute artists, I’d say, have been fans since childhood.” To celebrate “The King’s” 82nd birthday, a crowd of young and old has assembled here to enjoy tonight’s featured performer - consummate Elvis Presley tribute artist, Richie Santa.īut just what is it that makes a young boy from Brooklyn, NY want to grow up and emulate Tupelo, Mississippi’s favorite son, Elvis Presley?īefore the concert, we have a chance to go backstage and descend the stairs to his dressing room to chat with Richie Santa about his career as a musician, as an Elvis Presley tribute artist, and as an entertainer who frequently performs here in the Garden State. It’s nearly 7 pm on Saturday, Januat Lakewood, NJ’s Strand Theater.
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