Community Corner

Farmington Idol Announces Elvis Appearance During Auditions, Finals

Royal Oak native Fred Wolfe will entertain while judges are choosing the winner in the annual singing competition.

Put on your blue suede shoes for this year's Farmington Idol singing competition because a hunka-hunka burnin' love will be on stage.

Elvis Presley impersonator Fred Wolfe, a Royal Oak native who now lives in Westland, will perform during the preliminary round will be held at  on July 19, and the July 20 finals in downtown Farmington. 

Wolfe also has a Farmington Hills connection that launched him into the world of the rock and roll icon, where he stayed for the last 20 years. 

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"It happened by accident," he explained. "Some folks heard a tape of me singing some Elvis songs that I recorded at Tally Hall (an arcade that was located at 14 Mile and Orchard Lake roads) in the karaoke booth."

They said the tape got to a local Elvis Presley fan club, and they assumed he was an Elvis impersonator. "They encouraged me in my Elvis career," Wolfe said.

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A trip to a world competition for Elvis impersonators in the early 1990s set him on the path of studying the man, his music, his costumes and mannerisms. Wolfe said he tries to get across "how good Elvis was, how warm Elvis was, and the goodness of his music." 

At the Farmington Idol competition, held during the Downtown Farmington Founders Festival, Wolfe said he will focus on the King's most popular hits, like "Heartbreak Hotel", "(You ain't nothin' but a) Hound Dog" and "All Shook Up". 

Ten finalists will be chosen during the preliminary round, with registration at 5 p.m. and competition at 6 p.m. Contestants must be at least 16 years old to enter and need not be a resident of Farmington and Farmington Hills. 

Applications are available at Drakeshire and at  in downtown Farmington, which hosts open mic nights on alternate Mondays. Call 248-987-6481 for the next date. Drakeshire offers one final pre-competition open mic night at 8:30 p.m.-11 p.m. today. 


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