Howard Beach man is the ‘King’ of Queens

by Kristen Guglielmo Associate Editor

“I had one lady crying her eyes out, holding my arm. She must have been about 80. And she says, ‘I love you so much, Elvis. I missed you so much.’ And she was crying. I felt so touched that she was so touched by seeing Elvis.”

Don Anthony, a Howard Beach resident, has been working as an Elvis impersonator for 23 years and still enjoys it just as much as when he began.

“My mother loved Elvis. She just adored Elvis,” he gushed. “And she’s the one that got me into this, because she was always playing his music.”

Anthony said that every time Elvis’ movies were on when he was a kid, he was glued to the television, all shook up watching the performer ooze charm and talent.

“A lot of entertainers that do Elvis are influenced by the man and his charisma and his appeal and his love for people,” Anthony said. “I think there’s a mystique about him.”

Anthony’s work as The King has taken him all over — through bookings on his website, donanthonymusic.com, he’s performed over 1,000 shows. He’s been all over New York, New Jersey, Connecticut — and even Las Vegas, where Elvis once had a residency.

In describing his favorite performance as Elvis, Anthony recalled a time he played Westbury Music Fair on Long Island.

“I was backstage and there were 1,200 people out there,” he said. “And I heard the DJ from a radio station out there saying, ‘You people are in for a big surprise, because this man is going to rock this place. He’s an excellent Elvis entertainer, and you’re going to love him.’ And then I came out on the stage and the crowd went wild. And I think that was my biggest moment.”

In addition to being an iconic performer, Elvis was a ladies’ man, and while some older women get starstruck seeing Anthony at work, he said he keeps the burning love onstage only.

“I’m married, and my wife comes with me to a lot of the jobs. I always tell her that whatever I do on stage, I’m not like that in person. I’m not Elvis at home. I’m not Elvis when I walk around. I’m me. But when an agent taught me how to do Elvis, he said, ‘When you’re on stage, you are him.’”

Business for Anthony has picked up as a result of last year’s Elvis biopic starring Austin Butler, as it likely has for other Elvis impersonators, too. But Anthony maintains he’s a top hound dog.

“There’s a lot of guys that do it that maybe look a little like him, but they can’t sing like him. And there’s some guys that are very good,” he said. “And I would say I’m one of the better ones.” Q