Local Elvis artist competing for TV pilot

Mardi Suhs | Cadillac News Elvis tribute artist James Warner has the enthusiastic support of Cadillac resident Bonnie Forbes, who has become his manager. An Elvis fan from the 1950s, Forbes said she couldnÕt tell WarnerÕs CDs from her Elvis CDs.

CADILLAC - Bonnie Forbes was an Elvis fan in the 1950s along with millions of other teenage girls.

She covered her bedroom walls with Elvis clippings and photos. She collected every hit record.

Now as the executive director of the Council on Aging, coincidence brought her back into the world of Elvis.

It all started last fall when Forbes arrived to help out at the Manton Senior Center Halloween party.

There, in a studded black jumpsuit, she saw Elvis performing live. Mesmerized, Forbes thought the local impersonator was doing a great job. But then there was a music glitch. The background music quit but James Warner kept singing.

"My mouth flew open," Forbes recalled. "I didn't think he was singing. I thought it was Elvis. He kept singing and I was fascinated. I was shocked."

Over the years Forbes has heard hundreds of impersonators and never thought anyone truly sounded like Elvis - until Warner. Now she keeps two sets of CDs in her car - Elvis CDs and Warner CDs. She says she can't tell the difference.

After Forbes and her daughter took a Montreal road trip to watch Warner compete live, she became convinced he had what it takes to become a big star.

"We watched 10 of the other impersonators," she said, "and there was no question that his voice was superb. It was the very best. And the other performers agreed."

Forbes said that Warner doesn't perform with 'wiggles'. Instead, he portrays a more mature Elvis.

"I've never been to any show where people get up and leave," she said. "They stay until the last song. People become very emotional with it."

Last spring Warner asked Forbes to help with his career. He needed a go-getter - someone he could trust. Forbes agreed to help. A widow of two years, she said it was time to do something new and fun.

"Do people really understand what we have here?" she asked. "This is a local person. I think he'll become known as a spectacular voice. I think if the right person hears him - he's on his way."

Warner was heard last August at an invitation-only performance during Elvis Week at Graceland.

Next, Warner's voice will be tested at a Las Vegas casting call to find the world's best Elvis Tribute Artist. The search is part of a TV pilot for an elimination-style reality show.

To secure his audition for the biggest Elvis search in history, Warner played a sample recording to contest sponsors over the phone.

They responded with a contract and told him to arrive in Vegas for the Aug. 8 taping.

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