"I started out playing in bands when I was a young bloke," says the 51-year-old. "We played a variety of songs, the Beach Boys, Elton John, Ricky Martin.

"One night we were at this venue and this Elvis impersonator turned up, played a 20 minute set, and walked away with more money than our band did for the whole night.

"I thought then, there's got to be something in this."

So he went and bought a suit and started his own Elvis show.

Thirty years later it's about more than the money for this classically trained singer who's also had one of his original songs, Every Dream, reach number one on the US Billboard charts.

"Elvis was one of a kind, a very generous person, a performer who gave it everything he had," Gelonese says. "He was able to touch people, from all walks of life, with his music."

Tomorrow, January 8, would have been Elvis' 82nd birthday. He died on August 16 in 1977.

Mr Gelonese says it's hard to pick a favourite song, but lists Suspicious Minds, Edge of Reality and I've Lost You as three of his.

Mr Gelonese said the pop culture that was created around Elvis has helped to keep the legacy alive.

"When Priscilla opened up Graceland that was a big thing too," he said.

In June Priscilla will bring the touring stage show, The Wonder of You to Australia. The show involves the recorded voice of Elvis over the live Royal Philharmonic, interspersed with videos chosen by Priscilla.

A highlight of Mr Gelonese's career was performing a couple of numbers at Graceland during the annual Elvis Week a few years back.

"Graceland is beautiful, the whole vibe of the place, the fact that's where Elvis lived, where he made music, where it all happened.

"To visit the trophy room, where all the gold records are, really brings home what he achieved."

Mr Gelenose has also performed as Elvis in Las Vegas.

But soon he'll head off to Parkes, where he has performed at the Elvis Festival several times. In 2016 he was runner up in the competition on the Cooke Park main stage.

Now in its 25th year, the Parkes festival provides a major boost to the Parkes economy.More 22,000 people visited the town during the 2016 festival, injecting $11 million into the regional economy.

"Parkes is great fun," he says.

"Part of the fun for me is there are lot of people who shouldn't be putting a suit on and trying to impersonate Elvis.

"Elvis was a great singer, a great musician, a great performer, a great dancer, everything he did he was good at.

"If you're going to take the time to impersonate someone, at least have one of those traits, if not two or three.

"But unfortunately there are people who just put on a suit and sideburns and think they're impersonators.

"I guess if you like that kind of thing, that's fine," he laughs.

The Parkes Elvis Festival runs from January 11 to 15.