After five years of absence from the American stages, Franz Goovaerts, official double and World Champion of Elvis impersonators, returns to Memphis with one objective: to relaunch his career in the King’s stronghold. Between emotion and challenges, he revisits the legendary places of his idol, such as the legendary Sun Studio, before a series of crucial concerts.
Elvis Presley would have been 90 years old on January 8, 2025. Forty-seven years after his death, the King continues to ignite hearts and attract crowds. Memphis, the cradle of rock, is in turmoil, and among the thousands of fans who came to pay homage, a very special guest: Franz Goovaerts, Belgian lookalike and World Champion of Elvis impersonators in 2006.
After several years away from the American stages, Franz is back for a series of concerts in Memphis, determined to regain his title of number 1. But finding a place among the 80,000 professional imitators of the King around the world is a real challenge , even more so in a city where the aura of Elvis is omnipresent.
Back to basics: Sun Studio and Beale Street
Impossible to talk about Memphis without mentioning its emblematic places. Franz, moved as on the first day, made a pilgrimage to Sun Studio, where it all began for Elvis Presley in 1953. It was here that the 19-year-old young man, then an electrician in Tupelo, recorded his very first record , simply for his mother’s birthday. A harmless decision that will change the face of Music forever. The studio has also been preserved as it was at the time, from the walls to the recording equipment, including certain Elvis accessories, which have become precious relics.
“It’s the beginning of everything here. I get chills and yet, I’ve been coming here since the nineties”confides Franz, visibly touched. “It’s a very beautiful story, that of the American dream.” “CIt’s thanks to this young man and he doesn’t realize what’s being put on his shoulders. He doesn’t realize that going back through that door, he’ll die one day, being Elvis Presley. It’s maddening”says the Belgian double.
In the heart of Beale Street, cradle of blues and Southern music, Memphis still vibrates to the rhythm of the legend. But it is above all at Graceland, Elvis’ famous residence, that fans converge by the thousands. The second most visited house in the United States after the White House, it welcomes nearly 700,000 visitors each year, proof that the King is unbeatable.
An American dream
For Franz, playing Elvis is much more than just a role. It is a vocation born from a touching personal story: “When I come here, it takes me into the early days of Elvis Presley and reminds me of how and why I started. I think I needed a dad. I needed a masculine force in my life. My biological parents had divorced, so I fell in love with Elvis. That’s what made me want it..
This passion took him to stages all over the world, until winning the title of World Champion in Memphis. Today, after an absence of five years in the United States, he is preparing to return to the stage in front of the most demanding fans: those of the King himself.
So, will Franz regain his crown? Answer in “Elvis, a Belgian in Memphis”, this Thursday January 9 at 7:50 p.m. on RTL tvi and streaming on RTL play.
Elvis Presley singer Music Memphis United States
