King of Rock and Fab Four Fans invited to 'Beatles vs Elvis – A Musical Showdown' at Stocker Center

It was the pompadour that turned Scot Bruce from a passive Elvis Presley fan into a highly sought-after tribute artist. The talented performer makes his Lorain County debut as part of the national touring show "Beatles vs Elvis – A Musical Showdown," which is scheduled to perform Aug. 15 at the Stocker Center's Hoke Theatre. "I've been a musician and music lover my whole life," said Bruce, calling from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. "I was always an Elvis fan, always a Beatles fan. Somewhere in the mid-'80s, when rockabilly music was experiencing a resurgence thanks to bands like The Stray Cats and The Polecats and that whole scene, I really started listening to not only that neo rockabilly, but also I looked back at what those rock guys were listening to. "Of course, all roads lead back to Elvis. That's when I found a new appreciation for him. Also, at that same time, musicians typically wear their hairstyles to emulate their musical heroes. When I started really getting into Elvis, I changed my hairdo to the classic '50s pompadour. Around that time, people started telling me I looked kind of like Elvis." It was only after a move to Los Angeles more than 35 years ago that he acted on it, creating his own Presley tribute act. While he worked as an actor ("Days of Our Lives," "The Bold and the Beautiful"), Bruce found more work performing as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame singer. This included appearing as Presley in E! Entertainment Network's "True Hollywood Story: Elvis in Hollywood." "I'm so grateful I get to do this, but I haven't put in an honest day's work since 1995," he laughed. Eventually, his talents led him to the "Beatles vs Elvis – A Musical Showdown" show. From "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Jailhouse Rock" to "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Don't Be Cruel," Bruce will be performing all of Presley's classics from the early Sun Records and RCA years with a few surprises. "Of course, we play Elvis' hits, the early stuff, but we also sneak in songs that are referred to as deep cuts," he said. "I refer to them as songs that are not as popular, but equally as cool, like '(You're So Square Baby) Baby I Don't Care.' Stuff that's up-tempo, high-octane rock. It really is a fun show." Having performed in "Beatles vs Elvis – A Musical Showdown" for the better part of a decade, Bruce said he's discovered something unique about the show built around showcasing a certain Memphis swagger against Liverpool cool. "What surprises me is how people aren't as divided as I thought they might be," he said. "There aren't Elvis and Beatles people duking it out in the lobby or anything." Even though during his later years Presley was known to cover Beatles tracks, such as "Hey Jude," "Something," "Yesterday" and "Get Back," Bruce performing those versions in this show while highlighting the King of Rock's early years would be anachronistic. Still, Bruce said audiences can expect a few surprises in the upcoming show. "In our own way, we end the show with a mashup that we created of a huge Elvis tune and a huge Beatles song," he said. "That's also the neat thing about this pairing because Elvis was very influential. "That included four lads from Liverpool, who created their own thing and went on to inspire millions. So that's a neat partnership with these two iconic artists." WHAT: "Beatles vs Elvis – A Musical Showdown"WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 15WHERE: Lorain County Community College's Hoke Theatre, 1005 Abbe Rd. North, ElyriaTICKETS: $30 to $50INFO: 440-366-4040 or stockerartscenter.com