Blelvis

Blelvis (the "Black Elvis") is the performing name of Rondy Wooten, a Washington, D.C., street entertainer who claims to know the words to every one of the 1,112 songs ever sung by Elvis Presley.[3][4] He also claims he is able to relate any given word to an Elvis song.[5] Wooten describes himself as an "Elvisologist" rather than an Elvis impersonator.[2][6] He has been referred to as a local legend, and has been profiled by the Washington City Paper[2] and The Washington Post.[6]

Blelvis
Birth nameRondy Wooten
Also known asBlelvis[1]
Born (1966-01-08) January 8, 1966[1][2]
Washington, D.C.[1]
GenresRock and roll, pop, rockabilly, country, blues, gospel, R&B
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Vocals

Early life

Wooten is a native of Washington, D.C., born in 1966 at Georgetown University Hospital.[6] By coincidence, he and Elvis share the same birth day, though not the same year.[7] He grew up in the Petworth neighborhood of D.C.[2] His parents disapproved of Elvis, believing him to be racist, so he had little experience with him until the age of 11.[6] On August 16, 1977, the day Elvis died, every radio station was playing Elvis tracks in tribute to him. It was the first time that Wooten heard Elvis's music, and he wound up listening to it all night.[3][7]

In 1987, he stumped a record-store owner with his extensive knowledge of Elvis's discography. Soon after, he adopted the name Blelvis and began to perform at small local gigs and cable TV shows.[2] At the same time, he developed an addiction to crack cocaine that derailed his career as a truck-driver and rendered him homeless.[2][6] He left D.C. to study the Bible in Billings, Montana, then lived in Colorado before returning to D.C.[2] In a 1997 interview, he stated that he has not used crack cocaine since 1995, although a 2007 profile notes that he abuses alcohol instead.[2]

Wooten now rarely plays shows, but continues to perform as a street entertainer.[7]

Personal life

Wooten married 27-year-old Cathy Grooms at the age of 18, just after he graduated high school.[7] They had four children during their twelve-year marriage. The eldest two, Elvison and Elvisa, are named after Elvis.[6][7] Wooten's obsession with Elvis, capped by Grooms's refusal to give their younger children Elvis-inspired names, was a significant factor in the deterioration of their relationship.[2][6] They divorced in 1996.[6]

Notes
  1. Hesse, Monica (August 14, 2007), "King Blelvis", The Washington Post Company, Washington, D.C., p. C.1
  2. Dean, Eddie (June 12, 1998). "The Return of Blelvis: No longer the King in exile". The Washington City Paper. Washington, D.C. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
  3. Favorite, Sharky (Dec 1, 2001). "In The Ghetto". Vice. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  4. "The Blelvis Experience on Metro Connection". DCist. Archived from the original on 2019-02-04. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  5. Rubington, Earl; Weinberg, Martin (2015-10-30). Deviance: The Interactionist Perspective. Routledge. ISBN 9781317348801.
  6. Hesse, Monica (August 14, 2007). "King Blelvis". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  7. "Andrew on Being Blelvis by Danny Harris". PoPville. 13 July 2010. Retrieved 2019-02-04.


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