Twenty-five years ago, Travis Ledoyt, a native of Greenfield, performed Elvis Presley’s music at Greenfield’s Classic Days for the first time. Backed by a group of local musicians, he sang on a makeshift stage in front of the town common and belted out songs like “Hound Dog” and “Blue Suede Shoes.” The fact that he bore a striking resemblance to Elvis further captivated the crowd. He was a hit.

Little did he know then that this little show in his hometown would change his life forever. Ledoyt would go on to become one of the leading Elvis tribute artists. Performing as the young Elvis from the 1950s and 1960s, Ledoyt has brought his act to clubs, casinos, and performing arts centers throughout the U.S. and to the U.K., Chile and China. He’s also been a frequent performer on cruise lines.

And now he’s celebrating the 25th anniversary of performing as Elvis with a show called “The Elvis In Me.” He will bring the show to the Greenfield High School auditorium on Saturday, May 25, at 7 p.m. This will be the most elaborate production he has brought to Greenfield. In addition to his regular band, “The Nashville Boys,” it will feature backup singers and additional musicians, all of whom he worked with for years. Proceeds from the show will help raise money for the GHS music department.

“There will be two guitar players, bass, drums, keys, three backup singers, and five horns. Including me, that’s 14 on stage,” said Ledoyt in an email from the road where he performed the show in Atlanta and Nashville this past weekend. “It has always been a dream of mine to do such a big production and have nothing on supplemental tracks. Some of the horn players were in my production of King Creole at the high school 20 years ago.”

He added that the background singers are all friends from Nashville who have their own careers. One of them is Kinsey Rose, who was on season 21 of The Voice (Team Kelly). Another is Michael Lusk, who has toured with Tim McGraw and Kenny Rogers.

While he originally envisioned the anniversary show as a one-off for Greenfield, he decided to tour it, and so far, the response to the shows has been great. “There’s more energy on stage for me to feed off of, and I think it reflects in my performance,” he said of the show.

Ledoyt, born the year Elvis died, only became interested in Elvis’ music once he was in high school and saw a documentary about the legend that resonated with him so much that he began singing Elvis songs at home. He later sang with the GHS chorus as a postgraduate student, and the support and guidance he received from the music department, and then music director Paul Calcari, played an essential role in his becoming a professional singer.

He sang a few songs at a GHS talent show, and word got out about his talent. When he was asked to play at Classic Day, he decided to give it a shot.

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“When I played that first show at Classic Day, I thought it was a one-time thing,” recalled Ledoyt in a 2022 interview. “All I wanted was to not be booed off the stage. But I remember walking off that stage and people coming up to me and asking if I had a card or where I was playing next, and I remember thinking, maybe I can do this.”

And it turned out he could. Ledoyt worked hard at capturing Elvis’s sound, look and moves. He was determined not to become just another impersonator; instead, he wanted to capture Elvis’s magic and connection with his audiences.

He went on to play local gigs, including the 2001 Green River Festival, and it was only a short time before he was performing outside of the area.

“My first out-of-state show was getting a booking at the Tupelo Elvis Festival in Tupelo, Mississippi (Elvis’ hometown) in 2001,” he said. “We continued to do it for six years until the event was taken over by EPE, who wanted to bring in a bunch of impersonators and have it more of a contest rather than featuring one guy (me).”

The fest proved to be a big career break and won him the approval of the Presley camp, including those who had worked with Elvis, including Elvis’ original drummer, D.J. Fontana.

Fontana even said, “This is as close as you’ll get to seeing a concert by Elvis Presley in the early years.”

Ledoyt moved to Nashville, secured a manager, and his career took off. He never forgot where it all started and tried to come back every year, if his schedule allowed, to play a benefit show for the GHS music department to repay them for all they had given him.

He has played numerous benefit shows in the past 25 years and always tried to mix it up. He’s played gospel shows, Christmas shows, a stage production of the Elvis film “King Creole,” and last year, his “Sun and the Stars” show, which, in addition to Elvis’ music, featured the music of other Sun studio artists. Out of all those performances, I wondered if he had a favorite.

“I do miss the old Christmas benefits I used to do like ‘Jingle House Rock’ in 2004, but back then, I had more time to write silly skits and put it all together,” he recalled. “They were more like variety shows, and there’s a nostalgic connection that harkens back to the old holiday variety shows.”

Looking back at the hundreds of shows he played, one takeaway is that he feels that he’s grown as a performer over the years.

“I believe people will see that in this show; growth and honing your craft are essential — they keep the audience coming back for more,” he said. ” But another way I keep it fresh is through my own songwriting. My music has a retro sound.” He has a new album out of original material called “Fever Dream.”

Tickets to the May 25 “The Elvis In Me” show at Greenfield High School are available at ledoyt.com and will be sold at the door if still available.

Experience a unique blend of music and activism when singer-songwriter, jazz musician, activist, and teacher Pamela Means brings her “The Power of the Protest Song” show to Peskeompskut Park in Turners Falls on Saturday, May 18 from 4 to 6 p.m. This family-friendly event is free and will delve into the origin stories and lineages of protest songs. Mean’s show is a captivating mix of performance and presentation. It explores how protest songs have evolved, as well as their ongoing role in inspiring movements and cultural shifts toward racial and social justice.

Means will play music of artists like Woody Guthrie and Nina Simone alongside some of her originals. This show promises to be educational and entertaining. Did we mention it’s free?

So come enjoy one of the first outdoor concerts of the season. In case of rain, the rain date is May 19, 2 to 4 p.m.

This show is supported by The Montague Cultural Council, RiverCulture, and Greenfield Cooperative Bank.

More info is available at PamelaMeans.com.

Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at Soundslocal@yahoo.com.