‘I’m all shook up ...’

PRINCETON —He’s got the white jumpsuit, the sideburns and the voice. For Doug “Elvis” Chesney of Princeton, impersonating Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, has developed into second nature for him.

Sitting in the kitchen of his home, Chesney said he goes back a long ways as an Elvis fan. Growing up in Princeton, Chesney knew all the Elvis songs and sang along to them in the privacy of his room. While everyone else was listening to rocker Led Zeppelin, he was listening to Elvis.

But for Chesney, singing was definitely a private thing. He didn’t take choir in high school or do any other singing in front of others. In fact, he didn’t become interested in impersonating Elvis until about five years ago when he saw an Elvis impersonator at a family birthday party. Listening to that singer, Chesney was certain he could do a better job.

But impersonating Elvis Presley is not an inexpensive undertaking, Chesney said.

At first, he decided to get started with a “cheap” Elvis suit, which cost about $400. Since then, he’s upgraded to a $1,200 suit, made to showcase the Las Vegas-years Elvis. Chesney buys his costumes from a specialty business out of Tennessee which uses Elvis’ original patterns. In time, Chesney would like to get another Elvis suit, but some suits cost as much as $5,000.

In the earlier days, Chesney used a cheaper Elvis wig but has since upgraded to a $1,200 wig, with $200 sideburns. Wigs can cost up to $2,000.

Dressing like Elvis is a big industry, Chesney said.

There’s also been the financial investment into sound equipment for Chesney. A vocal enhancer, which cost about $2,000, does the mixing of music and gives the live performance sound. He also needed to buy speakers and other equipment, including background music.

Though he’s bought the Elvis look and sound equipment background, the Elvis voice is all his own, Chesney said. He perfected his Elvis sound by practicing several hours a day.

Though his vocals have been praised as very Elvis-like, Chesney said he has no illusions about his dance moves. Those certainly are not like Elvis, at least in his younger years. The tassels on Chesney’s Elvis suit help camouflage some of his moves.