HONOLULU (KHON2) — He’s been channeling the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll for decades. Now a Wahiawa-born Elvis tribute artist is heading to Graceland, chasing a title to prove he’s the best thing since Elvis left the building.
Johnny Fortuno has been shaking, rattling and rolling as Elvis for over 30 years. He got his start in 1994 thanks to a night of karaoke and a love for Elvis tunes. A friend told him he sounded like the King so Fortuno took a few vocal lessons and brought in a CD of himself singing to his teacher to get some pointers.
“She says, ‘That’s not you,’” he explained. “And I go, No, that’s me. She goes, ‘No, that’s Elvis.’ And I go, no, that’s me singing.”
The vocal coach sent him a few doors down to a small entertainment company called Ebb Tides Production that was looking for an Elvis impersonator.
Fortuno said he walked out the door and ran into Tony Roy, one of the top Elvis impersonators in Hawaii at the time.
“That started me on that whole road,” Fortuno said. “One thing just led to another.”
Fortuno credits Tony Roy for taking him under his wing and being a support and mentor.
“We became good friends and I looked up to him,” he said.
That, as they say, is history. He’s donned the iconic jumpsuit ever since in shows from Waikiki and across the globe.
In late May, Fortuno beat-out 40 other competitors in the 2025 Vegas Elvis Fest in Las Vegas, earning a spot in the semifinals of this years Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest in Memphis at Graceland.
This is the second time he’s qualified for the contest. He won the qualifying round in 2011 and made it to the top 10 of the world competition before being cut.
Fortuno compared the contest to a sporting event, with stiff competition and fans cheering on their favorites.
As a local boy, he’s proud to be representing the eighth and ninth islands.
“I’m the only guy that I know of from here that has headlined Las Vegas and been around the world and in country, in different shows. There’s never been somebody that was actually from here, that was in the league of like, Jonathan Von Brana, who came from ‘Legends’, or Tony Roy. Those are the two guys that were on this island that actually did it at that level or caliber, that they made a living doing it,” Fortuno explained. “I feel like it would be a great thing, just being from Hawaii, to kind of put our stamp on that, that thing, you know. I mean, we are the southern most state in the union.”
The Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest takes place August 8th and 9th during Elvis week at Graceland. Fortuno said they are judged on their look, stage presence and most importantly their vocal ability.
Fortuno said the contest is streamed live.
For more information on the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest click here. You can support Johnny Fortuno by following him on Instagram @johnny_fortuno_hi_life_