FROM LEGO BRICKS TO THE KING'S HITS: An Interview With Jim Barone

If you see Jim Barone's name attached to a show, you're in for a treat! He's been in this industry and taking home first place trophies since 1993. It's been ten years since he competed in Memphis, but thanks to his win at the Niagara Falls Elvis Festival, Jim's in the running for the Ultimate title! Being an Elvis Tribute Artist is a full-time gig for Jim, and his calendar stays absolutely packed with regular shows, as well as a rather surprising career in…construction?

Jim has honestly always been a performer at heart. By the time he was just five years old, he was already putting on full-blown concerts for his parents right in the living room. Though, funnily enough, he wasn't channeling the King just yet—back then, he was busy belting out tracks by Meat Loaf and Styx. It wasn’t until he hit 15 that Elvis completely entered the building. He was hanging out at a friend's house when his friend's dad put on a record playing a little song called "Return to Sender." Jim was completely captivated and wanted to know exactly who was singing. His friend's dad looked at him in total shock and said, "You don't know the King of Rock and Roll?"

Well, of course Jim knew who Elvis was, but he couldn't believe that this incredible voice belonged to the same guy he was thinking of. That is one of the coolest things that stands out to Jim about Elvis's legacy. If you hear Frank Sinatra on the radio, you know within a single second that it’s Frank Sinatra. There is no doubt. But Elvis? The 1950s Elvis with that high, rockabilly, tinny voice sounds like a completely different human being compared to the deep, rich baritone of 1970s Elvis. Jim was so hooked that he immediately went out and bought a double-volume greatest hits album, and he never looked back.

Not long after, his uncle noticed his new obsession and convinced Jim to tag along to a local nightclub where an oldies band was playing, promising him he’d get the chance to jump on stage for a few songs. Jim gave it a shot and completely stunned the crowd—including the nightclub owner, who walked right up and wanted to know if Jim was for hire. Jim was just a teenager and couldn't wrap his head around it. This guy wanted to pay him to sing? Sign him up! After that night, word-of-mouth spread like wildfire, and his career just started snowballing.

Jim officially became an ETA during an era when doing this as a professional, full-time career wasn't really a mainstream thing yet. Around that time, a contest popped up in New Jersey advertising its very first Elvis festival, complete with a competition to crown the greatest Elvis in the entire state. Now, I can pretty confidently say that Jersey's finest was Jim, mostly because he went out and won the whole thing three years in a row! With that kind of stellar reputation under his belt, Jim was able to successfully transition his passion into a full-time career. He has spent the last few decades performing professionally all over the place, only entering a contest here and there when the mood struck. But when the pandemic hit and the entertainment world ground to a halt, Jim suddenly found himself with some free time. He started leaning into one of his favorite personal hobbies, which unexpectedly turned into a literal job offer.

Jim: I work part time for the Lego group.

Me:  WHAT?!?!

Jim: I've always enjoyed Legos. It's stress relief for me. I'll put on a movie on my laptop and build a set. I was friendly with the manager of the store and she said "Jim, why don't you work for me?" I can't work retail! I'm a musician, I'm singing Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. She said "let's make it work." And I've been there almost six years.

Me: Seriously, that's got to be so much fun! And I imagine you get an employee discount?

Jim: I do.

Me: -jealous groan- WHAT'S YOUR COOLEST LEGO SET?!

Jim: Well, it'd have to be the $850 Millennium Falcon. I can't even show you how big it is, my arms don't reach.

Me: -even louder jealous groan- I'VE ALWAYS WANTED THAT ONE!

Um, Jim and I clearly need to become absolute best friends right this second. We both have a massive love for Star Wars, and get this—he hasn't even assembled that giant Millennium Falcon yet! But honestly, he has a pretty fantastic excuse. He is currently in the process of building the ultimate man-cave. And let me tell you, this isn't just some dusty corner in a basement with a recliner. This thing is going to be a completely separate structure on his property dedicated to all his coolest memorabilia, complete with full theater seating for family movie nights and epic parties.

Jim: It should be done by the time I'm 85. I have a bunch of plans but I've got to save up for it. It's gonna be pretty expensive, but it would be gorgeous.

Me: I hope so, because your wife might make you live in it!

If you are new around here, you should probably know that I have the absolute attention span of a fly. I am easily distracted by fun topics and these things tend to go off the rails. I was already completely off-track talking about Legos, but the second we crossed over into Star Wars territory? Forget about it, I was a total goner. After a lengthy, highly crucial discussion about man-caves, building sets, and exactly where he stands on the Star Wars prequels—for the record, Jim genuinely loves them all, whereas I am strictly an original trilogy gal myself—I somehow managed to steer the ship back around and get this interview back on track.

The real reason I love doing these interviews, as silly and wonderfully off-topic as they can get sometimes, is because I want to share the genuine story of the actual human being behind the tribute. Jim can tell you how many competitions he's entered or what his absolute favorite jumpsuit is. But my goal at the end of the day is to tell you exactly who Jim is when the jumpsuit comes off.

First and foremost, Jim Barone is a family man through and through. His family is his absolute everything, and he has been incredibly lucky to have their unwavering support from the very first day he stepped onto a stage. In fact, Jim's mom was actually the one who bought him his very first stage jumpsuits! Today, his busy household includes his wonderful wife, two kids, and two adorable goldendoodles. Between managing sports, booking Elvis gigs, working his Lego job, and traveling for weekend shows, his schedule stays pretty beautifully chaotic.

Interestingly enough, Jim's son has actually found his very own spot in the digital limelight, though it looks a little bit different than his dad's stage shows. I honestly had no idea this was a real thing that existed, but Jim's son is a full-blown fishing influencer with over 200,000 followers! Which, naturally, led me down a total rabbit hole of self-reflection. Is there such a thing as an Elvis influencer? Am I technically an Elvis influencer? Not to brag or anything, but I do have about 200 followers on my page. I mean, okay, I might be missing quite a few zeroes compared to Jim's son, but hey, you never know where the internet will take us!

Of course, a conversation with a seasoned veteran like Jim wouldn't be complete without asking about wild fan experiences. Luckily for his sanity, Jim's stories are relatively mild compared to some of the craziness out there, though he did tell me about a hilarious streak of seven different shows where an elderly lady managed to sneak up and pinch his backside. Hey, at least he’s been lucky enough to dodge the overzealous fans trying to play a game of tonsil hockey mid-song! He still gets the occasional pair of panties thrown onto the stage during his sets, but he just takes it all in stride with a laugh.

So, what kind of real-world advice does Jim have for the aspiring tribute artists out there looking to make their mark? First things first: make sure your people skills are completely up to par. Jim admits that he wasn't super outgoing when he first started out in the business. Because he was on the quiet side, a lot of his fellow Elvis competitors mistakenly thought he was being standoffish, arrogant, and unfriendly. Once they actually got to know him, though, they quickly realized he wasn't anything like the vibe he was accidentally putting off!

Jim: The problem is, if you don't say much, people are going to say whatever they assume about you. So talk to everybody and say hi, and make yourself accessible. Once I started doing that, everything was fine! Also show everybody who you are as an Elvis fan, and show them that Elvis comes first.

Since Jim has successfully made a lifelong career out of this, I took the opportunity to really pick his brain about the less glamorous, behind-the-scenes side of being a full-time independent entertainer. One of those massive topics that is incredibly important but almost never talked about in artistic circles is insurance and financial stability.

Jim: I'm married, and my wife covers the insurance for the family, that's a big help. I also put in enough years as an electrician that I'll have retirement income from that. You can't just do this with no insurance, look for outside plans for self-employed people. You're not going to find an Elvis job where you're getting a 401K and benefits, so make sure you have those set up. If you do it the right way, you can do this. I've been busy my entire career, I have shows all the time. If you're good and you put in the work, you can do this full time.

Another massive pro-tip from Jim's playbook? Invest in a genuinely good, professional website. If a venue or a private client wants to book you for an event, they are not going to want to spend their afternoon chasing down your Facebook, your YouTube, your Instagram, and your TikTok just to figure out how to send an inquiry. You can absolutely use those social platforms to market yourself and post fun clips, sure, but having a centralized, professional website makes a night-and-day difference. It allows a client to go to one single spot to view high-quality performance videos, look at photos, grab booking information, and see everything they could possibly need to decide if they want to hire you. Jim also noted that if your schedule is picking up and you can realistically afford it, hiring a dedicated promoter is an absolute game-changer. Hiring a promoter means you have someone whose literal full-time job is to get your name out there into the world. They have the right industry connections, they know how to bypass the brutal social media algorithms to get you maximum visibility, and they handle the heavy lifting of marketing so you can focus entirely on what you do best—putting on an unforgettable show.

Chatting with Jim was an absolute blast, and it is so easy to see why he has enjoyed such amazing longevity in this business. He has got that perfect mix of powerhouse talent, real-world business savvy, and a totally grounded personality that makes you feel like you’ve known him for years. Whether he’s building a massive Lego set, mapping out his dream man-cave, or gearing up to take on the best of the best in Memphis, Jim brings a genuine heart to everything he does. I know I’m going to be cheering him on big time when he steps onto that Ultimate stage this year, and honestly, I have a feeling he's going to completely rock it. Thank you so much, Jim, for taking the time to share your journey, your hard-earned wisdom, and your inner nerd with me—and hey, if you ever need a hand unboxing that Millennium Falcon, you know exactly where to find me!

Jim's website

Jim Barone is an award winning Elvis Tribute Artist and the man that brings Elvis Presley's voice to life.

Jim's tribute spans the Presley catalog keeping true to the sound, passion, and style that encompassed Elvis as an entertainer. The result is a natural performance, without cliche, that embodies the soulful sensuality, the playful swagger, the humor, and the complete command of the audience.

Jim began entertaining as a teenager who excelled at musical theatre. During the same period he became an instant Elvis fan after hearing "Return to Sender". The two passions came together and Jim's E.T.A. career was launched by a simple request to perform at an Oldies Show. Since then Jim has entertained fans throughout the U.S. and abroad. Most importantly, Jim has built lifelong friendships and fans through the mutual love of Elvis and his music.