THE DUCHARME CHARM: An Interview With Jackson DuCharme
At the Illinois Elvis Festival, I was doing my thing, chasing down every pair of sideburns and black pompadours in sight, when I saw a young man in a blue jumpsuit. Like a networking shark, I made my way over to him and introduced myself. His girlfriend, Anessa, was with him, and we began chatting.
Imagine my surprise later that day when they introduced a talented young man onstage and Jackson walked out. He sang a duet with Cote Deonath and completely blew my mind! My jaw hit the floor and I couldn't wait to talk to him. Since Anessa and I live near each other, we actually conducted this interview in person while Jackson was staying with her family. It was so much fun getting to chat with these two and learn all about Jackson, who is SIXTEEN, which still blows my mind.
As soon as we began, I already had a question burning that I desperately needed to ask.
Me: Is that your real last name? DuCharme?
Jackson: Yes.
Okay, it's totally unfair that I have a boring last name like West when somebody like Jackson gets DUCHARME! I assumed it was a stage name. Now that that question was out of the way, we got into how he became an Elvis fan.
Jackson's been a fan of the King for as long as he can remember and had a guitar pretty much from the moment he could hold one. His grandfather played guitar, and Jackson would always play his whenever he visited. On a holiday shopping trip, Jackson found a little guitar-shaped Christmas ornament with a picture of Elvis on it that played "Hound Dog." (I still have some of those myself—my dad had several that we collected!) Well, Jackson was immediately obsessed with the ornament, and his grandparents bought it for him. And when I say obsessed, I mean it.
Jackson: I used to go over there and play it non-stop, so much that I was needing new batteries all the time. Eventually I brought it home.
Me: Your grandparents were probably like, "Please take it with you."
Naturally, the ornament fueled Jackson's love of Elvis, and he knew he'd be a lifelong fan. Up until a few years ago, that's where he thought his love of Elvis would end—and then he learned about the world of ETAs.
Jackson loved singing and his mom would sometimes post videos. People started pointing out that Jackson was pretty good, and his parents realized that this wasn't just a hobby. A family friend connected them with an ETA named Tommy T. Tommy T took Jackson under his wing and let him sing at some of his shows. Then he began introducing Jackson to the world of ETAs and contests. At his first contest, he took home first place in the youth division at the age of 13 at the Empire State Tribute Festival. It snowballed after that.
Jackson decided it was time to get serious about this. But where do you begin? First, he had to decide which era of Elvis he wanted to do. Because of his young age, a lot of people suggested the 50s, but Jackson's always been more of a 70s guy. It helps that he has the deeper vocal range for it, too! So he got his first jumpsuit—a white concho—and began performing. He still performs with Tommy T occasionally, but what he'd really love is to have his own band to do his own headlining shows. As he began picking up steam with guest appearances and festivals, people began talking about him. And one of those people was Cote Deonath.
Jackson: I met him for the first time at Tupelo this year. He'd actually heard of me. I said I was going to be in Illinois and he said he'd love to get me onstage. Well, that would be an amazing opportunity, and I couldn't say no to that! I thought it would be a small thing, like maybe I'd get to sing at the after party or he'd call me up out of the audience to sing a song. Then he said he wanted me to be in the show with him and Dean Z. I got all freaked out- WHAT?! It never crossed my mind that I would be in a show with him and Dean Z or any of the other things that happened that day. I never dreamed I'd get to hang out with Cote and Dean backstage.
Me: JEALOUS.
Jackson: I was so nervous to get on that stage. I woke up and I was like "my hair needs to be perfect nothing can go wrong and my voice can't have any cracks!"
Me: You looked like you belonged on that stage. You looked comfortable, like you do this all the time!
Jackson: It changes once I get up there, then I feel a little more comfortable. But this was the biggest audience I've ever performed in front of. Cote told me he wanted me to sing in the show with him and Dean and said "that one's probably going to be sold out because of Dean."
Me: I'm sure that helped your nerves.
Jackson admits that he can be a little shy and gets nervous in front of a crowd. I'm sure he appreciated me throwing my hand in the air and yelling "JACKSON WILL SING!" at one of the after-parties!
I had to ask—how do his friends feel about his unusual hobby? At first, they thought it was funny. They were picturing Jackson walking around high school permanently with a black pompadour, giant sunglasses, and a cape. Once they realized that this was a serious pursuit—and heard how talented he is—they got really interested.
Despite singing with some of the best ETAs in the business to sold-out crowds, Jackson's age presents another challenge: school. How do you balance being a student and traveling to these festivals and doing shows? It's hard to keep his absences down. Luckily, his teachers are pretty understanding about it (and probably think it's awesome). I'm just imagining that conversation: "Could I get an extension on my paper? I have to travel across the country and sing Elvis songs this weekend." But Jackson knows his education is still his top priority—he takes honors and AP classes and works hard to keep his grades up. He wants to make sure he gets a solid education and eventually a good job, so that he has a backup.
I wanted to cheer like a Family Feud contestant: "GOOD ANSWER, GOOD ANSWER!" I was glad to see he's realistic about an ETA career.
Of course, it's not an unusual hobby to everyone—take his girlfriend, Anessa. When we first met back in Illinois, she looked at me and asked, "You're from Paducah, right?" I froze. I'm not typically recognized at these things, but she didn't look like a stalker or an axe murderer, so I said, "Yeeeees?" Shockingly, she was also from Paducah! I NEVER meet anyone from my local area! When people hear "Kentucky," they usually think of bourbon and racehorses, but Anessa and I are from what I affectionately refer to as the "corn" part of the state.
It turns out Anessa and I were already Facebook friends, and Jackson had actually commented on a post about the festival hoping to meet me. My brain can be a little slow on the uptake, so I didn't connect the dots initially, but I'm so glad we connected! We chatted during our interview, and Anessa told me that the Elvis movie with Austin Butler was what introduced her to the world of Elvis. And just like me, her first professional ETA performance was in Paducah watching Shawn Klush. Her concert also featured Riley Jenkins, someone she's said has become more like family. Then she was hooked! She got more into the ETA world, made friends, and eventually connected with Jackson online. Virtual sparks flew, and eventually they began dating long distance.
There's something to be said about the way that Elvis connects people. The man has been dead almost 50 years, yet through his music he connected two young people in completely different parts of the country. How amazing is that? When you think about all the friendships, marriages, and even BABIES that have happened because of a shared love of Elvis, it's mind-blowing. I'm not sure that anyone else has a legacy like that.
Jackson’s dedication to spreading joy, honoring the King, and lifting up everyone around him is what this community is all about. From taking his childhood love of Elvis and transforming that passion into remarkable performances alongside the biggest names in the business, Jackson exemplifies the spirit of talent, humility, and respect that Elvis Presley stood for. It’s an absolute privilege to share his story, and I know this is just the beginning of a fantastic journey for him.
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