The King of Kindness: Why Randy Travis Will Help You Tie Your Belt (and Sweat on Your Scarf)
- Allie West
- Jan 6
- 10 min read
I sat down with Randy Travis (yes, like the country singer, and yes, he gets that a lot) and his wife Lana. We discussed cosplay, the unpredictability of nursing home performances, and his five most important tips for paying tribute to the King.
Me: So there’s not really a non-creepy way to say I was researching you (read: light facebook stalking) before this interview and saw that you’re a cosplayer! So when you cosplay, you’re portraying a fictional character. When you’re Elvis, you’re portraying a real man who became a legend. Does that feel a little different?
Randy: A little different. I feel like there’s more of a responsibility to portray them more accurately. Whereas with cosplay, you might mix Batman and a different character to create your own variation.
Me: I don’t know, I think BatElvis would be pretty cool. I bet somebody’s done it. (Shockingly, I didn’t find anyone when I looked. Somebody’s gotta take on the challenge now.)
So tell me how you got into being a tribute artist. Did somebody just say “hey, you know what? I think you could do this.”
Randy: I had somebody look at me and ask if I could do it. I was at a little local peach festival and one of the retirement homes brought a shuttleload of residents. One of the ladies saw me and said “hey, you kind of look like Elvis. Can you sing like him?” I told her “only in the shower.” But I kind of put my foot in my mouth. I made a promise that if she got her facility to ask me to come, I would come do a show. Ever since then, I’ve been trucking along with it.
Me: So did you think you could kind of sing as Elvis?
Randy: Oh no, absolutely not.
Me: Tell me about that first performance, the one that made you put your foot in your mouth. How’d that go?
Randy: It was nerve wracking. It was the best and worst moment of my life. Leading up to it? Absolute horror. I didn’t know many songs, I knew “Can’t help falling in love” by memory. I didn’t have a decent sound system, just a six string guitar, a music stand, and a bunch of printed off lyric sheets. It was the most stale show you’ve ever seen, but those people lit up, because someone was there spending time with them. It made me realize that I want to do this, and I want to do this better.
Me: So why do you think Elvis still resonates with so many people today? The man has been dead almost fifty years, but his fanbase is as devoted as ever. There are new tribute artists every day and contests all around the world. Why do you think that is?
Randy: Well there’s never been anyone, and I don’t think there will ever be anyone who can sing as good as Elvis Presley. He may not have written his own music, but every song he sang, he sang from the heart. It doesn’t matter if the song is a hundred years old, if you sang it from the heart, the people listening are going to feel that and be able to tell.
Me: So do you have a favorite song to perform, and a favorite song over all?
Randy: Those two are vastly different. My favorite song to perform is “Way Down.” But my personal favorite overall is “Can’t help falling in love.”
Me: Mine as well! Every time I hear that song, I swoon. Is there a lesser known Elvis song you wish more people knew about?
Lana: Pocketful of Rainbows.
Randy: I’m learning that song, Austin Pugh does it really well!
Me: Lana, since you’re here, I’ve gotta ask: what’s it like being an ETA wife? Are you just ready to go all the time, with hair gel and a sewing kit?
Lana: If I’m there, I’m always ready. I’m the list person, so I make sure he has what he needs and that everything is packed. One of the things I get asked most as an ETA wife is if I get jealous. Personally, I don’t. I trust my husband. We have an agreement.
Me: So have you had any overzealous fans?
Randy: -embarrassed laugh- A few. They’re very nice, but a little TOO nice.
The fans that are too nice are in a place you wouldn’t expect. Or, if you’re in this business, you absolutely expect it: The nursing homes.
One of the aspects of a live performance that can make or break it is the energy of the crowd. Having a low energy crowd can feel a bit like a sinking ship, but this doesn’t mean you should avoid those performances. I mentioned that nursing homes must be especially challenging.
Randy: You know, I tell all the young ETAs that the best training ground is a nursing home or a facility like that. If that crowd is dead, you have to somehow give them your energy. You always have to put yourself out there. But there’s been several times when I’ve gone there feeling blue and their energy will pick me up. I’ve had some pretty rowdy nursing homes.
Me: I would like to hear more about these rowdy nursing homes.
Lana: I get so tickled when he gets someone at a show that just DOESN’T like him. Because they’ll let him know, and it’s always with things like sticking out their tongues. They either love you or they hate you, and they’re not afraid to let you know that.
Randy: As for the rowdiest nursing home, I’ve gotta share this story. It was in my early years, so I didn’t have a nice suit made with a leather belt. I had a belt that I’d made out of cosplay materials, EVA foam. I was up there gyrating and doing my thing. The belt breaks, and they start whooping. I just stopped and said “Sweetheart, this ain’t that kind of show.” One of them came up with their rollator and handed me a dollar bill.
Me: Did you take it?
Randy: I just tucked it into my shirt and kept going.
Lana: My favorite moment was when he was handing out scarves and a lady yelled “I want one with your sweat on it!”
Randy: I gave out a scarf and I was a little sweaty. But I was really sweaty by the time I did another scarf song, so it was pretty wet. The first lady saw and complained that I didn’t put enough on hers. She started a chain reaction, and everyone was holding their scarves out for more sweat. I just went down the line and blotted my forehead on each one.
The sweaty scarves. WHY do people want them soaked in sweat? Why do they SPECIFICALLY REQUEST the sweatiest scarf possible?! Listen, I love Elvis, and I love tribute artists, but I’m perfectly fine with you handing me a sweat-free scarf. Honestly, if you try to hand me a sweat soaked scarf, I’m gonna take that thing and hold it like a hand grenade.
Me: You’re lucky all your makeup doesn’t come off on the scarves. On that note, how long does it take you to go from Randy to Elvis?
Randy: About an hour, if I’m really taking the time to do it. But if it’s a smaller show with less stage lighting, I just kind of do Randy with less problems.
When I asked about makeup recommendations, he had this to say:
Randy: It’s sort of like what my momma told me about jumpsuits. It’s not the jumpsuit that makes the man. It’s the man that makes the jumpsuit. With makeup, you can have fantastic products, but if you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s not going to go over well.
We discussed the infamous jumpsuits and I asked him what his go-to look was. For Randy, it’s 1972 Elvis with a powder blue suit. 70’s Elvis is the era he feels most connected to. I asked him why that was.
Randy: The very first time I saw Elvis was through the window of a Mexican restaurant here in Tupelo. I didn’t know who he was, but I saw this gorgeous looking man with this incredible powder blue cape. That’s the image that’s always stuck with me. I thought he was the king of Tupelo.
Me: I mean, basically. It depends on who you ask.
Randy: I’m not Elvis and I never will be, but we share certain traits. The way I dress is VERY Elvis. I love anything flashy. Usually something with sequins.
Lana: The only problem is that if he’s dressed up at one of the after parties or something, I have to match him. Girls understand it: you can’t outdress me.
Me: Speaking of after parties, which sound fantastic and I TOTALLY wanna go to one of those, what’s that like?
Randy: For me, I’m both an introvert and an extrovert. If you’re an extrovert, it’s great right off the bat. But for me, I look for the people that look just as miserable as me. I go and talk to them and say “You look like you’re wondering where your people are. Hi, I’m Randy.”
I must admit that, at this point in the interview, I lost my professionalism because Randy retrieved their dog. She’s 16 and blind, her name is Lucy, and I love her.
I asked Randy about his day job, and somehow Elvis manages to fit into that too. Randy works with medical equipment and, while he isn’t on the road anymore, used to deliver wheelchairs to patients. Some patients that were uncooperative didn’t want to get into their chairs, so Randy would use his charm and Elvis abilities and sing to them to cooperate. Or, if they weren’t fans, he told them he’d stop once they got in the chair. Is that not the most adorable thing ever? Eventually patients began asking when Elvis would be coming back. Elvis has a way of connecting people through all walks of life and I think that’s part of the reason his legacy lives on.
Me: So how many competitions have you done?
Lana: At least eight. He placed in the top ten at four.
Randy: My first time competing was in Tupelo, which was a professional contest. Then I competed in Memphis. They had a non-pro and a pro competition. I didn’t know which one to pick, so I just jumped in and went with Pro.
Me: What are the guidelines for something like that? Is it based on the number of jumpsuits you own? Blinginess of the jewelry?
Randy: I’d say if you’ve never competed and there’s a non-pro option, start there. I was afraid it was going to be people in halloween costumes, but those contestants in the non-pro section were incredible.
Me: So have you made friends at the competitions or is it too competitive?
Randy: A bit of both. I’ve been at contests where people will ask you to help with an article of clothing like belts. Some people won’t help because that could potentially get them points in the contest, but I don’t wanna win like that. I believe in helping somebody. Really and truthfully, we’re all competitive, we all want to win. But even if I don’t, I want my friends to win. I’m proud of everybody, even if we haven’t really connected. I’m happy for you.
Me: And that’s one of my favorite aspects of these competitions, the community. You meet these people and you’re all here for the same reason: to celebrate the legacy of the King of rock and roll.
Randy: And if you asked him, Elvis would help you tie your belt.
As our interview came to a close, I asked Randy what his advice to aspiring ETAs would be. Randy had a five point guideline.
Check your ego at the door. A lot of guys start out and they think they’re there already, they’re on top of it. Even if you’ve been doing it for 20 or 30 years, check your ego.
Remember WHY you’re doing it. You’re doing it because you love Elvis and want to carry on his legacy.
Go to nursing homes. Be kind, do some charity shows, get your feet wet. Shows are your best way to practice.
Don’t blow a bunch of money right at the start. Start out with some puffy shirts or a cool belt. Work on your craft before getting a fancy jumpsuit. To quote his earlier point, it’s not the jumpsuit that makes the man, but the man that makes the jumpsuit.
Don’t be afraid to buy used. Make buddies and they’ll help you out. Randy provided some excellent links to find used Elvis costume pieces, and I’ll share those below. He also had a recommendation for a shirtmaker, which I’ll share as well.
I asked Randy what we can expect from him this year. He’s going to be doing a lot of contests! He wants to get more shows on the books outside of the Tupelo area. As for parting words of wisdom, he had this to say.
Randy: My number one rule? Be kind. Have fun. Remember why you’re doing this.
In a world that can feel pretty cynical, there’s something beautiful about a man who uses his "Elvis powers" to help medical patients into their chairs and blots his forehead on scarves just to make a stranger smile. Being a tribute artist isn’t about being a perfect copy of Elvis. It’s about being the kind of person Elvis was- someone who helps you tie your belt, someone who sings from the heart, and someone who makes the world feel a little more "flashy." So, here’s to the introverts, the extroverts, and everyone in between who is brave enough to put on the jumpsuit and share their energy to keep a legacy alive.
Randy Travis (Sanders) is a Mississippi native residing in Tupelo, MS with his wife, niblings (nieces and nephews) , and many pets. Randy has been performing as a professional ETA since 2023 when he competed in his first ETA contest. Randy has placed in the top 10 at multiple contests including the Cape Cod Tribute Festival, the Louisiana Bayou King Festival, and the Annual Windy City ETA Contest. Randy’s favorite part of being an ETA is seeing the faces in the audience, especially those who were able to see Elvis himself. If he can see their eyes light up with memories then he knows he did his job well. Randy enjoys paying tribute to other legends such as Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Sr., and of course, his namesake, Randy Travis. In his free time, Randy enjoys doing charity work, working on his classic cars, playing video games, and spending time with his family and friends, especially his wife.
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