ARIK CHRISTOPHER... HIS RISING FAME! Although I have not had the pleasure of meeting Arik Christopher, I have had the enjoyment of receiving enlightening and wonderful emails from and about him. It isnt hard to read the humbleness in his words and read the thoughtful gentle way he has with his fans. His on-line egroup shows a constant source of admiration and dedication to this young Southern boy. Arik has quickly gathered followers, fans and friends during his short journey into the ETA world; its his constant attention that keeps his fans happy! He wont let you down, he has vowed to remain indebted to his fans, and wont let them go by the wayside. If you stand beside Arik, you can bet he will be beside you- all the way. Being that Arik is only in the beginning stages of his career as an ETA; he is still easily accessible and speaks a great deal with his friends and fans. But I wouldnt expect the beginning stages to last long; I think that this young man is going to become very very busy! I do believe that he will be as eager to be close to his fans as much as possible though, but when the rise to the top starts its pull- we will have to ease up on him a bit! Arik is a busy hard working young man who loves his mother dearly, who faithfully takes care of his family and friends and devotes as much time possible to his fan following. I can plainly see that the road he travels on will be pleasurable, simply because he keeps the best things in life in the right perspective! I wish you all the best in your career as an ETA, just remember these words... Son, dont let your head get to big, or it will break your neck... :o) Take good Care Arik, and all the best to your future. Dont forget I want a copy of your first CD! ********************************* Heres a little story from our very own Cortney! It was a sweltering hot Indiana afternoon and the Follow That Dream Elvis Festival & Images of the King Regional Contest prelims were about to begin. Numbers had been drawn, and Arik Christopher was slated to go on second. His Gold Lame jacket glimmering in the sunlight, glossed back ebony hair, and deep set baby blue eyes, the whole package reminiscent of the young Elvis Presley. Stepping on stage in front of a sea of faces, his occasionally jumbled nerves relatively at ease for once, guitar slung across his shoulder, he broke into Rip It Up. The crowd, not knowing who he was before the contest, certainly wouldnt forget him after that! From the electricity of his voice, down to the swivel of his hips, women approached the stage right and left. This mustve done the trick and really paid off, as he found himself a finalist in his very first contest and front page in the newspaper the very next day! Steadily Ariks fan base has continued to grow by leaps and bounds, and its easy to see why. At the tent in Memphis, this past August, just walking from the car to the tent, many approached him, even before he took the stage! After his performance down the road from the Kings beloved home, he was approached by dozens more, even one who proclaimed that watching Arik was the first time she ever felt she was in the presence of the young Elvis Presley. Looking back on November of 2001, when I first had the pleasure of meeting Arik, I remember him being nervous and not yet an established ETA. He had not yet done a performance of any kind, and already had a fan base growing. From the moment I met him, I knew why. He possessed a very approachable nature, polite and soft-spoken demeanor, and natural southern charm. He always makes time for those that are there supporting him, and goes out of his way to make everyone feel like a part of his life. To get to know more about Arik Christopher, the entertainer and the man, visit his website and step into his world in the interview below! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Arik, where exactly are you from? I was born in Tampa, Florida; but I have lived in Atlanta, Georgia ever since I was 6 years old, and though I love Florida, I dont think Id ever be able to comfortably leave Georgia behind. Is there anyone else in your immediate family that is in the entertainment business? No, but before I was born my Mom had the chance to work with Porter Wagner; who was a country-western singer. He had pulled her up onstage and was impressed with her voice and later approached her to think about working alongside him. Mr. Wagner was the man who got Dolly Parton her start. My father didnt like the idea, so my Mom didnt pursue it further, but it was always something that has bothered her a little in her life. Has there been someone that has been guiding you along the ETA road? I have been very fortunate to have found a real friend and mentor in ETA David Lee from Birmingham, Alabama. He helped give me my start by letting me have my first stage experience at his Elvis in Dixieland contest just as a guest. I was terrified, and he knew that, but he had faith that Id come through. I dont know how I did it, but I survived, and hes been my Master Yoda ever since. J Just how long have you been an Elvis Fan? Well, this is different. I used to actually dislike Elvis as a child. He was just someone my Mom liked and my peers made fun of. As I got older, I learned how to think for myself without the opinions of my friends and I realized that Elvis had once been young, just like me. That drew me into renting some of his movies and picking up some books. I discovered Elvis on my own, and now hes all over my house! When did you decide that being an Elvis Tribute Artist would be part of your career? It wasnt after my stage debut, I can tell you that! I was so terrified at that point that I truly thought Id never be able to do it. But the response from people and the overwhelming support has been so strong that it feels right to follow this path. When I learned that I had won the respect of person who didnt even like ETAs, that was when I felt I had the ability to do something right for the career and most importantly, for Elvis Presley. What were the first steps you took to start on the road to being an ETA? The first and best steps I took on this road were the steps that took me up the stage at Elvis in Dixieland to stand in front of the microphone. Without THAT day, I could not have known my abilities. Being an ETA at this point, are you planning on doing that for the rest of your life, or do you have other career goals and aspirations? My goals, which are actually quickly being realized, is to perform my own music and still pay homage to Elvis Presley. Do you have another job, or other work at the present time? I work full time for a police and firefighter uniform supply company. What goals did you have at the beginning of your career, and how have they changed since your involvement in the ETA world? At the beginning of my involvement in the ETA world, being an ETA was how I thought I could matter most; but Ive actually seen other ways to make a difference for Elvis memory and legacy. Working with charities is very important to me, and Ive dedicated myself to working closely with a charity called Huggz From Heaven. My goal is to show that ETAs can make a real difference. Ive read that you have been told many times in your life that you resembled Elvis Presley when he was young. Did you think that you resembled him?  I was told that even when I was very young, but keep in mind, I didnt like Elvis back then, so I used to hate hearing it. Now, it is a very high compliment, and I am very thankful that God felt gracious enough to bless me..but I still tell everyone that I look like my Mom. Because I do! You obviously portray the young fifties Elvis, do you get any static from friends or acquaintances about your look? My friends have known me for years, so they know Ive got no choice but to look this way, so to them its just me. Ive never gotten static from anyone about my look..its just how I look. Do you think that after a few years that you will move up the Elvisage ladder, and start doing the 60s and subsequently the 70s? Actually, Im 27 now and people keep mistaking me for 16, but I really do hope one day Ill look old enough to pull off the 70s era.that would really be awesome to me! Other then the Elvis- Look what else do you feel you have in common with the King? Well, I was raised dirt poor in a two room shotgun shack.but it was in Florida and the shack was pink. LOL (Hey, its a Florida thing) Ive been told a lot of other things I have in common with Elvis by people who knew him well; but I also know Im very close to my Mom and Im very shy even though I wont hesitate to speak my mind. If you were reading about yourself, what do you think it would say? I think it would say that Im honest, probably nice to a fault, hot-tempered when Im angry, forgiving, a professional perfectionist, a friend for life, and that I try to do my best to keep Elvis legacy unsullied. Is there anything or anyone that you would definitely consider a true inspiration? My Mom. She deals with so much in her life.she still feels the need to protect me and my brother even though we grew up a long time ago; she holds down two jobs and is physically handicapped and facing total and complete deafness due to Men Eires disease. She has always been my best friend and is the strongest, most beautiful woman on the planet. She is living proof that you can do anything no matter what your obstacle. Nobody can tell me I cant do something. Because my Mom has shown me that anything is possible. How many contests have you been in, and what was the reaction? I have been in one contest, the Follow That Dream Festival and Images of The King Regional Contest in Plymouth, Indiana. I had only been singing in front of crowds for a few weeks, and the crowd reaction here was amazing for me. I made Finals in this contest and was even featured in two editions of the newspaper with a full color picture which thrilled me. The experience of that trip to Plymouth was something else, and Id never trade the memories I made there.  Do you plan on having a show eventually and traveling with the Elvis Act? Actually that is being worked on very seriously right now, and looking good. What are your future career plans? I have many things cooking in the pot right now which are really exciting for me.so Im just going to ask ya to stay tuned... How far have you had to travel now because of your career? Wow. Before this I never left Georgia except to visit family in Florida. Now Ive seen Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi and looking forward to seeing Canada! Have you had any singing lessons or vocal training in the past, or is your voice just a natural? Ive never had a singing lesson; the singing ability that I have is like my look, it comes straight from my Mom! What kind of practice do you do now, how many hours, etc? Since I work full time and even sometimes on weekends I take what I can get as far as practice. I end up singing in the car a lot! What is the typical reaction when people find out what you do for a living? Does it bother you at all? Most people think its really cool; no one has said anything bad to me about it. Ive told people whove looked at me afterwards and saidYeah, I can see it. We all go through bumps and motions in our working worlds, but being an entertainer you always find yourself at the mercy to public scrutiny. What would you say that the biggest challenge has been so far? The only thing Ive ever experienced that I consider to be public scrutiny was during Elvis Week with two negative remarks I got from anti-ETA folks in Tupelo and on EP Boulevard because I was in a sport coat. Ive heard people get that for wearing a jumpsuit, but a sport coat is something everyday people wear in the world. It was a little strange for me because Im not used to a negative reaction, but both of these moments became a plus for me, because in both places I was approached by MANY more true Elvis fans who appreciated me and were touched in some way by my appearance. We all have something that people remember us by the most, what is yours? What do you think people will remember most about you? For people who dont know me and see me only in passing, I think its the look that they will remember most.but I hope that people who watch me or know me will remember that Im a good person, that I have faults but I try my hardest, that I never claim to be something that I am not.. If you were to see yourself far off in the future, what do you hope youre seeing? In the future I hope to be successful as myself.and to still be bringing new fans into the legacy that Elvis left behind. What do you do when you are relaxing, do you have a favourite hobby or something other then Elvis? I love classic cars, spending time with my dogs, cruising around town, visiting places Ive never seen, going to the movies, meeting new people in and out of the Elvis world. What do you think you will do that is different then what other ETAs do? In other words, what will make you succeed where others will not? I wont ever take a fan for granted, and Ill never act as if the world owes me something. Some guys seem to believe the world revolves around them, but I know that my fans dont HAVE to be at my side. Ill try to always make them feel as special as they make me feel. Every ETA has their favourite Elvis song, and worst. What are yours? Is there any certain one that you like performing more then others? That question isnt fair!! J I like Snowbird and other songs that arent really as well known, My Happiness, Maybelline. I like to perform Peace In the Valley...but I recently did Almost Always True in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and that was a lot of fun. Do you have any memories that makes being an ETA well worthwhile? I have so many memories right now.traveling memories, people memories, all kinds. I couldnt lay any of them down on paper without writing a novel! What kind of road blocks can you foresee, or have come across that could make or break a guy from pursuing his goals at becoming an ETA? There seems to be animosities between ETAs and the fans of ETAs against other fans or other guys, and that to me is just completely ugly and uncalled for. Ive never gotten any of this myself, but I see it happening here and there and I dont like it.but you have to kind of be able to look past it and find the good people and the good ETAs. They are out there, and theres more good than there is bad, but it can beat you down if youd let it. People should just let other people have their own opinions. This past August you were in Memphis during Elvis Week, Is this the first time you have been there during this special week? That was my very first Elvis Week, yes.. What would you say was the neatest experience of the week- in Memphis? Again, like my memories there are way too many neat experiences.performing at the Tent across the street from Graceland and the dozens of people who approached me afterwards, meeting people Ive talked to only online for years and finally came face to face with, walking the Candlelight Vigil, being approached by filmmakers and photographers, meeting DJ Fontana, Al Dvorin, Patty Perry, Julie Parish, Joe Esposito and Jimmy Velvet, walking Beale Street at night, going backstage at the Overton Park Shell.meeting many of the other guys.it was a big week! I hear one of your downfalls is that you never smile when someone takes a picture of you, how come? I dont really know how come I dont, I just dont. I think cameras make me shy, but if Im asked to smile I will smile. Ive also promised to try and get better at that. There are pictures out there with me smiling!!! Are you signed up with an agent or management service at all? No, Im not at present time. Any albums or recordings done so far? Nope, not at this time. But that is something else Ive kind of got arrangements to do. I hear that there is a fan club started now for you, can you provide any details? Wow. And Im still amazed at all the support swimming around in it too..They made me a fan club before I ever did anything; so that was something else. I kind of pride myself on how well the fans that are in it are treated. I communicate with them almost daily in some form or another; if they are part of the Official Fan Club they get a big monthly newsletter with all kinds of updates, surprises, contests, pictures, articles submitted by other fans and more. We had a Fan Club Get Together in Memphis and everyone seemed like a big family; they all had something to say and I dont think we ever stopped laughing. If anyone would like information about the Fan Club, they can email Cortney and shell be happy to tell them some more! Tell us who exactly Arik Christopher is and what does he want to do with his life? Im just a guy trying to make a difference in some way, trying to make people proud, hoping to make friends, and who really wants to succeed in his life. I owe a lot of great people my best, and they deserve all I have to give. Overall, Id say I just want to be remembered in some fashion. J And with that I really just want to thank EVERYONE who has ever supported me, pushed me, critiqued me and praised me. Ill see all of you out there! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This concludes the two part interview with the fun-loving Arik Christopher. Thank you Arik Good Luck and Best Wishes in your career and all your future endeavors!