Elvis impersonator Simon Goldsmith outside his home in Little Bealings, Suffolk (Picture: SWNS Cambridge)

Britain’s ‘worst Elvis Presley impersonator’ has been left ‘All Shook Up’ after being banned from a look-a-like contest – for being ‘too rubbish.’

Organisers of the annual King’s Crown Elvis tribute contest in Ipswich told stunned Simon Goldsmith he could not compete because they did not want him ‘laughed off stage.’

Simon, 46, works as a postman by day and raises money for charity at night by turning into the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and belting out hits wearing a bright Elvis get up.

And while he admits he’s a ‘bit low budget’ and probably the ‘eighth best Elvis tribute’ in his home village in Suffolk, he says he always puts on a good show.




Contest organisers had told Simon he could not take part in last month’s event because they ‘did not want to embarrass anyone’ and claimed his act was ‘too comical.’

Simon, who admits he is probably Britain’s worst Elvis tribute, said: ‘I don’t look anything like Elvis, but I can sing like him pretty well.

Simon says his act is a spoof (Picture: SWNS Cambridge)

Organisers say the contest is a ‘serious’ one (Picture: SWNS Cambridge)

Four other would-be contestants were also rejected, organisers said (Picture: SWNS Cambridge)

‘I just want to do something different and to be fun. You see a lot of Elvis tributes who just go through all his tracks but I do something different.

‘People really enjoy what I do and if it makes people happy then that’s a job well done.’

The Little Bealings-based impersonator explained: ‘I did it as a one off on New Year’s Eve in 2005 – that was my first public outing.

‘Then it all changed when my dad passed away in a hospice in 2009.

‘There was a world record attempt for the longest ever Elvis marathon and the world record then was 42 hours. I tried to beat it in 2010 but I only got to 35 hours before I had to stop.’

He continued: ‘(It has) grown from there. I do a lot of charity events and I’ve done a marathon dressed as Elvis.

Simon first performed as Elvis in 2005 (Picture: SWNS Cambridge)

He has been fundraising for his late Dad (Picture: SWNS Cambridge)

Simon says he doesn’t take himself too seriously (Picture: SWNS Cambridge)

‘My act is a spoof Elvis tribute act. It’s quite slapstick and I don’t take myself too seriously and I do alternative songs. I cover songs that weren’t even around in his era like Britney Spears but I sing it in his style.’

Organiser Andy Sexton said he didn’t accept Simon’s application because he was ‘too comical.’

He explained: ‘It’s all getting a bit silly now. Every Elvis tribute act in the competition are serious, they don’t clown about and there’s a certain standard that they all have to meet.

‘Anyone could enter it otherwise, I could do Elvis a little and enter myself but these guys are professionals.’

He continued: ‘I’m the organiser and I didn’t pick him it’s as simple as that.

‘I choose between 10 to 12 to enter and they have to be the best.

‘I didn’t want people laughing at him.’



Andy says four others also were not right for the competition and says another reason Simon’s application was rebuffed is that Elvis ‘doesn’t dress up as a zombie.’

Simon had planned to donate the £1,000 prize money from the contest to St Elizabeth Hospice in memory of his Dad.

But after the rejection, he decided to fund raise himself and brought in more than £2,600 in just three days.

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