Karaoke fest for Elvis fans

2008-07-29 12:53

Memphis, Tennessee - Karaoke and Elvis: a match made in Graceland and MySpace.

This year, the folks at Elvis Presley's famed former home have joined forces with social networking web site MySpace for a nationwide Elvis Week Karaoke Contest.

"We encourage folks to show us their style of an Elvis classic," said Kevin Kern, spokesperson for Elvis Presley Enterprises, the company that runs tourist attractions at Graceland.

Presley died at Graceland on August 16 1977, and each summer the famous white-columned house becomes ground zero for a week-long celebration drawing thousands of fans from around the world. The karaoke contest will get things going this year.

Thousands of contestants

Participants can go MySpace's karaoke site at and record one of three Elvis songs, Hound Dog, If I Can Dream or Suspicious Minds.

The winner performs at Graceland on August 12 for fans gathered on a side lawn to watch Elvis movies and listen to a band playing Presley songs.

"This is actually on the grounds of Graceland," Kern said. "You're singing at Elvis' house."

The karaoke contest is open to MySpace users across the United States and Canada. Contestants could number in the thousands.

"It's a little too soon to tell what numbers we're going to see, but we have good expectations," said Pedram Yasharel, product marketing manager for MySpace.

Recordings can be submitted until August 4 and only those that draw at least 100 plays from MySpace users will be included in the competition.

The karaoke contest is for audio recordings only and participants are encouraged to perform in their own personal styles. Representatives from Graceland, MySpace and Sony BMG Music Entertainment will judge the competition.

"It's going to be a tedious process," Kern said.

- AP