Tribute Artist or Impersonator? Do You Know the Difference?

For decades impersonators have entertained us by poking fun of the iconic figures of our time. My first memory of an impersonation was Rich Little as President Nixon on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. At the time I was too young to realize the magnitude of what was going on but I knew the caricature was meant to be funny. Quite a few years later I became enamored with Saturday Night Live and one of my favorite recurring characters was Billy Crystal as Fernando Lamas. In 1985 Billy took Fernando all the way to the radio as You Look Marvelous found its way into frequent rotation. It is virtually preordained that you will be the victim of a bad impersonation of Elvis at some point in your life. Elvis may be the most impersonated/tributed person on the planet, his voice, his look, and his signature sneer appear in commercials, movies, television shows, print ads, and cartoons.

Recently some of the more serious performers have moved away from the word impersonator preferring 'tribute artist' instead. For the most part you will recognize the standard issue impersonator trademarks. They will have costumes; make up, wigs, and props. They will strike the easily identifiable poses, do the now famous dance moves, and utilize facial contortionism to the best of their ability. Beetle Mania, Dread Zeppelin and Mini Kiss have made a living, garnered tons of free publicity, and become quasi famous for paying homage to their famous counterparts. Some to the extreme of recreation and some with their own twist on the original.

So what is the difference between a tribute and an impersonation? Actual definitions might be useful in clearing up the confusion here. According to Wikipedia, an impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. An entertainer impersonates a celebrity, generally for entertainment, and makes fun of their recent scandals or known behavior patterns. On the other hand a tribute act is a music group, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act, often one which has disbanded or ceased touring. The main way in which a tribute band differs from a cover band that simply plays songs by other artists, is that it strives to capture every nuance of the imitated artist's actions and appearance for a perfect imitation.

Tribute artists pride themselves on actually sounding just like the icon rather than being a voice over with minor resemblances. There is no lip-syncing in a tribute artist contest they are actually singing and some of them are so good that if you close your eyes you'd believe it was the real deal. Tribute artists are people who have been spiritually moved by the life and times of the icon they portray. Their main goal is to affect you the way the real artist would have. They emanate the spirit of their icon and endeavor to recreate the excitement that surrounded them. The ultimate compliment you can pay a tribute artist is to tell them they have transported you to a time and place of a cherished experience.

The advent of television programs like America's Got Talent and The Next Big Thing have transmitted tribute artists from the stage into living rooms across America. One of the best know tribute artists today, thanks to outstanding performances on The Next Big Thing, is Donny Edwards who pays tribute to Elvis Presley. Donny is currently touring with Lance Lipinsky a Jerry Lee Lewis tribute artist. Even TLC's hit show Trading Spaces went tribute when episode 8 of this past season took on Vegas and featured Matt Lewis an Elvis Impersonator/tribute artist and Heidi Thompson a Cher impersonator who perform together in the Legends in Concert at the Imperial Palace.

Any attempt from me to explain the difference between an impersonator and a tribute artist seems to be murky at best. In light of that I defer to Walt Sanders, another Elvis Presley tribute artist, who I feel said it best: "In some instances it doesn't need to be spelled out. There is a feeling, an outpouring of emotion an entertainer gives on stage. In one case the entertainer is acting, in the other they are performing from their heart. The difference is obvious."