( Elvis Tribute Artist)
A native of Valleyfield, Quebec, Sylvain Leduc has been performing and paying tribute to Elvis since he was 15.
He became an Elvis Tribute Artist competitor in 2015 winning or placing in the Top Three positions in numerous contests including festivals sanctioned by Elvis Presley Enterprises held annually at Graceland in Memphis Tennessee.
In 2019 he became the first and only Quebecer to ever receive the Triple Crown by taking the Grand Championship title at three consecutive EPE sanctioned festivals: the Niagara Elvis Festival in Ontario, the Lake George Festival in New York State and the Collingwood Elvis Festival in Ontario.
He repeated the Triple Crown achievement in 2022 when he captured three titles that year at the Empire State Tribute Festival in Verona, New York , at the Penticton Elvis Festival in British Columbia and at Elvis Explosion in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
Since he started competing he’s been crowned Grand Champion at EPE Festivals a total of 12 times.
He’s been presented with multiple Peoples’ Choice Awards for his connection with the audience both on and off the stage.
At Graceland Sylvain was a Top 10 finalist twice ranking him among the best Elvis Tribute Artists in the world.
Sylvain Leduc spoke with us about his Elvis Tribute Act.
Q – Sylvain, you became obsessed with Elvis when you were only 3 years old?!
A – Yes, Sir.
Q – How did that happen?
A – Well, my Dad was an Elvis fan but my Mom’s youngest brother was the biggest Elvis fan. He was like the cool Uncle. So, I really liked him and got into the Elvis stuff and listened to only Elvis practically my whole life.
Q – Did you ever see Elvis in concert?
A – Unfortunately I didn’t. We were living in Massachusetts and I was still at a young age. My Dad was going to work and he said he was going to pick up tickets when Elvis came to West Springfield, Civic Center. I don’t remember the year exactly, ‘74 maybe.
When my Dad got home I was all excited jumping up and down .He said, ‘Sorry, it was Sold Out.’
You know, Elvis’s concerts would sell out very fast.
Q – Had your father ever seen Elvis before?
A – No.
Q – You’re a former real estate broker who now does this Elvis Tribute full-time.
A – Full- time. I was doing both full-time in a way right up until 2018. In 2018 I said I can’t do both. So, I put the real estate aside. I had my license until 2 years ago (2024) and decided that’s it. I’m going to continue to do this. I enjoy it. It’s full-time.I do like 2-2 shows a week. So, I’m fine with that.
Q – Where do you perform?
A – Well, during the week I’ll probably do corporate things and weekends I’ll do either little theatres or halls or Legion Halls. Something like that. Or a casino too. We got a big show at the Montreal Casino July 4th (2026) which is just about sold out now. I perform all over Quebec, Ontario and in the Northern States. I do shows in Northern New York. That’s close by for me.
Q – How do you keep from getting bored with playing your show? Do you change the song list? You perform 2-3 times a week but I imagine you could probably perform more if you wanted to, correct?
A – Correct. We did play more than that back a few years ago before Covid. We would do corporate events during the week and I’ve done 7 shows in 6 days once but it’s too much. I prefer doing just 2 shows a week. It gives me a chance to get my stuff ready. I keep in shape. So, if I don’t have the time to work out it gets to me. I keep in shape so I can do this as long as possible and represent Elvis Presley in the best way.
Q – That’s probably how you can keep the energy and enthusiasm up.
A – Probably so, yeah.
Q – You definitely have Elvis’s moves down. How long did it take you to perfect that?
A – A lot of people ask me how long did you practice to get the voice down? I’m not saying every song is identical but there’s a lot of songs I sing that are very, very close. I think it’s just because I’ve been a fan so long and watched and watched and watched. I don’t really remember practicing unless maybe I was singing along with Elvis watching him in concert on DVD or something or now on Youtube. There’s so much access today to see everything. I was just singing along with Elvis seeing what he’s doing and it became second nature to me.
Q – There are some Elvis Tribute guys who talk just like Elvis even when they’re not onstage. They have his accent down.
A – It depends on what part of the country you’re from. You’re talking to a Canadian here and I’m sure if you talk to any other Canadian ETA you would really notice the French accent.
I lived 15 years in Massachusetts. People ask me how come you don’t have that French accent?Well, I was brought up in the States. I don’t have that Quebec accent.
I know when I perform I’m into character. The speech comes out like the Elvis talk. But, it’s just performance wise. It’s acting wise. I know a lot of these Elvis Tribute artists think they’re Elvis. That’s not me. I’m my own self, but when I perform I like to be in Elvis’s skin. I like to feel like he’s watching over me and that he’s guiding me to do the right thing and not over do stuff and not be the Chippendale Elvis.
Q – Do you think not having that Quebec accent has worked to your advantage then?
A – I think it has. Since I started in the festivals and competitions which I didn’t know existed, which I started in 2015 I’ve won a lot.
I’ve been to Memphis representing Quebec. Six times to Memphis, making Top Ten in Memphis. I believe it gave me that edge that a lot of these Quebec ETA’s, not that they don’t do a good job, but some of ‘em are more clowns. You can hear that French accent and it kind of takes away the illusion.
Q – How long have you been back in Quebec?
A – Since 1981.
Q – Are there other guys in Quebec who are doing what you’re doing?
A – Oh, yeah. There’s other guys out there that are doing their own thing. There’s plenty of room. They’re all in other areas. Sometimes one will come around in my area but I go around in their area.
Q – What made you decide to move back to Quebec?
A – I was 2 years old when my parents moved out there and my parents were separating at the time and we came back to the home town. All the family was here on Mom’s side and Dad’s side. So, we came back.
Q – When did you realize you were good enough to make a living doing an Elvis Tribute?
A – I was putting a lot of time in on the real estate side. Real estate as you know is a lot of nights and weekends. So, that was a conflict with my shows. I decided if I can’t give myself 100% I might as well not do it so I just decided to continue 100% on the Elvis Tribute.
Q – If someone wants to be an Elvis Tribute Artist, is it important to enter contests and competitions?
A – Well, in a way yes, and in a way no. If you’re going to a festival overseas yeah your name will be around there but you’re not going to get much of a following except Facebook.
People from Europe won’t come to see your shows here. But, it’s important to maybe get your name out in festivals in your area. That way your name gets out there. It gave me a chance to compete against the Top Elvis Tributes in Memphis 6 times. So, I’m recognized by Elvis Presley Enterprises. They know who I am. It gives you credibility. It gave me a lot of credibility doing the festivals and I met a lot of great people, a lot of other ETA’s. We’re friends. I’m not competing anymore but I am part of a lot of these festivals that I participated in, in the last years.
Q – Did it take a lot of money to launch your Tribute act?
A – There’s a lot of investments but, it’s a passion. Some people play golf. Some people go skiing in Winter. All expensive things to do. Me, this is my passion. This is my thing. It’s an investment but at the same it’s work. It’s my job. It’s a great investment because because right now I’m down to 15 jumpsuits plus the two piece suits plus the shirts, the pants and the belts. All replicas of what Elvis wore. Of course it’s nothing pajama style anything. It’s all replicas of what Elvis wore. There are cos. that work on that.
Q – Like B@K Costumes.
A – B@K, Pro Elvis and AJM. Plus I know of some names that I’ve never dealt with. Some of these ETA’s have seamstresses that work on Elvis costumes but I’ve never dealt with them. I’ve dealt with the three that I’ve mentioned.
Q – Did you have a financial backer?
A – No. I didn’t need a financial backer. I’ve done it all myself.
Q- Do you have your own band?
A- Yeah. I work with a couple bands actually, which ever one is available. Sometimes they’re not all available. There’s bands in the Ontario area so I don’t have to have the ones from Quebec travel all the way down.
Q- Sounds like you’re all set.
A- Oh, yeah. I’ve got a good thing going here. It’s like a business. You gotta a lot of stuff going on, on Social Media and on a website. I’m doing shows here and there often enough that I’ve got a good following too. I have a very good following.
Gary James
Official Website: sylvainleducelvis.com
