Diamondback Annie's swingin' tribute to the King of rock and roll puts the "pelvis" back in Elvis! Let her gender-bending gyrations set your mind a-whirl as this burnin' hunk of love sets the stage ablaze with a sizzling rendition of the King in all the overblown, karate-choppin' spangled glory of his Vegas heyday. Marvel at the sordid history of Annie's spectacular vintage breakaway jumpsuit, originally handcrafted in the mid-70's by Elvis' own tailor, Bill Belew, for a young and nubile Donny Osmond. And, get up close and personal with Annie and she might choose to grace you with one of her monogrammed silk scarves, stained with sweat from the unlikeliest of places!

The Elvis Burlesque show combines key elements of both dragkinging and burlesque to create an innovative act that remains true to the spirit of both performance traditions, evoking the irreverence and provocative glamour of a burlesque striptease while maintaining a truly masculine edge in both looks and attitude . Despite its unusual context, the act is nevertheless a classic Elvis tribute show in many ways, remaining faithful to the appearance, movements, and musical choices of the scarf-slinging singer at the height of his 70's excess. In fact, the show closely follows the pattern established in Elvis' concerts of this era. While the ominous theme from 2001 broods in the background, a brace of security guards escort Annie as she tours the audience in a blacked-out theater, stealing kisses from the ladies along the way and arriving onstage in a blaze of light as the music reaches its triumphant conclusion. The rest of the act reveals itself to "The Power of My Love" -- a macho, sexy grind that thhe King recorded when he returned to the stage in the late 1960's. Though the white jumpsuit gets whipped away to uncover a briefer suit of fringed gold leather, the wig stays on till the last possible moment to maximize the tension. Finally, when little else is left but the sideburns, Annie leaves the stage to the brassy outro that always accompanied the King as he left the building.

Diamondback Annie has performed her Elvis burlesque at events ranging from private parties to university concert series. Recent highlights include appearances at the House of Blues, Los Angeles; the August, 2003 "Tiki Exotica" revue with Don Ho at the Key Club on the Sunset Strip; and the 2004 New York Burlesque Festival. She also performed -- and lectured -- at Seattle's Experience Music Project as part of this rock and roll museum's annual Pop Music Conference in April of 2004. Beyond her current incarnation as the King -- or at least, as a pretender to the throne -- she has an extensive background doing burlesque-style drag performances in a rock and roll vein. Most notable among these were "Black Diamond" -- a Paul Stanley extravaganza replete with black cockerel feathers and rhinestones -- and "Highway to Hell," in which a strict nun lets down her headdress to become rowdy Catholic schoolboy Angus Young. In fact, it was in nun drag that Annie had one of the more unusual experiences of her career, when she generated a flurry of agitated letters by becoming the first -- and perhaps the only -- woman to ever make the cover of the Tom of Finland Foundation's magazine, as part of a spread on prominent erotic photographer Justice Howard.

CATEGORIES:
Burlesque Dancer
Showgirl
Go-Go Dancer
Specialty Dance
Walkaround Host
Drag Act
Novelty Act

Click on a thumbnail image to view the larger version...