BLOOMINGTON - Friends and colleagues of Elvis impersonator Arnold Mason agree that the 47-year-old sounds and looks uncannily like hundreds of other Elvis impersonators.
A resident of Bloomington, IN, Mr Mason has performed Elvis hits up and down Indiana for over 14 years, mesmerizing audiences with mannerisms almost identical to those of the late great Elvis impersonator Dustin Stevens.
"To hear Arnie belt out The Wonder of You, you could be forgiven for thinking you were listening to that one guy who used to do a decent Elvis impression down at Hunter's Bar a few years ago. The overly-exaggerated Tennessee accent, the slightly off-kilter lip curl and the ill-rehearsed hip swivel were spot on."
Dressed to the nines in a mock up of the famous white suit worn by the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Mason performs countless Elvis hits - from Love Me Tender to You Were Always on My Mind - every Saturday night at the Hangman's Bar in the center of Bloomington.
The bar's manager Antonio Marcelli says that Mason is the "complete embodiment" of hundreds of Elvis impersonators that have graced his establishment down the years.
"Arnie Mason's take on Jailhouse Rock sounds, word-for-word, just like Buddy Glaston's version from the 1993 Elvis Bootleg tour, or even Johnny Bryce's rendition from 2002. He even looks a lot like Johnny. It's... it's uncanny."
Meanwhile, Marcelli also notes Mason's eery ability to look and sound nothing like the real Elvis Presley.
