County director accused of lip synching.

JERRY CULMAN, whose “day job” is as the Leelanau
County director of facilities maintenance, strikes
a pose as Elvis Presley.

What community with as many musicians and artists as Leelanau County doesn’t have its own Elvis Presley “tribute artist?”

The term “Elvis impersonator” is not one that Jerry Culman of Leland Township prefers to use.
Neither an “early Elvis” nor an “old Elvis,” Culman describes himself as a kind of “middle Elvis.”

He doesn’t dye his hair black or grease it up. He rarely wiggles his hips or curls his lip.
But the sound is dead on.

“I have no illusions about what I do,” said Culman, whose “day job” is as the Leelanau County facilities maintenance director.

“I don’t try to be Elvis,” Culman explained, “I just try to honor the music and the man who sang it.”
Culman first “came out” as Elvis during the 1996 Walleye Festival Parade in Lake Leelanau at the urging of his wife, Denise, and their friend Jeff Ross.

“Our float was just a trailer with a fish shanty on it plus an amplifier, a mic and a cassette player,” Culman said.

His wife and a friend had sewn together a white, sequined jumpsuit and cape which he still wears for some of his performances.

“During that first performance, a lot of people would smile and point and laugh,” Culman said. “I really liked that.”

Following the parade, Culman said, one of the spectators told him: “You do such a great job of lip synching.

“But I don’t do any lip synching,” Culman said. “I guess that was a compliment. A lot of other people told me that I sounded exactly like Elvis, and that made me feel even better.”

During the 1996 Heritage Parade as part of the National Cherry Festival, word spread to Peshawbestown about Culman’s talent when he was placed right behind a parade entry from the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.

Culman’s second-ever “gig” as Elvis involved singing to and escorting the one millionth bingo player visiting the GTB’s Gaming Palace in Peshawbestown.

“The lady who won told me she felt like she’d been to Las Vegas,” Culman said.

Since 1996, Culman has performed around 35 “gigs” as Elvis – not including all the local parades he’s been in. In ‘96 and ‘97 he won the “best musical float” in the Leland Fourth of July Parade.

Since then, he’s also been asked to perform as Elvis at a number of benefit events and private parties.

“I don’t get paid to do this,” Culman said. “I do it because I enjoy doing it and because other people seem to enjoy it,” he said.

“Besides, if my performance isn’t as good as I’d like it to be, I don’t feel bad,” he said. “I think even Elvis himself felt kind of the same way sometimes. Before a performance he’d complain that ‘I gotta go be Elvis now.’ As for myself, I just don’t want to be a monkey in a box – and I’d never make a mockery out of Elvis or his music.”

At 51 years-old, the husband and father of four children (Tami, Kimmi, Eric and Katie), said his wife and kids have inspired him to keep performing as Elvis.

He has even performed some Elvis tunes at family funerals – but not dressed as Elvis.

“I especially like a lot of the gospel tunes Elvis did,” Culman said. “Of course, members of my family are my biggest critics.”

Among Culman’s favorite tunes are: All Shook Up, Love Me Tender, Until It’s Time to Go, Can’t Help Falling in Love with You, and My Way.

“There are just so many I really love,” he said, “but I don’t touch Jailhouse Rock, Hound Dog or Burning Love. The instrumentation on the karaoke CDs you can get is not the same as when Elvis sang them and I don’t think they sound very good,” he explained.

Culman began singing in school and in the choir at St. Mary’s Church in Lake Leelanau and St. Wenceslaus in Gill’s Pier.

“I also like to sing a lot of country and western tunes and also do some Englebert Humperdink, Roy Orbison and Dean Martin,” Culman said.

“And I try to keep my performances brief,” Culman added. “I like the idea of getting up on stage, then getting off quickly. It’s a lot like life – especially Elvis’s life. First you’re in, then you’re out – and you just have to live your life when you can.

“Thank ya’ vurry much…”