Nashville's Brooke Wright named 2022 Tupelo Elvis Fest Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist
Jun. 12—TUPELO — A new king among kings was crowned in Tupelo on Saturday night.
Brooke Wright of Nashville, Tennessee, was named winner of the 2022 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist competition at the BancorpSouth Arena, held as part of the 24th annual Tupelo Elvis Festival.
Standing out from his competitors in a blue jumpsuit, Wright performed "I Can't Stop Loving You," ending his performance with a showcase of his vocals.
"God bless you guys. Thank you so much. This means more than I could ever say," Wright said to the audience.
Liam Hewitt of Augusta, Georgia, won second place and People's Choice, raising over $2,000. Third place was Matt King of London, England. The other competitors in the Top 5 included Mario Kombou, also of London, and Michael Cullipher.
Elvis fans started filling seats well before the show's prompt 7 p.m. showtime.
Judges included Leigh Shockey, creator of Melody Place LLC; Lowell Hays, Elvis Presley's jeweler; and Brooke Tweddell, a veteran brand strategist, advertising agency executive, and agency owner. Tupelo native Tom Brown hosted the festival for the 14th year.
Prior to the winner's announcement, 2021 Tupelo Elvis Festival UETA competition winner Alex Mitchell performed his final concert as the ultimate Elvis tribute artist, with all the theatrics that can be expected with a celebratory end to his time representing the King of Rock and Roll's hometown. He performed 11 songs and told the audience how important Tupelo was to him.
"Out of any festival, Elvis festival — in the world, in the country, to me — this one means the most because if it wasn't for Tupelo, we wouldn't be able to enjoy all the Elvis stuff in Memphis and around the world," Mitchell said.
Competitors from all over the world, including the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia, descended on Tupelo this week to vie to the title of Tupelo Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist, a prestigious title that secures a spot at Graceland's Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist competition during Elvis Week.
Competitors performed a range of songs spanning the entirety of the rock and roll legend's career, including his many movies, during Friday's opening round of competition.
Ten semi-finalists went on to compete Saturday morning for a Top 5 spot in Saturday night's finals.
The 2022 Tupelo Elvis Festival precedes the June 24 premiere of Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" movie starring Tom Hanks and Austin Butler.
Other Elvis Festival week events included the first and second round of Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist competition in addition to meet and greets with the Elvis Tribute Artists.
The traditional installment of Conversations with Tom Brown returned home to Elvis' alma mater, Milam Elementary School, this year with Mayor Todd Jordan among the many featured special guests.
This week's festivities will conclude on June 12 with a Sunday Gospel Brunch, commemorating Elvis' love for gospel music and his faith-based Tupelo roots.
BROOKE BULLOCK BURLESON is a digital producer for the Daily Journal. Contact her at brooke.burleson@djournal.com.
