The first thing you notice about Ritchie Newton when he performs his Elvis Tribute Show is his presence. He has a persona that comfortably fills any venue with lots to spare. His personality is warm and infectious, humorous and captivating. He holds his audience gently in his hands as he moves effortlessly around the room. He capably guides them on a tour of their own lost feelings for the late master. Every move, every nuance, every look, every gesture is evocative of the King of Rock ’n’ Roll himself. He ensures that everybody watching him has a personal memory to take to bed, as he somehow manages to involve everyone in his performance. He smiles, he points and he jokes without ever once losing the character he has become.

The smiles on the faces around the hall say it all. People sway and sing the whole evening long. They wave their arms in the air, tap their feet and immerse themselves in every note. A group of local Thai businessmen sing every word with feeling, expending as much energy as their portly figures will allow. I actually find myself feeling slightly sad as he says his farewells over the intro to “An American Trilogy”. I can feel goosebumps when “Dixieland” gives way to “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah”. His powerful voice swells in our ears to a crescendo that goes beyond forte. The wildly enthusiastic applause suggests the entertainer’s perennial stratagem of “leave them wanting more” definitely applies here. I could sit quite happily through another two hours.

Ritchie doesn’t like to think of himself as an impersonator, even openly disapproves of the term. “I do not impersonate Elvis,” he says. “I praise his memory in my own way, and want to remind people of how charismatic he was. If I can achieve that, then I am very happy”.

His love for Elvis is well documented. When he was an 11-year-old boy in Bavaria, his mother made him watch Kid Creole, and young Ritchie couldn’t believe what he was seeing. This handsome American with a deep, richly velvet voice made an indelible impression on him, and in one way or another was to play an important role in the shaping of his life from then on.

In reality, Ritchie Newton is a lot more than just a hard rock or Elvis tribute singer. He’s a man on the move. From Bavaria to Koh Samui via alcohol abuse, a typical rock ’n’ roll lifestyle and near death, he has had to recover his life’s momentum more than once. “When your doctor and close friend tells you that he has never seen test results so bad, you know you have to stop drinking or pretty soon you’ll be dead. In fact he told me to go and light a candle in a church, because that’s how close it was. Staring death in the face like that makes you think,” he tells me. “I had to do something or I wasn’t going to be around much longer.”

Ritchie doted on his grandmother, and she was supportive of him in everything he did. From the time he was a very young drummer in a Bavarian marching band to when he was lead singer in a successful touring rock band, she was always there for him. After Elvis died, Ritchie felt the loss like millions of others, and determined he’d go to Memphis and get a jumpsuit made to start his tribute show. He now felt sure that that was what he was supposed to be doing. His grandmother gave him the money to go to America. “A friend of mine told me I was being unrealistic,” he says, “trying to go to the States and get a jumpsuit made. I didn’t have enough money and what’s more I could get it done much more cheaply in Thailand.

“Actually my father was an American. He was killed in Vietnam, and at that time I was no lover of things Asian. I put up a big fight not to come here. In the end, however, I realized he was telling me the truth and, such was my desire to get a jumpsuit made, I eventually found myself in Bangkok.” He laughs. “There I was in tight leather pants, a biker’s leather jacket and very long hair walking for many hours up and down Khao San Road in the hot sun looking for a tailor to make me a jumpsuit, and all the time my leather boots are filling up with the sweat I’m losing!”

He never did get the jumpsuit made but, acting on a friend’s recommendation, he eventually found himself on Koh Samui. It was love at first sight.

Still an alcoholic, he worked intermittently, moved frequently, and lived very close to the breadline. He then realized that Jack Daniels was very much responsible for his predicament, and decided one day to put an end to the relationship. A short while later, he was a working singer in a rock band, and his thoughts of the Elvis Tribute show diminished. That was until he found himself in Chiang Mai, penniless and having a recurring dream about doing the Tribute show he’d always wanted. He returned to Samui and started working on his act. In 1999, he met the Thai Elvis virtuoso Jaruk Viriyakit and, because of him, eventually had one of his performances shown on TV. He hasn’t looked back since. He’s currently booked solid till January 2009.

Away from his performances, Ritchie is a quiet, homely man who speaks with a warm and gentle German accent. He says he has now achieved a level of success that allows him to look forward to the time when he doesn’t have to depend on his voice for a living. “I am now two years older than Elvis was when he died,” he says. “My voice is still strong and I’m in good shape, but I feel the time is right to explore other interests and then eventually hang up the jumpsuit.”

He currently spends three days a week in Phuket and the rest of the time performing on Koh Samui, where he lives with his son, daughter and girlfriend. “I already have a successful entertainment agency, Rino Entertainment, and I’m now starting a film production company called Newton Media. I want to develop this area particularly, and I eventually want it to be one of the finest film production companies in Thailand.” He says he’s having a big opening party on September 24th — a significant date because this was the date of his first day without alcohol — and he’s confident that this will a new direction in his life. This confidence is intrinsic to his make-up. He’s a leader of men, motivated, focused and resilient.

One look at the guestbook entries on his website tells you that the day he hangs up the jumpsuit is going to be a sad day for thousands of his fans across the world. He deserves these accolades, and I urge you to watch him perform before that day arrives.

Ritchie Newton performs hits made famous by Elvis in his show “Let the Good Times Rock” presented 12-13 July and 19-20 July at the Holiday Inn Phuket Resort and Hotel in Patong. Shows start at 9.30pm.