c. 2004 Religion News Service

ANNISTON, Ala. _ Elvis impersonator Joseph Thomas was the first person to undergo open-heart bypass surgery at Regional Medical Center here. “They treated me like the king I am,” he said.

Now Thomas walks around the hospital wearing his colorful jumpsuits, lamb-chop sideburns and dangling sterling silver jewelry, saying “Thank you very much” as a volunteer chaplain.

Thomas said he tells patients about his successful surgery. “Their faith and hope skyrocket,” Thomas said.

Sometimes he’ll sing a song to lift their spirits.

“When I sing, I remind them of Elvis,” Thomas said.

Thomas, who performs under the stage name “Rockin’ Ronnie Romance,” had quadruple bypass heart surgery last December. In April, out of gratitude, he began working as a volunteer chaplain at the hospital, visiting as many as 25 patients a day on Mondays and Fridays.

Thomas said he was baptized at age 8 in the East Point, Ga., Church of God, and was ordained at age 16 at a church in rural Alabama. He said he played drums and piano with gospel groups as a teenager.

“When I was doing gospel, at 15 or 16 years old, people were calling me Elvis,” he said. “I began to see it and hear it myself. It’s just a natural thing.”

In 1984, he began performing Elvis Presley songs at corporate parties. He moved to Nashville, Tenn., in 1993 and staff members from Country Music Television flagged him down on the street, he said.

They asked him to do an appearance on the network’s 1994 country music video countdown, posing as a bus driver who thinks he’s Elvis and kidnaps singers Pam Tillis and Marty Stuart. That show led to numerous television commercials.

In 1995, Thomas went to Graceland, Presley’s mansion in Memphis, Tenn. People began following him around and speculating that Elvis had faked his own death, he said.

“The more I told them I wasn’t Elvis, the more they believed I was,” he said. “They would say, `We know you had to do what you had to do.’ I had women to stalk me and old men chasing me with cameras, grown men crying, saying, `Elvis, please come back.’ They didn’t want him to go. It’s just hard for people to accept that Elvis died. If they see anybody that reminds them of him, they get freaky.”

Though shorter than the real Elvis and more portly, the 45-year-old Thomas said he has gotten used to attracting attention for his appearance.

“If I had a dollar every time somebody called me Elvis, Bill Gates would be my janitor,” Thomas said.

Thomas’ gaudy jewelry includes a king’s crown pendant and a Star of David, both sterling silver. He also wears fancy watches and rings and an eagle bolo tie. He has an assortment of suits, including one with a white cape.

“There’s been a mixed response from our staff,” said Chaplain Jim Wilson, head of chaplaincy at the hospital. “He does wear what amounts to a stage costume when he makes rounds. Some people are put off by that. He does have lovely suits. They are well-tailored. He’s a sharp individual.”

Staff at the hospital don’t want to be cruel but are concerned about an Elvis impersonator becoming the mascot of the cardiology department, Wilson said.

“I have concern about his being the prototype for our chaplaincy and our heart program,” Wilson said. “It’s a serious thing for us. It’s a major step. I’ve only had negative feedback from one patient. I’ve had negative feedback from the staff.”

But Wilson said Thomas seems to be a hit while making rounds. “He seems to be capable in his dealings with the patients.”

Hospital spokeswoman Susan Williamson said there are no plans to force Elvis to leave the building.

Thomas hopes the hospital lets him stay on as a volunteer chaplain. All he can do is offer his characteristic gratitude. “Thank you,” he said as he finished meeting with a newspaper reporter. “Thank you very much.”

KRE/PH END GARRISON