He does an awesome job if you ever need him for a wedding or some other function.
Russell Schneider knows how to get a room of elderly women's hearts pumping wildly.
The Elvis impersonator has been wooing women for eight years with The King's moves.
It all started growing up in Martinez with family friend Judy Crickenberger, whom he refers to as his aunt.
"I always liked Elvis as a kid," Mr. Schneider said. "I would go to my aunt's house, and she would play records."
Mr. Schneider was teaching at Greenbrier High School in 2002 when the faculty was asked to participate in Faculty Follies. He performed as Elvis, and that show led to a future in acting.
"I did it and everybody was like, 'Wow, you were lip-syncing really good,' and I said, 'No, I was really singing.' "
Mr. Schneider said it was his first time singing in public. That performance gradually led to three Elvis outfits and a human hair wig.
"People who don't know who I am, they think it's real," he said of the wig.
Most of his performances are backed by a CD, but sometimes, he said, he performs with The Sassy Brass Band of Augusta.
"There is nothing like that," Mr. Schneider said. "It is hard for me to go back to the tracks."
Elvis is the only star he impersonates, he said, but he also sings Johnny Cash and other oldies four nights per week doing karaoke at restaurants.
Mr. Schneider owns TCB Karaoke, which stands for Elvis' motto, Taking Care of Business in a Flash.
Karaoke allows Mr. Schneider to cut loose and have fun, but the Georgia Bulldogs fan is serious when it comes to coaching football at Fox Creek High School.
Mr. Schneider said his performances are his way of paying tribute to Elvis.
"I just do it for fun," he said. "When I'm on stage I act like me. I do more of a tribute to his music."
The most special performances to him are those at assisted living facilities or for charity.
"This means more when you know it's going for a good cause," he said.
Reach Crystal Garcia at (706) 823-3409 or crystal.garcia@augustachronicle.com.
RUSSELL SCHNEIDER
AGE: 36
FAMILY: Wife, Amanda. Children, Kayla, 7; Presley, 5; and Taylor, 2
OCCUPATION: Fox Creek High School administrative assistant, head football coach and athletic director
QUOTE: "I am definitely much more of an entertainer than a singer," Mr. Schneider said of impersonating Elvis.
For information on Mr. Schneider's performances, call (706) 951-3325.
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