In the summer of 2022, Devon Cowell, a 19-year-old construction worker from Waynesburg walked into a movie theater with no expectations and walked out with a new alter ego.
He had gone to see Elvis, the Baz Luhrmann biopic, only because his girlfriend insisted. Two and a half hours later, he was mesmerized. The voice, the swagger, the tragic grandeur—Devon had never seen anything like it. Elvis Presley, a name he knew vaguely from pop culture references, suddenly felt like a long-lost hero. It was as if a light had flicked on inside him.
Devon had never connected deeply with modern music. He started teaching himself guitar at the age of 10, and he was eventually drawn to classic rock and old-school country. However, none of it stirred him the way Elvis did that night. In addition to Elvis’ classic songs, Devon also found a new appreciation of gospel music through the King.
When he got home, he fell down a rabbit hole: YouTube performances, interviews, documentaries, and entire discographies. The raw power of “Jailhouse Rock,” the tenderness of “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” the spectacle of the ’68 Comeback Special—it was all intoxicating.
Almost immediately, Devon started imitating Elvis’s voice for fun. At first, it was just something he did to make his friends and family laugh. But their reactions surprised him. “People couldn’t believe how much I sounded like him.”
The positive reinforcement emboldened him. He leaned in—studying Elvis’s mannerisms and mastering his vocal nuances and power. Soon the urge to expand his stage beyond his apartment emboldened him to take a chance.
He approached an acquaintance with trepidation. “I knew Kent Marisa from the gym. I knew he was one of the owners of the Denny House, and I knew they had live entertainment on Thursday nights.”
According to Marisa, “Devon asked me if we were booking entertainment and pulled out his phone to show me a clip he had recorded. I assumed he was pranking me because what I saw was unbelievable. It sounded like he was lip-syncing Elvis. It took several minutes before he convinced me it was him singing.”
Marisa immediately booked him on the first available night. “I was incredibly nervous that first time. I couldn’t drink enough water to keep my mouth and throat from going bone dry,” Devon recalls with a chuckle. “By the fourth song, I finally relaxed because the crowd seemed to be having so much fun.”
What began as a novelty act quickly turned into a serious side gig. Cowell has become a regular at the Denny House and packs the house each performance.
His new fans express their admiration for a variety of reasons. Older fans are touched by the authenticity, while younger ones find something cool and ironic in his throwback style.
Because of his success at the Denny House, he has been offered a grandstand show at this year’s Greene County Fair. Organizers are planning to build an Elvis period theme night around the performance, including vintage cars and tractors.
Devon is all in on the production. He has purchased a custom-made white jumpsuit for the show. In addition, there will be special guest appearances on stage that evening to share the mic with the King.
The real King may be gone, but thanks to one wide-eyed moviegoer with a dream and a deep baritone, his legacy is still rocking the stage.
