Elvis Wade Remembrance Scheduled

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Elvis Wade

A Celebration of Life for the late Elvis Wade is scheduled for Saturday (Feb. 14).

Wade died on Dec. 28, 2025 at age 79. He was regarded as the first and the best of the Elvis Presley imitators. He was also a screenwriter and an evangelist.

Born Walter Wade Cummins in Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee, he began playing guitar at age eight and was singing professionally by age 13. While he was performing in the Detroit-area show band Lafayette & Les Sabres, audiences repeatedly asked him to sing Presley songs. The band made his impersonations a key part of its show, and Cummins adopted the billing “Elvis Wade.”

In 1968, he began starring in his “Tribute to Elvis” touring show. He recorded his first album in 1974. Presley reportedly caught Wade’s act in 1976, and gave him a standing ovation.

Following Elvis Presley’s death in 1977, Elvis Wade’s career rose to another level. Grieving fans found solace in his music. According to Wade’s daughter Jessica Hill, “Elvis Wade became a beloved presence, offering authenticity, comfort and excellence.”

In 1986, Presley’s vocal backup quartet The Jordanaires teamed up with Wade to tour the world. They performed concerts together for the next 12 years, including two sold-out shows in London’s 12,500-seat Wembly Arena. Elvis Wade also sang with symphony orchestras in Atlanta, Chattanooga, Portland, Jackson and Billings.

In 1994, Wade married hit pop and country singer Sandy Posey (1944-2024), noted for such hits as “Born a Woman” (1966) and “Single Girl” (1967). In Memphis, she had sung backup for Presley. She and Wade met in 1992 when she sang backup for him.

He was also a songwriter, and his original songs appeared on such later Elvis Wade albums as Love Me to Pieces (1999), Looking Back (2013) and Smooth Sailing (2014). One of his 16 albums was a duet project, 2021’s Wade & Sandy Remember The Everly Brothers.

Under his birth name Wade Cummins, Elvis Wade wrote the original story and was credited as a writer for the feature film The Identical, starring Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd. The plot concerned twins separated at birth, one of whom becomes a music superstar. Elvis Presley’s twin died at birth. The Identical premiered at the Nashville Film Festival in 2014.

In 2021, Wade released an inspirational music video, “Jesus Took It All.” Thereafter, he used his platform as the original Elvis impersonator to share his religious testimony.

Elvis Wade is survived by his children Wanda Cherry, Brenda Tuschl, Aarom Cummins and Jessica Hill, as well as six grandchildren.

Saturday’s event in memory of Elvis Wade is scheduled for 1:00-4:00 p.m. at the Capital Theatre in Lebanon, Tennessee. All are welcome.

Robert K Oermann
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