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New Magic morning man loves to get his Elvis on

Brent Freeman has been called Elvis since his teenage years

Brent Freeman, the new cohost of the morning show on Magic 106.1, can often be heard singing in the hallways and enjoys laughter and jokes with cohost Lisa Richards, whose middle name happens to be Marie.

It's a good match for someone who is an Elvis Presley impersonator.

Recently Freeman could be heard on the airwaves impersonating Casey Kasem after Richards had announced the anniversary of Kasem’s passing on a morning segment of their radio show.  Richard’s joked, “Can you not stop impersonating people?”

He has been called Elvis since his early teens. His first lip-sync was Jailhouse Rock in Grade 7 at a school performance.

He does look a lot like Elvis, especially his jet black hair, coiffed just like his favorite American Icon. 

Freeman says, “I have been typecast all my life. I don’t necessarily like being known as Elvis, but there are worse things to be called.” 

One thing people don’t really know about Freeman is that he is a bit of a Porsche enthusiast. He recently purchased a two-seater baby blue 1956 convertible Porsche. You may recognize him driving by, possibly wearing blue suede shoes, along with his gold lame suit, which is his favorite outfit to wear in a show.

Freeman first went to the popular Collingwood Elvis Festival in 2010.

“I gotta do this before I get too old," he chuckled. He has been a regular since and will be attending this year’s 25th anniversary of the event.  Freeman says he doesn’t really compete anymore, but is active with the Collingwood Elvis Festival as a host. 

He also participates in some local events including the Toronto Flaming Star Elvis Festival which is held in the fall. 

When asked how he likes being an impersonator he said, “We’re not crazy. We bring a lot of happiness to a lot of people, and that is what it is about. Making them smile and reminisce.”

Freeman loves the Elvis fans.

“They are the loveliest people, I have met some great friends because of the Elvis music.” 

Competing has not been one of his favorite things. You get nervous; you’re trying to beat your buddies. Sometimes the judges aren’t the most knowledgeable about Elvis.  

Freeman says he enjoys hanging out with a really great friend of his,.

“Matt Cage is great and we do a lot of shows together.  My other favorite is Cody Ray Slaughter. He is blessed with a spooky similarity and he’s a great entertainer. Dean Z would be a close second; he is an exceptionally talented man.”

When asked what one of the biggest myths about Elvis people tend to have, Freeman responded, “People need to understand what the music scene was like in the mid-50s and therefore what Elvis’s impact had on it.  You had songs like, “How Much Is That Doggie In The Window” at the top of the music charts.

"Elvis came along singing songs like Baby, Let’s Play House and Hound Dog. As John Lennon said before Elvis, there was nothing.”

Freeman’s lip singing days are over, it is his voice you will hear when attending his show. He is very musically inclined and plays the guitar in his rockabilly band the Tiger Sharks and he also plays the piano.

His website is www.brentelvisfreeman.com.


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