If someone were to drive past you on the highway, then slow down in the passing lane to come back and take a good look at you ... well, a lot of folks would find that pretty creepy.

But not Brad Crum.

The Halifax-based Elvis impersonator often has to show up to gigs already in costume — picture a glittering white jumpsuit, a la the 1970s Las Vegas Elvis — and people always seem to be maneuvering their cars to get a look at him behind the wheel. Sometimes they even take pictures.

"One time I was dressed up for a show and got a flat tire and had to wait by the side of the road for AAA.

"I don't know what people thought when they drove by and saw me on the side of the highway," Crum said. "They must have thought I was crazy."

Crum and the BCT Legend Band will help to celebrate what would have been Elvis Presley's 75th birthday Friday, Jan. 8, at the Whitaker Center's Sunoco Performance Theater in Harrisburg.

The Vegas years
Born and raised in Halifax, about 20 miles up the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg, Crum graduated from Upper Dauphin High School and found work as a machinist.

Though Crum had been singing in local bands, it wasn't until his wife, a gift shop owner, asked him to perform at a shop event as "The King" that he considered making a go of impersonating Elvis.

"It's a lot more fun than being a machinist," Crum said.

Focusing on Presley's later career — from 1969 until his death in 1977 — Crum performs hits including "How Great Thou Art," "Way Down" and "The Wonder of You."

"I like the old songs, but there's just something more powerful about the tunes from the Vegas years," Crum said. "They're faster and more complex. I mean, just [listen to] 'Suspicious Minds.'

"I know not everyone agrees with me. My wife, for example, loves him in 'Blue Hawaii.' ... But that's the great thing about Elvis: Everybody has their favorite."

Crum livens up his stage routine — he performs about 18 songs an hour — with a mix of comedy skits and banter. But not all of his work is on stage. He does weddings, gospel shows, even funerals.

"We make an agreement when they're still alive, and when they pass on, I get the call."

Good memories
As with many devout fans, Crum has visited Graceland, Elvis' Memphis, Tenn., estate. At just under 14 acres, it's not that big, Crum said, but it's an amazing place.

Presley, looking for a haven to escape the pressures of fame, bought the home in 1957. Twenty years later, he died there in an upstairs bathroom.

Devotees who visit the mansion tend to have favorite rooms, such as the mostly white living room, or the "trophy room," featuring one of Presley's gold-lamé jumpsuits. Crum said his favorite room is the "jungle room," featuring furniture covered in animal skins, jade-colored 1970s ashtrays, ferns, monkey statues and a waterfall.

"A lot of people who visit Graceland don't like the jungle room because it is so over-the-top, what with the carpet applied to the ceiling. ... But I love it for its nice, homey feeling," Crum said. "It really looks like a place where people can get together and enjoy themselves. ... And, supposedly, of all the rooms in the house, it was [daughter] Lisa Marie's favorite room, too."

While his taste in furnishings might have been a little suspect, Elvis' music has never gone out of style. As recently as 2002 Elvis made the charts as part of a remix of "A Little Less Conversation" from Dutch musician JXL.

"Elvis tunes bring back a lot of good memories for a lot of folks," Crum said. "I love this job, and I love being able to sing for people. Sometimes they even break down in tears, especially during the gospel songs.

"I've studied Elvis a lot, especially the way he sings and the way he moves. Coming to see this show at the Whitaker Center ... is the best way that I can think of to celebrate what would have been The King's 75th birthday."

"Remembering Elvis: a 75th Birthday Tribute Concert" begins at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, at the Whitaker Center's Sunoco Performance Theater, 222 Market St., in downtown Harrisburg. For more information, visit whitakercenter.org or call 214-2787.