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<p>Minutes before showtime, he scurries downstairs and grabs a glimpse of himself in a sizable mirror.</p><p>Leaning in close to study his appearance, he fine-tunes the small, but important details. A few shuffles back and forth on the hardwood floor reveal his shoes are suitable for twisting and turning. Rings are slipped on his fingers and a watch secured to his wrist.</p><p>Dressed in a loose shirt and denim bell-bottom pants, he gives a nod of silent approval before rushing again, this time out the door and onto the stage.</p><p>Leigh Joel Fierman, 49, doesn&#8217;t wear two-piece, sequin-covered jumpsuits with shoulder-patterned shirts and stretchy gabardine pants. Nor does he verbalize with a raised upper lip and a Mississippi drawl.</p><p>He is himself, decorated with the sadness and stir of life. That is how he personifies &#8220;The King.&#8221;</p><p>But don&#8217;t call him an impersonator.</p><p>He describes his tribute act as &#8220;an escape from the realities of life.&#8221; But in escaping, he&#8217;s moving into another reality. One he would like to be permanent &#8212; the life of a musician.</p><p>Elvis Presley would have turned 83 on Monday if he were still alive today. Fans around the world will mark the occasion in a variety of ways. Fierman will most likely think back to 40 years ago.</p><p>At just 9 years old, Fierman watched as his mother, along with other fans who took delight in the crooning of &#8220;The King,&#8221; became overwhelmed with emotion at the news of Presley&#8217;s untimely death. His mother played Elvis&#8217; music day and night until that&#8217;s all her son heard. At first, the little boy hummed. Then, he sang.</p><p>&#8220;There was something that captivated me about his singing style. And the presence of him,&#8221; Fierman said.</p><p>The Kingston native and current Wilkes-Barre resident developed his own style that matured throughout his life. But it&#8217;s not just about the sound; it&#8217;s about feeling. &#8220;Pain and sorrow, loss, joy. Different emotions. I&#8217;m able to put them into a song. Before I used to sing the song. Now I live it. I feel it,&#8221; he explained.</p><p>His entire day is dedicated to that night&#8217;s performance. In his living room, where no one is watching, Fierman firmly grips the microphone with sharp tenacity, closes his eyes and sings as if the room were filled with fans. He stands solid with his hands clenched tightly in the air, strangling life&#8217;s transgressions, and comes to a resolve as he opens his eyes and moves freely.</p><p>In between numbers, he flips through the pages of his 90-song repertoire. Next to his set list is a collection of slick retro glasses that adhere to Elvis&#8217; fashion sensibilities. Facial cream and a finely pressed outfit wrap up his transformation.</p><p>Fierman has wanted to sing and entertain people ever since he was a young boy.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s the story of dreams, lost dreams, and redemption. I never give up. Even when it looks like I have, I always find a way,&#8221; he said.</p><p>If Elvis were alive today, there&#8217;s no doubt he would still say, &#8220;Ambition is a dream with a V-8 engine.&#8221;</p><p>It&#8217;s showtime.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Fierman stands in his kitchen next to an event poster for one of his previous shows. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute10-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Fierman stands in his kitchen next to an event poster for one of his previous shows. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute7-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Fierman rehearses in the mirror, between two cardboard cutouts of Elvis Presley, in the living room of his house. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute7-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Fierman rehearses in the mirror, between two cardboard cutouts of Elvis Presley, in the living room of his house. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute9-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Fierman grabs paperwork off his kitchen table for errands he needs to run before his Elvis tribute show that night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute9-2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Fierman grabs paperwork off his kitchen table for errands he needs to run before his Elvis tribute show that night. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute1-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Fierman puts on a ring before leaving his house for the show that night at Elmer Sudds in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute1-2.jpg</photo3><caption3>Fierman puts on a ring before leaving his house for the show that night at Elmer Sudds in Wilkes-Barre. </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute5-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Fierman looks in the mirror while he gets ready in the bathroom of his house. Shirts hang above his bed and his outfit is laid out in the next room. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute5-2.jpg</photo4><caption4>Fierman looks in the mirror while he gets ready in the bathroom of his house. Shirts hang above his bed and his outfit is laid out in the next room. </caption4><photoCredit4></photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute8-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Fierman glances into his bathroom mirror as he gets ready for a recent show at Elmer Sudds in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute8-2.jpg</photo5><caption5>Fierman glances into his bathroom mirror as he gets ready for a recent show at Elmer Sudds in Wilkes-Barre. </caption5><photoCredit5></photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute4-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Fierman carries his equipment outside so he can get set up before his recent show at Elmer Sudds. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute4-2.jpg</photo6><caption6>Fierman carries his equipment outside so he can get set up before his recent show at Elmer Sudds. </caption6><photoCredit6></photoCredit6></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute2-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A reflection of Fierman in the rear view mirror of his car as he runs errands in Wilkes-Barre Township.  </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo7>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute2-2.jpg</photo7><caption7>A reflection of Fierman in the rear view mirror of his car as he runs errands in Wilkes-Barre Township.  </caption7><photoCredit7></photoCredit7></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute3-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Elvis tribute artist Leigh Joel Fierman, 49, of Wilkes-Barre, performs at Elmer Sudds in Wilkes-Barre on a recent Saturday in December. Fierman says that anytime in life when he doesn&#8217;t do certain things right, performing gives him a chance to make up for everything and do something positive. &#8216;If you have a dream, never give up on it,&#8217; he added. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo8>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute3-2.jpg</photo8><caption8>Elvis tribute artist Leigh Joel Fierman, 49, of Wilkes-Barre, performs at Elmer Sudds in Wilkes-Barre on a recent Saturday in December. Fierman says that anytime in life when he doesn&#8217;t do certain things right, performing gives him a chance to make up for everything and do something positive. &#8216;If you have a dream, never give up on it,&#8217; he added. </caption8><photoCredit8></photoCredit8></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute6-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Elvis tribute artist Leigh Joel Fierman sings for patrons during a recent performance at Elmer Sudds in Wilkes-Barre. Fierman, quiet and reserved when not on stage, observed: &#8216;Maybe subliminally, part of me needs to come out of my shell and present myself.&#8217; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo9>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL010718ElvisTribute6-2.jpg</photo9><caption9>Elvis tribute artist Leigh Joel Fierman sings for patrons during a recent performance at Elmer Sudds in Wilkes-Barre. Fierman, quiet and reserved when not on stage, observed: &#8216;Maybe subliminally, part of me needs to come out of my shell and present myself.&#8217; </caption9><photoCredit9></photoCredit9></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta></subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Sean McKeag</p><p>Times Leader photographer</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>Catch Leigh Joel Fierman&#8217;s next show at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19, at Grotto Pizza in Edwardsville when he will make the music of Elvis Presley come alive.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><pullquoteMeta><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s the story of dreams, lost dreams, and redemption. I never give up. Even when it looks like I have. I always find a way.&#8221;</p><p>Leigh Joel Fierman</p><p>Elvis tribute artist</p></pullquoteMeta></div>

Evoking Elvis: Local tribute artist calls act ‘an escape’