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April 9, 2026 \u2014 11:00am<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Charlie Gaylard, 17, is one of Australia\u2019s youngest Elvis Presley tribute artists. He\u2019s always had a special bond with his Elvis-loving grandfather, Greg Gaylard, 76, who\u2019s now his manager as well as his beloved pa.<\/p>\n Greg: When I had my children, I had a panel-beating shop and tow trucks. Not having a lot of time for your kids is normal. When grandkids come along, you make up for it. Charlie was the first grandchild and we were over the moon. From day one, every chance I got, I\u2019d be with him. He was always in the ute with me in the baby car seat. I\u2019d get him off to sleep, then put him to bed at our place \u2019til his parents were home. When kindergarten came along, I\u2019d pick him up and drop him off, then pick him up and take him home.<\/p>\n For as long as I can remember, it was always Elvis, and only Elvis, for me; Charlie would\u2019ve known that. I always had Elvis going in the car, but I wasn\u2019t trying to influence him: it\u2019s just how I am. Charlie used to like Bon Jovi, like his dad. At school in Colac [two hours west of Melbourne], Charlie only wanted to be on the stage. He had no interest in sport or cars. In high school, I\u2019d drive him to acting school in Geelong every Tuesday night. Everyone said acting was his future. We\u2019re coming home one night and he said, \u201cI might give up acting.\u201d I just about died, my heart fell.<\/p>\n \u2018Charlie was aiming for nothing. Then he said, \u201cI think I\u2019ll give Elvis-singing a go.\u201d My heart went from down here straight up to here.\u2019<\/p>\n Greg Gaylard<\/p>\n His education was average, he was aiming for nothing else. Then he said, \u201cI think I\u2019ll give Elvis-singing a go.\u201d My heart went from down here straight up to here. \u201cReally? You want to give Elvis a crack?\u201d I knew he had the features because he\u2019d lie on the couch and I\u2019d say to [my wife] Maree, \u201cHave a look at his cheekbones.\u201d<\/p>\n One night, Charlie sang a couple of songs for the family in a local hotel. We put them on the media thing [YouTube]. Soon after, I got a phone call from [leading Elvis tribute artist] Jack Gatto. He wanted to put Charlie on the main stage at the Parkes Elvis Festival. I pulled over. I was sure I was dreaming. Charlie was 14. We went, there were 7000 people there, chock-a-block. He sang two songs and they went crazy. Jack said, \u201cThat boy\u2019s life is changing from tonight.\u201d And it did. Now my phone doesn\u2019t stop.<\/p>\n Being his manager fell into place as we went along. I\u2019m fortunate because I have the time to be with him. We drive a lot, we talk a lot \u2013 about the business, the financials. There\u2019s attention from women. I had an idea it would happen because he\u2019s not bad-looking. You have to be on your game. One time, we were at an after-party and a woman \u2013 she was 27 \u2013 offered to run him home. I ended up dropping her off at her car. He takes it in his stride; he\u2019s very mature.<\/p>\n We were in Perth Casino, packed with 2300 people, and he spoke to the crowd about how they should encourage their kids and grandkids. He said, \u201cI was an average kid at school and here I am performing for a full casino.\u201d The credit is all his.<\/p>\n Charlie: We\u2019ve always been close. When I was little, I remember him picking me up from kinder and we would drive to look at the moo-moo cows. I\u2019d have sleepovers and we\u2019d play under the willow tree in their garden. Whenever I was in the car, it was always Elvis on. I asked, \u201cAre there any other singers?\u201d No, not to him. I saw it as old music, never paid much attention, but I was aware.<\/p>\n Before I even started performing, I always dressed up as Spider-Man or Batman, and I was obsessed with characters, impressions and movies. Pa took me to see The Lion King in Melbourne and I went dressed as one of the characters. I ended up doing musical theatre, acting and dancing lessons. Pa always ran me around. We always had a very nice, steady relationship, but it\u2019s only in the past three years that I\u2019ve realised how special and precious it is.<\/p>\n I got into Elvis after seeing the Baz Luhrmann film [2022\u2019s Elvis]. I saw it 11 times. The exact moment it really locked on for me is at the end of the film. It cuts from Austin Butler portraying Elvis to footage of the real Elvis. Something switched in me.<\/p>\n I set about learning the songs, figuring out how he talks, why he talks the way he does, why he feels the music the way he does, and how he moves to it. It was about a year and a half of slowly being more and more intrigued and going deeper and deeper. I didn\u2019t really set out to be an Elvis tribute artist. I didn\u2019t even know that was a thing. It was just me and Elvis.<\/p>\n \u2018We\u2019ve always had a very nice, steady relationship, but it\u2019s only in the last three years I\u2019ve realised how special and precious it is.\u2019<\/p>\n Charlie Gaylard<\/p>\n When it started to take off, I was 14, in school. I couldn\u2019t be taking phone calls during the day. Even now, I\u2019m too young. Pa has a long history in business, so it was perfect for him to manage me. I trust him 110 per cent. I know he\u2019s not trying to take my money. We talk on the plane, in the car, set goals. He\u2019s good at planning. We\u2019d like to head overseas and build a fan base in the States, the UK. I think we\u2019ve captured a large majority of what we can here.<\/p>\n We share a twin room on the road. He snores pretty loud but, other than that, it\u2019s all right. Sometimes we\u2019ve got to get up real early. When I\u2019m asleep, I\u2019m really asleep, so he\u2019ll wake me up. I need him for a lot of those things.<\/p>\n![\"\u201cWe\u2019ve](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/209bf7d639eb991a07527bf2849eeeb0bb0949b1.jpeg\")
\u201cWe\u2019ve always had a very nice, steady relationship,\u201d says Charlie of his grandfather Greg, \u201cbut it\u2019s only in the last three years I\u2019ve realised how special and precious it is.\u201dSimon Schluter<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/47a5fea21da55cbcb1ab806ea669256a1606ccc5.jpeg\")
A young Charlie in training with his grandpa.Courtesy of Greg and Charlie Gaylard<\/p>\n
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