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The Sad End of the First Elvis Impersonator

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Security caved in. Management turned the power back on and Ochs got to play an encore, which appropriately featured Presley's early hit "A Fool Such as I." Every Man (and Woman) an Elvis

In the end, some fans maintain the show succeeded. But this would be Ochs' last performance at Carnegie Hall. He never again recorded an album. He hung up the gold lamé suit after a few more shows, and spent his final years struggling with writer's block, alcoholism and mental illness.

Only a few years later, he'd be living on the streets of New York as a virtual homeless man. And on a sad night at his sister's home in 1976, he took his own life.

Now, as thousands of Elvis fans make their annual pilgrimage this month to commemorate the 24th anniversary of Presley's passing, it bears mentioning the name of the man who first donned the king's clothing for a tribute show.

How far we've come since Ochs' last gig at Carnegie. Now there are black Elvises, Native American Elvises — gay, dwarf, handicapped and plain old regular Elvises.

You have to imagine that Phil Ochs — the great would-be Elvis uniter — is laughing now. One of his idealistic dreams came true. Today, every American can embrace his inner-Elvis.

Buck Wolf is entertainment producer at ABCNEWS.com. The Wolf Files is published Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you want to receive weekly notice when a new column is published, join the e-mail list.

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