Jack Smink
The South's Premier Elvis Tribute Artist

Picture this:  The year is 1977.   The music plays.  He steps on the stage.  The crowd goes wild!  Six feet of jet black hair, sky blue eyes, and that unmistakable voice.  But it is October of 1977.  The world has justs lost the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.   His fans still want to hear his music.  There is never going to be enough.  They want to hear Elvis – Just One More Time. And so, Jack Smink’s Unfinished Business Concerts begin. 

As a young man, Jack's unique voice naturally led him to sing Elvis's music.  Originally, in 1976, Jack thought it would be fun to sing an Elvis song at a local church festival.  His Elvis-like look and voice made the job easy.  The crowd loved it and Jack's future as an Elvis Tribute Artist was set.  Now he travels throughout the United States, England, and beyond in large and small auditoriums, including a 7 year run at his own Las Vegas style showroom - performing his Unfinished Business Elvis tribute shows for Elvis fans.

During those years, Jack was privileged to meet and work with many of Elvis’s friends, band members, and family.  Joe Esposito, JD Sumner, DJ Fontana, Dick Grob, Sherrill Neilson, The Sweet Inspirations, and many more.  A few of those meetings have turned into cherished friendships.  Some have appeared with Jack and his band as special guests, always sharing stories of time they spent with Elvis.

During Jack’s first trip to England in 2003, Jack received an invitation to visit Sir Jimmy Savile.   Sir Jimmy is a philanthropist and TV personality in Leeds, England.  He also has an Elvis link.  Sir Jimmy was a close friend to Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis and was on the set of several Elvis movies – Roustabout and Blue Hawaii among others.  During Jack’s first visit with Sir Jimmy at his flat in Leeds, England, they became fast friends as Sir Jimmy shared story after story of his time with Elvis. While in Leeds, Jack also did a interview for BBC Radio on Magic 828 Radio, Leeds, England.

Sir Jimmy Savile

Jack’s most memorable shows to date were on August 18, 1999 and August 17, 2002.  Elvis was to perform at the Cumberland County Civic Center on those dates in 1977, but passed away just as he prepared to leave for Portland.  Jack traveled to Maine to perform a concert to somehow help the community have some closure on the concert that never was.  The 1999 concert was a magical night that the crowd would not let end.  TV, radio, and newspaper crews told of how Jack "captivated the audience" with the voice and music that they had  missed so many years before.  Then, in 2002, thousands of Elvis fans returned to the Cumberland County Civic Center to see Jack and his LST Band remember Elvis Just One More Time.

During the time just before the 2002 show, Jack appeared on the CBS Early Show.  The night before his TV appearance, Jack had a dream about Elvis.  The dream began to take shape into what is now his own musical dedication to Elvis entitled Just One More Time.  Written and produced by Jack and two of his band members, with background vocals by the legendary Jordanaires, this hauntingly beautiful tribute tells of the wish of many Elvis fans – to hear Elvis return and sing to his fans Just One More Time. 

In the summer of 2003, author Pamela T. Williams released her book Elvis Lives.  Pamela spent 2 years interviewing Jack and dozens of other Elvis Tribute Artists and Impersonators.  Her book tells the stories of these men and why they choose to sing Elvis’s music.  Pamela refers to Jack as the mentor of young tribute artists.
Movie producer Hardeen Houdini wrote a movie script about Elvis and cast Jack in the lead role.  Buried Dreams was released in 2005 and was shown at film festivals in Orlando, Florida, Tupelo, Mississippi, and Hollywood, California.
            Sherrill Neilson, Elvis’s Grammy nominated tenor and member of the Imperials and other gospel groups, appeared with Jack in Cocoa Beach in 2000 and again on December 8, 2001 at the Royalty Theater.  Sherrill played the piano and Jack, along with former Gospel Sounds quartet voices, sang several gospel tunes to the delight of the audience.  Sherrill has joined Jack in several concerts and appearances since.
            Jack recently completed a twelfth tour of England.  During the tours he performed to sold out shows at venues ranging from local pubs to larger venues such as The Irish Center , The Hard Rock Café in Leeds, and a very successful benefit for Breast Cancer UK at The Academy in Basingstoke.  He gave interviews to several radio stations and newspapers, including one interview with British personality Jimmy Savile on the “Magic” radio station.  He also appeared on a BBC TV morning show.  Excerpts from these broadcasts can be heard on Jack’s website.
Jack Smink and his Lightning Strikes Twice Band continue to perform for Elvis fans in his home state of Florida and in concerts everywhere.  For more information about Jack’s appearances, check out the Calendar.