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NEWBERRY — Elvis Presley is coming to Newberry.

That would actually be Rick Wade who has been performing as Presley for 18 years now.

Wade is a world championship competitor who will perform at the Newberry Opera House on Friday at 8 p.m. along with a cast who will appear as Conway Twitty, Tim McGraw, Brenda Lee and Patsy Cline.

“The singing and performing is performed as authentic as Elvis’ show,” said Wade about his performance as the late singer.

“This is a tribute to country music,” Wade said.

Wade said that people can “expect a lot of entertainment; two and a half hours of show. There’s as much authenticity and originality as well as a live band from Charleston. We’ve been rehearsing with them for the past several months.”

This is Wade’s fifth year at the Opera House and his Presley performance will showcase an actual show from 1974.

The authenticity runs straight to the outfit as Wade says he will “wear the exact same jumpsuit that he (Presley) wore on stage. The outfit is made by the original company.”

While Wade has been entertaining crowds for years, he actually got into the business because of a friend.

Though hesitant at first, his friend convinced him that he could sing well and he did it for his friend.

“I had a friend who performed like Elvis and I helped him with shows. He was getting older; had a brain tumor and unable to continue performing as Elvis. He asked if I could. At first I said no. He thought I’d be good at it and he gave me everything to get started. I ended up fulfilling obligations. Once I got started, there was no turning back,” said Wade.

The first half of the show features Twitty, McGraw, Lee and Cline and the second half is all Presley entertainment.

For tickets, call the Opera House at 276-6264 or go online to www.newberryoperahouse.com.