Greenfield native Travis Ledoyt has made a career performing the music of Elvis Presley all around the world, and always credited Greenfield High School’s Music Department for inspiring his career in music.

As a result, Ledoyt has made a point to give back to the school by performing benefit concerts for the Music Department as frequently as his schedule allows. Due to the pandemic, Ledoyt has not done a show to help the school since 2019, but he is set to return to his alma mater on Saturday, April 29, at 7 p.m.

In addition, to being a benefit for the Music Department, this night will mark the local debut of his new stage show called “Sun and the Stars,” which celebrates the music of numerous artists, including Elvis, who recorded for the legendary Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. Ledoyt and his Nashville Boys will take listeners back to the early days of rock ’n’ roll when they perform songs from the likes of Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and others that got their start at the legendary recording studio. You can expect to hear hits like “Great Balls of Fire,” “Pretty Woman” and more alongside some of your favorite Elvis tunes.

The “Sun and the Stars” shows launched this year, and Ledoyt said the response has been great.

“Last night we did ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ and a bunch of kids in the front were singing along, so that was good to see,” said the singer, calling from the road while driving back to his home in New Hampshire from a show in Louisiana.

Ledoyt fell in love with the music of Elvis Presley and started singing his famous body of work as a high school student. Through the support and encouragement of the Music Department — at that time led by Paul Calcari — he honed and developed his skills. He first performed Elvis material at a high school talent show and later developed a show celebrating the king of rock ’n’ roll that had its debut at Greenfield’s Classic Days in 1999.

He eventually moved to Nashville and, under the guidance of music industry veteran Dick McVey, launched a successful “Tribute to the King” show that earned him the reputation of “The World’s Best” at portraying the young Elvis Presley in his prime in the 1950s and ’60s.

Ledoyt travels all over the country and even the world, bringing his Elvis act to clubs, casino stages and cruise boats. And one thing he noticed in recent years was the popularity of package tours with names like the “Million Dollar Quartet.” He has even participated in a few of them. These shows would feature a performer of Johnny Cash, someone else singing Carl Perkins songs, another doing Jerry Lee Lewis and Ledoyt would showcase his Elvis act. Here, Ledoyt got the idea for “Sun and the Stars.”

“People love these package shows, but they are very expensive to put on, and I thought, ‘What if I do a package show and I can do all the parts,’” he said. “It would keep the budget down, and we could bring it to smaller places. I could still do the Elvis character, but I’d get to play all this other music and more stuff on the piano.”

Ledoyt brought the idea to McVey, whom he spoke with practically every day. McVey liked the concept, but at the time Ledoyt had other commitments that prevented him from moving forward with this new show. Sadly, McVey died suddenly in September 2022, a huge personal and professional loss to Ledoyt. McVey would also play guitar in Ledoyt’s band, the last time being when Ledoyt played at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield last summer.

“After Dick passed, I decided I was going to do this show,” Ledoyt recalled. “I called the places that I had relationships with and they were interested. The majority of the gigs this year are now ‘Sun and the Stars’ because the venues want to try it out.”

Ledoyt is enjoying playing music from these Sun Records stars and having such a vast pool of material to draw from.

“I love all these artists who are on Sun. I love Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis, who inspired me to play the piano,” he said. “And I had taken a break from songwriting because I didn’t know what to do with the songs, but I’ve written some for this show including a title song, and they fit seamlessly with this material, so that’s nice for me.”

The singer can’t wait to bring “Sun and the Stars” to his hometown and raise money for the Greenfield High School Music Departments.

“It’s going to be a fun time — it’s a high-energy show,” Ledoyt said. “It’s a ton of great music and artists to choose from, but it is still oldies and so far, people have been excited by it. I think Dick would be proud of this show.”

Unlike his past shows at Greenfield High School, tickets are being sold online and are not general admission; instead, you may choose your seat. Tickets can be purchased at ledoyt.com and sold at the door if still available.

Lucky Soul, Pride host fundraising dance and birthday bash

Travis Ledoyt’s show isn’t the only trip down memory lane that you can take this weekend. Lucky Soul, a high-energy seven-piece horn band, will be playing classic soul and Motown tunes at Hawks & Reed on Friday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. This show is a benefit for Franklin County Pride, which will be host its annual Pride Day rally and parade in Greenfield on June 10.

It’s also a birthday bash, as the band’s lead vocalist Carol Devine and photographer/videographer Marie LaPlante will celebrate their birthday on Friday.

Individuals from Franklin County Pride will be on hand to provide information on the upcoming Pride Day celebration and the organization.

The members of Lucky Soul hail from the Pioneer Valley and Vermont. These seasoned pros have been performing together for four years, and they play this music because they love it and love to get the crowd moving. From Sam & Dave to Stevie Wonder to Prince, Lucky Soul plays a wide range of soul, funk and R&B music that is guaranteed to have everybody up and dancing. As a bonus, some special tasty deserts will be served during intermission and there will be a raffle to benefit Pride.

Tickets are on a sliding-scale basis and can be purchased for $10, $15 and $20. They are available at hawksandreed.com or by calling 413-774-0150.

Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at soundslocal@yahoo.com.

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