KSP trooper trades uniform for 'Blue Suede Shoes' to take the stage as Elvis

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Kentucky State Police trooper and 40-year military and law enforcement veteran trades his uniform for a costume he sews by hand, all so he can use his talent to raise money for charity.

Patrolling the roads in the countyside east of Louisville, KSP Trooper Endre Samu will get your attention, if you're breaking the law. But by night, he might get your attention by the sequin outfits he sews himself.

When he was in high school and in the Army, Samu found the ticket to overcoming his shyness: singing, even in cadence, to the troops. Eventually he traded his Army boots for some blue suede shoes. When the lights come on now, Samu sings.

For 27 years, Samu has been taking the stage as The King, Elvis Presley.

It all started on a trip to Memphis in 1992, where he decided to record a few songs at Sun Records.

"It was fifty bucks a song and I said 'OK.'" Samu said. "They have everything there still the way Elivis left it, when he left."

The songs sounded so good, Samu started getting gigs, even on cruise ships. But he often plays for charities and sometimes for the kids at Norton Children's Hospital.

"Thank you for coming out, we got about 400 songs we're gonna do for you tonight," Samu laughs during one performance. "We're gonna be here all night!"

He even performs at local restaurants, such as the El Nopal in Oldham County.

"Elvis used to say, we are live in Hawaii ... We are not in Hawaii, we are in La Grange," he said to the crowd.

All the dancing and hip shaking is a workout for some of his fans, and for Trooper Samu, too. He says it keeps the weight off.

"Elvis helps out a whole lot," he said, joking that he loses about six pounds during each performance.

Samu pours out his energy and his love to those in the crowd. He says his love for Elvis' music started when he was young and saw Presley on TV.

"It's all about the love and appreciation ... none of this violence and hatred," Samu said.

So much love for Elvis, it took him nearly three years to sew one of his sequined getups, all of which he makes himself and could sell for thousands of dollars.

For the trooper, it's about much more than working on his voice.

"Of course, you stand in front of the mirror and you shake your leg a little bit, and you kinda emulate because people want to see what they envision, what Elvis did," he said.

Though he admits he still gets nervous when he impersonates The King.

Scott Reynolds and Trooper Endre Samu.jpg

"Every single time," Samu said when asked if he still gets butterflies on stage. "For as many times as I've done this, every time is a first, and I still get the butterflies."

At the age of 60, Samu isn't sure if he will stop being a trooper or Elvis first. But, no matter what he decides, you'll have to agree, he did it his way.

His next performance is a charity event at the El Nopal in La Grange on Nov. 20.