By 1977, however, aged just 42 years, the man once known as Elvis the pelvis because of his snake hips and provocative thrust had become a bloated caricature of himself.

His final performance at the Market Square Arena, Indianapolis came on June 26, 1977. Less than two months later he died at Graceland, his home in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

The King was dead, long live the King - or at least his music, which continued to thrive, thanks to a devoted legion of fans, and a plethora of impersonators, tribute acts and look-alikes

At the Edinburgh Playhouse on Sunday, the strength of Presley's musical legacy will be evident when Lee Memphis King, as seen on BBC TV's The World's Greatest Elvis and the Elvis celebrity edition of The Weakest Link brings his show, Elvis on Tour - The Legend Continues, to the Greenside Place stage.

Accompanied by a full band and backing vocalists, King promises 'all Elvis' hits and stunning costumes,' in what has been described as 'must- see' for all Elvis Fans.

King, who was awarded the accolade of best Elvis tribute artist at the annual Colling-wood Festival, recreates the essence of Elvis Presley, from his early years at Sun Records, through his movies to the 1968 comeback special and beyond with consummate ease and an unbelievable combination of accurate vocals, body moves and language.

Elvis on Tour – The Legend Continues features a full evening show, paying tribute to the early days of pure hip-swivelling rock 'n' roll and Elvis' Las Vegas performan-ces. Remarkably after only five years as a full time professional Elvis Presley Tribute artist, King is now one of the elite of the tribute world.

Born in Wrexham in North Wales, King has been obsessive about Presley and his music since his early childhood and even as a six- year-old was imitating his voice.

Recalling how his love of the King began, the singer says, "I was hooked as a fan after watching him in the film Roustabout. I loved his voice and his music. Over many years, from those early days, it became an overwhelming obsession to perfect Elvis' voice and to recreate the excitement and passion that Elvis himself put into every performance.

"The support of the public coming to shows tells me whether I am good at this – after all, you are only good as your last show."

And King has been successful. After winning the renowned Elvis Festival at Collingwood in Canada in 2005 his career took off.

In 2007, the 30th anniversary of Presley's death, he was the UK's most successful participant on the World's Greatest Elvis, drawing the following praise from Joe Esposito, a lifelong friend, companion and employee of Presley: "When I closed my eyes I could feel Elvis. He did a great job. it was awesome."

So what is the secret of his success?

"I produce a serious Elvis tribute show, nothing tacky. I deliver it just the way Elvis would have, with meticulous attention to detail," he says, before revealing that there is one song in the entire set that he finds particularly emotional, no matter how many times he sings it.

"An American Trilogy. It was the pinnacle of Elvis' career."

You might say it's the number that leaves him all shook up.

• Elvis On Tour – The Legend Continues, Edinburgh Playhouse, Greenside Place, Sunday, 7.30pm, £18.50-£21.50, 0844-847 1661