FLAT ROCK — Donny Edwards, who performed “An Authentic Heart & Soul Tribute to ‘The King’” (Elvis Presley), proved to be “just a hunk, a hunk of burning love” at the sold-out 250-seat Flat Rock Playhouse on April 25.

Edwards, the international, multi-award-winning professional tribute artist who performed April 23-26 at Flat Rock, worked up an Elvis-like sweat in his efforts, very obviously capturing the hearts of most audience members. Besides physically resembling and sounding like young Elvis, Edwards showed his mastery of “the King’s” moves in general, and his choreography in particular.

He also seemed to naturally emulate Elvis with his kindness, humor, charisma and ability to connect with the crowd.

Among the best-received songs of the night were “Hound Dog,” “Burning Love,” “How Great Thou Art,” “It’s Now or Never,” “Suspicious Minds,” “American Trilogy” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”

Ever mixing the playful and the profound, Edwards introduced the song “Hound Dog” by quipping, “As a great philosopher once said ....” and then launching into the opening lyrics, “You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog....”

For the past 13 years, Edwards has performed his act in Las Vegas, where he now has his own casino show. He also has performed his Elvis tribute in venues around the world. During Elvis Week ‘13 in Memphis, Tenn., Edwards was honored as the only tribute artist permitted by Elvis Presley Enterprises to perform his show on the estate grounds at Graceland since 1977.

He also made clear his deep love and reverence for Elvis — the man and the music. Edwards said he even got married at Graceland. He noted that he was 3 years old and living in his native Texas when Elvis died in 1977 — and that he loved his music even then. He also said his grandmother considered Elvis to be “the devil” because of his suggestive rock ‘n’ roll songs and his accompanying provocative body movements.

For his Flat Rock shows, Edwards performed two sets — the first as a young Elvis for 30 minutes and the second as an older Elvis for 60 minutes, split by a 15-minute intermission.

He wore a black tweed jacket, black shirt, black trousers, and black shoes with a white tie during the first set, as a young Elvis.

In the second set, Edwards, as an older Elvis, wore a bright-blue high-collared jumpsuit, which was unbuttoned at the top to reveal part of his upper chest. His outfit was accented with silver sequins and he wore a white scarf around his neck. Throughout the show, he leaned over to bestow scarves on the numerous women who approached the stage from the floor — and the fans left in obvious delight with their trophies.

Edwards was backed by selected local musicians, including two backup singers and a six-piece band featuring a keyboardist, a guitarist, a bassist, a drummer, a trombonist and a trumpeter. While the instrumentalists were up to speed, the backup singers sounded weak, seeming to be clearly out of their league when matched up with Edwards.

The show started with “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” followed by “Heartbreak Hotel.” At that point, Edwards addressed the audience by joking, “Good evening, this is Justin Bieber!” The crowd laughed and then Edwards more seriously introduced himself as an Elvis tribute artist.

Edwards noted that he has visited many American states, but told the audience, “you all have the most beautiful state (he has visited) so far.” He noted that he has been busy in Western North Carolina, with the April 25 show being his fifth in the area in three days.

Other first-set songs included “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Love Me Tender,” “Teddy Bear,” “Too Much,” “Wear My Ring,” “Hound Dog,” “Stuck on You,” “It’s Now or Never” and “Viva Las Vegas.”

Prior to singing “Love Me Tender,” Edwards joked the song would be an ideal song for snuggling up — “if you’re with your wife or girlfriend or both... but that would be kind of awkward.” The crowd laughed.

During the performance of “Teddy Bear,” a stage-hand brought smiles to many faces in the crowd as he carried a laundry basket full of teddy bears onto the stage and handed them, one-by-one, to Edwards, who then tossed them into the eagerly outstretched arms of audience members. 

Upon finishing “Teddy Bear,” Edwards prompted more laughter from the crowd when he deadpanned, “If you caught a bear, we’ll need them after the show, so just drop them off” — as “we’ve got to pay for the pizza” for the band later.

The second set began with “That’s All Right, Mama,” followed by “Proud Mary,” “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” “You Gave Me a Mountain,” “Polk Salad Annie,” “Love Me,” “My Way,” “Burning Love,” “In the Ghetto,” “Can’t Stop Loving You” and “What Now My Love.” 

Prior to singing “My Way,” Edwards noted that there was “a big difference between Elvis and Frank” — not only in their personalities, but also in how they sang that particular song. “Elvis was a nice guy,” he said. “He’d buy you a car... Frank would bury you in a car.”

Appearing a bit winded after giving his all with his movements and singing to “Polk Salad Annie,” Edwards joked that, “now, it’s a tossed salad.”

Other second-set songs included “Blue Suede Shoes,” “I’ll Remember You,” “How Great Thou Art,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “Wonder of You,” “Hurt,” “Suspicious Minds,” “American Trilogy” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”

The crowd gave Edwards a standing ovation at the end of the show. The lights went up as the concert concluded without an encore.

In the spirit of the crowd-pleasing “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” an exhausted-but-enthused Edwards made himself available for more than an hour for a meet-and-greet with fans, who formed a long line outside an auxiliary building on the playhouse premises.