Meet the record-breaking Norwegian Elvis

Kjell Henning Bjørnestad, otherwise known as “Kjell Elvis,” is Norway’s most famous Elvis impersonator.

Kjell Henning Bjørnestad began his Elvis impersonations at 20 years old in 1988, when he was still serving in the Norwegian military.

Kjell Elvis originally hails from Farsund, Southwestern Norway, and later moved to Lyngdal, a municipality near Lista. Like the real Elvis, Bjørnestad was raised a conservative Christian. In order to continue with his popularity and make the impersonations as realistic as possible, Bjørnestad opted for plastic surgery.

Today, Bjørnestad proudly carries three historical world records under his belt, record times for singing Elvis hits non-stop. In August of 2003, at Vanse in Lista, Norway, he sang Elvis songs for 26 hours, four minutes and 40 seconds straight. Just four months later, he nearly doubled his record when he sang consecutively for 40 hours, eight minutes, and one second.

His newest world record features singing Elvis hits for over 50 hours. On Friday, July 20, 2020, at the Scotsman Bar on Karl Johans Gate at Oslo, the Guinness Book of World Records staff, Bjørnestad’s manager Helge Johansen, media outlets, and fans all gathered to witness another world record attempt.

After exactly 50 hours, 50 minutes, and 50 seconds of continual singing, the Guinness staff confirmed his successful record at 3:11 AM on Saturday. Kjell Elvis broke the previous 2004 record set by German Elvis impersonator Thomas Gäthje, who sang for 43 hours, 11 minutes and 11 seconds.

The only rests permitted to Bjørnestad during his 50-hour long belting session were five-minute breaks every hour, and a few ten-minute power naps. For over two days, Kjell Elvis performed right outside the Scotsman Bar in order to attract passersby, as well as singing inside the bar and in a nearby barbershop.

Bjørnestad additionally channeled Elvis throughout the night by wearing a jazzed-up replica of Elvis’ signature white jumpsuit.

It seems this world record attempt and success will be Kjell Elvis’s last, as he proclaimed “I’ll never do this again” after.

Cheers to all the success Bjørnestad has achieved in his 32 year-long impersonation career, during which he’s surely proved that “there’s no job too immense when you got confidence.”

Source: Norway Today