Terry Fator Concert

Tonight we attended the Terry Fator concert in Waukegan's 80-year old-historic Genesee Theatre. For those who don't recognize the name, Terry Fator was the 2007 winner of the reality television show "America's Got Talent." In addition to winning the million dollar first prize, Terry received a contract to appear at the Hilton in Las Vegas, which proved so successful that he opens at the Mirage in February with a reported $100 million/5 year contract. For more info, see this Wikipedia entry.

Terry is an amazing ventriloquist (into which he incorporates his astonishing ability to mimic celebrity singers as well as comedic talent) and tonight, using nearly a dozen different puppets (he has 16, each with a distinct voice and persona) or as a soloist himself, he impersonated over 2 dozen voices (from his repertoire of over 100 famous singers) including Etta James, Kermit the Frog, Louis Armstrong, Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks, Sonny and Cher, Michael Jackson, the Bee Gees, Narles Barkley, Roy Orbison, Patsy Cline, the Platters, Styx, Guns 'n Roses, James Taylor, John Denver, Michael Buble, Aaron Neville, and of course Elvis -- and the voices were dead on accurate. And all without moving his lips! Here's a YouTube video of Kermit



When Terry first appeared on the America's Got Talent auditions, judge David Hasselhof said, "Oh no, another ventriloquist!" Terry was a bit shaken but began his act with his puppet, Emma Taylor singing Etta James's "At Last." Unbelievable how Hasselhof, the other judges, and the entire audience were enrapt starting from the opening notes. Check it out yourself here...(The clip was deleted by YouTube, so here is Fator on Letterman's show)



... and here's a link to dozens more of Terry's impersonations on YouTube.

Humor was interspersed throughout the performance along with his superb renditions, and several times, the puppets not currently in use by him, would speak to him from the table behind him, adding more comedy. He included his latest song, written by himself and based on a true story related by a fan after one of his concerts, about a 6 year old dying of cancer and hoping there would be "Horses in Heaven." The song will be available soon on a CD by the same name, and his autobiography will soon be released entitled Who's the Dummy Now? If you get a chance to see this wonderful, clean, family show -- do so!