Harley Hehr: entertainer on the rise By: Phyllis Bator Harley Hehr, a singer/impressionist is unique. First, he's very good as a singer and impressionist and second, he doesn't even have to try hard. He's just a natural talent with the ability to sing and impersonate. Hehr has been at Bimini's for the past four months. Why it took me so long to see him, I'll never know, but I'm sure glad I did. He was standing on the stage, dressed in a black Tommy Bahama shirt, black slacks, and black-and-white what looked like alligator shoes from the previous generation. It was a great change from seeing performers dressed in raggedy jeans with holes in them, telling me they bought them that way. Hehr looked classy. He uses mini disks as background. Putting on a Johnny Cash song, out came a Johnny Cash voice. Then it was Louie Armstrong, Frankie Valli, Elvis Presley, Gordon Lightfoot, The Temptations, Edith and Archie Bunker, Willie Nelson and Julio Iglesias, Lynard Skynard and Jimmy Buffett. By the end of the evening, I didn't know which voice was really his. Mostly performing on stage, he occasionally walks the bar area, asking for requests, birthdays, anniversaries and any other event he wanted to recognize. A girl requested the Beatles' "Birthday Song" since it was a milestone -- her 21st birthday. He sang an oldie song just for her from 1962 with his own lyrics. It was very original. He not only has a great personality, but charisma as well. Drinking tequila in between songs, he jokes a lot, either with the audience or just spontaneously. Someone requested he sing The Rolling Stones. Hehr replied, "I'll have to change the lyrics to "'She's an AARP woman.'" The patrons laughed. I was truly impressed with his act. Hehr not only sounds like the person he's impersonating, but also uses their mannerisms. It's amazing the way he can change his voice from one artist to another. Examples are "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," where his voice reaches at least three octaves. If you close your eyes, you would think the actual artist was singing. By far, he's the best entertainer in town. Hehr has been entertaining full-time for about 15 years Island Hopper: Elvis impersonator and entertainer will take you for a ride By TIFFANY YATES Published Wednesday, February 14, 2007 I was in the parking lot when I heard it: the sweet, happy, unmistakable strains of Elvis's Suspicious Minds. "Oh, let it be the live entertainer," I chanted to myself. "Let it be live..." Sure enough, into Bimini's I walked this past Thursday evening, and there onstage stood a man with a fake black pompadour so high it seemed to be straining up to God, a crooked snarl on his face, and Mr. Presley's words streaming from his mouth. Tiffany, why, you might rightly ask, were you so prayerful that you see an Elvis impersonator that evening? Well, it wasn't Elvis per se - though I bear as much love for the King as any normal red-blooded American girl. No, I had been prepped for my evening by Bimini's managers Jamie and Bill. This Harley, they assured me, was unlike anything I had seen before on the island, a talented entertainer who mixed music with comedy and did a bang-up job with both. Hmmm, thought I egotistically. I will be the judge of that. I won't lie to you. Harley pretty much had me at "Thank ya. Thank ya very much." He brings a wonderful sense of fun, playfulness, and audience interaction to his set that really is unlike any other local entertainer. It isn't just his humor, though the man is quite funny, with a rash of one-liners, jokes, and quips that will keep you paying attention and laughing. It isn't even his impressions, which are fearfully good. You'll see him doing Jimmy Durante doing As Time Goes By (complete with rubber nose), Louis Armstrong on Hello, Dolly (which he does only one verse of, since he says Satchmo's gravel destroys his voice), or a showstopping rendition of Those Were the Days (the Archie Bunker theme), singing in both Carroll O'Connor's Brooklyn twang and Jean Stapleton's hilarious screeching wail. (Watch your dog at the high notes, if you happen to have him along, his ears will bleed.) Harley is quite adept at both these skills, but underneath all of the silliness, underneath the put-on voices and disguises, Harley Hehr can sing.