Paying tribute to Sheffield's own Elvis - Steve Denton

Steve was born Steve Richardson July 1942 and passed away in October 2001.

He was born in the Woodseats area of Sheffield, and attended Woodseats Junior and Jordanthorpe School.

Fan Mike Lawton said: “Even as a lad he had a strong powerful voice, and he was able to put it to good use in the 50s.

“When he started visiting pubs that had a piano player, he would take sheet music with him, so they could accompany his singing.”

This was in the days when few pubs had public address systems – and not many other singers could make themselves heard above the hubbub of conversation.

“Steve's early influences were Elvis of course, Steve having a natural sound-a-like Elvis voice - but his talking voice was pure Sheffield,” Mike added.

Mike first heard Steve sing at The Greengate pub in High Green, in the mid 60s.

“I’d recently turned 18, and was able to go to pubs legally, not that beer was a big attraction to me. It's the music I wanted to hear,” he explained.

Some of Mike's older friends knew Mike was a keen Elvis fan.

“Derek Calton and Roger Outram had told me about a singer who sounded like Elvis, and when he came to The Greengate, about eight of us went to see him.

“I could hardly believe it when he started singing, because his voice was so much like Elvis.

“I became a confirmed fan and saw him on many occasions, after that right up to his last public appearance.”

Early in his career Steve was advised to change his stage name for something more suitable as it was thought Richardson was too long to catch on.

Mike said: “Travelling home by bus, along Chesterfield Road, towards Woodseats, he passed Denton Road, and thought, ‘Steve Denton, I'll use that’.”

Despite sounding so much like Elvis, Steve would never dress up in the style of Elvis, except for one occasion.

Mike said: “He was asked to perform as an Elvis tribute, at Bailey's nightclub, a few days after Elvis died in 1977.

“Steve had never dressed as Elvis on stage before, and wasn't comfortable doing so, but he was talked into it by the Bailey's management.

“As it turned out it was the right thing for that night, as for Elvis fans like myself, it was a very emotional time, and seeing Steve looking, and sounding like Elvis, suited the occasion.”

Many would attest to the Elvis-like quality of his voice.

“Fellow Elvis fans, Carole and Brian Froggatt, told me of the first time they heard Steve sing,” said Mike. “In the 60 and 70s, they used to live on Taplin Road, Hillsborough, and over their garden wall was situated a community centre, in which various functions would be held at weekends.

“One summer evening, Brian was working in the garden, and it being a warm night, the doors to the community centre were open.

“Brian called to Carole, ‘Come and listen, they are playing Elvis records’, so they both sat in the garden, and listened.

“A few days later, they learned that the music had actually been performed live, by a singer called Steve Denton.

“After that, they kept their eyes open for his name popping up, and quite a while later, they heard he would be appearing at The Silver Fox, in Stocksbridge.”

Carole said: ''We obviously went to see him, and were so impressed by his voice.

“He didn't look like Elvis, he didn't dress like Elvis, but he certainly sounded like Elvis.''

Another friend and longtime friend was Suzanne Reed.

Suzanne became a friend of Steve's, when they were living in the same area of Heeley, during their teenage years.

Mike said: “She loved Elvis, and when she realised that Steve sounded just like him, she started going to his gigs, whenever she was able to do so.”

Although Steve had this great soundalike Elvis voice, he wasn't one for pushing the fact.

“They were in a pub at Meadowhead one night when there was an Elvis singers competition on,” said Mike.

“She asked Steve to get up, which he declined to do, and she had to pester him to sing.

“He finally agreed to do so, and duly won the competition, and the prize of a free meal for two, which he promptly gave away.

“She also tried to encourage him to take bookings when Elvis died.”

Steve was inundated with agents ringing him up to do tribute nights, but said he did not want to cash in on Elvis’s death.

“The only one he finally agreed to do was the one at Bailey's night club, which took some persuasion,” said Mike.

“This was in spite of the fact that he didn't have a long time regular job, and did things such as working in an amusement arcade, on some days.”

Away from singing and entertaining Steve loved walking and could often be found out in the Peak District.

“Apparently he missed gigs on a couple of occasions, getting stranded up Kinder Scout when a heavy mist came down, making it unsafe to continue walking,” said Mike.

“He also went off on a walking trip around Ireland on one occasion, taking a tent ,and a rucksack on his back.”