Eric Cajiuat

Rhoderic Paul "Eric" Gray Cajiuat was born to Paul Cajiuat and Aura Gray in Manila, Philippines. He was a very happy boy, always smiling from the moment he woke up. He grew up in a world of music. As a baby, he practiced his elocution very early, as he was a non-stop chatterer. He kept talking and chewing the rails of his crib until the four sides were all chewed up. His mom and dad always sang to him, and at age 2 he was always dancing and singing in his playpen, every note in perfect pitch. He would sing songs like "Yellow Submarine" and "Take Me Home, Country Roads" - yes, a Filipino Beatles fan and country fan. The family moved to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada when Eric was 2½. Singing was a daily routine for Eric and his mom, and aside from Sunday School songs she taught him to sing the song "Birthday of a King", which he sang as his first solo performance in their church at age 3. At age 5, their minister would take him along to sing at senior centers and rehab facilities. He sang solos in church, standing on a stool to reach the microphone. That was the start of his music ministry in church and mastery of performance without any stage fright. Eric listened to Broadway musicals incessantly until he memorized all the songs and the speaking lines. His first musical theatre experience was "Anne of Green Gables: The Musical" followed by "Oliver!". When he was 14, the family moved to Torrance, California, where he attended West Torrance High School (Class of 1987) and continued to sing with the Aristocracy Choir and the Barbershop Quartet. Outside school, he toured with Continental Singers. Eric attended college California State University, Los Angeles (Class of 1992) with a Vocal Performance and Theatre major. HE sang with the university choir, chamber singers, and jazz ensemble. His true passion was singing and performing on stage, performing in multiple musicals around southern California. He worked for the city of Los Angeles and the state of California, but he was never happy behind a desk. He said God had given him a voice to sing and the ability to act, so that is what he was going to use. HE came to performance passionately because he was most happy when doing that. In his later years, Eric worked and performed at Pirates Dinner Adventure (Buena Park, California), Titanic: The Experience (Buena Park, California), Disneyland (Anaheim, California), and Knott's Berry Farm (Buena Park, California). He can be seen in the movie "The Hit Girl", the upcoming film short, "Rabbit Season", and also in the 2014 CMA Music Video of the Year, Dierks Bentley: Drunk on a Plane (2014). Often, he referred to his "secret identity" as Eric Cajiuat, because he gained notoriety as Jedi Elvis. "Jedi Elvis", an Elvis Tribute Artist who specializes in Elvis songs sung with Star Wars-themed parody lyrics. Backed by his high octane rock and roll band, the Rockin' Rebel Alliance, Jedi Elvis performs Elvis songs, rewritten with Star Wars-themed parody lyrics, to bring you an experience that echoes a live Elvis concert, with all the geekiness of a night watching Star Wars. Songs such as "Death Star Rock", "Viva Mos Eisley" and "In The Desert" are guaranteed to entertain the most die-hard Star Wars fan and the most scrutinizing Elvis fan at the same time. His first concert was performed on November 20th, 2010 at "Nuke The Fridge" Con in the City of Industry, CA and was attended by approximately 100 people. The second concert on April 19th, 2011 raised $1400 for the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund for Japan. His second Red Cross Benefit on June 15th, 2013 raised $1100 to benefit victims of the tornadoes in Oklahoma. Since then, other places Jedi Elvis and the Rebel Alliance have performed are the world-famous House of Blues, Anaheim, the House of Blues, San Diego (during San Diego Comic Con 2011 and 2013), and twice at Alex's Bar in Long Beach, which is used as the interior for "Fangtasia" from the popular HBO series True Blood (2008). Jedi Elvis has appeared in the movies ComicCosplay (2011), The People vs. George Lucas (2010), and Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope (2011). Jedi Elvis also made a brief appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003), being interviewed by Cousin Sal during the Man on the Street segment, asking for people who knew the words to the National Anthem. Of all the people featured, Jedi Elvis was the only one who knew. The YouTube clip from Jimmy Kimmel Live! had over 20,000 hits and was chosen to play for 3 months New York City taxicabs. He has also made appearances in the web series "Car Discussion With Sung Kang" (available on YouTube) and on an upcoming episode of the TV series "About A Boy".