Singer, song-writer and impersonator Dave Karl explains that Kenny Rogers’ music is the “tree trunk” of his act, “Totally Kenny and Friends on Tour.”

Not only does his appearance resemble Rogers, his singing voice sounds like the performer. In 2008 Karl, who goes by his stage name, made Rogers the foundation of his tribute.

“I like to branch out, too, with impersonations,” he said. During his 75 to 90 minute show, he can call upon a repertoire of 67 different voices as “friends,” depending on the audience demographics and interaction.

Karl performs locally and travels around the country to present his show. Most recently he performed in Wisconsin, New York, Washington, California and Texas. He moved to Arizona in 2010.

In March 2010, a film company, Movie Works, cast him to play the part of Kenny Rogers in a movie, “Queens of Country.” The movie has not been released.

“The world is my domain,” he said. “I travel everywhere I am called upon.”

During the fall and winter seasons, he stays close to home. Summer months he prefers booking in northern states, performing at fairs and festivals.

“It runs in surges,” he said, referring to the number of annual booked engagements.

Born in Illinois in 1953, as a child, he started perfecting character voices for family and friends. The voice behind Warner Brothers cartoon characters, Mel Blanc, was his mentor.

At the age of eight, he learned to play the guitar, a move that combined singing as well as impersonating. Elvis, The Beatles and other rock and roll artists became part of his network of friends.

He turned to country music at the age of 18, impersonating stars as Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Walter Brennan, who released a song in 1962, and Rogers.

From 1986 to 1993, he played keyboard and guitar with a Chicago country music group, Heartland. The group opened for Marie Osmond, Lee Greenwood, Ronnie Milsap and many others until the band split in 1993 and Karl focused on a single act and breaking into music full-time.

In his younger years, he learned remodeling and construction skills from his father and initially remodeling kitchens and bathrooms with him and later installing marble and tile. He went full-time into show business in 2008.

Karl continues to polish and perfect his impersonations and writes comedy lines for his performances.

“I love to rotate my impersonations,” said Karl. The style of Neil Diamond has been added recently.

Performing for a Fountain View Village audience in December, Karl recreated comedian George Burns, Willie Nelson and Walter Brennan, personalities that his listeners would recognize and appreciate.