Drake Milligan was born in Mansfield, Texas. He was inspired by the country music his father listened to, particularly Merle Haggard, as well as an Elvis impersonator he saw sing at a nearby restaurant. After performing locally as an Elvis impersonator himself, Milligan answered a casting call by CMT for the role of Elvis Presley in their TV series Sun Records. He ended up landing the part, which required him to move from Texas to Nashville, Tennessee during his senior year of high school.[1]