Crying in the Chapel
Encyclopedia
"Crying in the Chapel" is a song written by Artie Glenn for his son Darrell
to sing. Darrell recorded it while still in high school in 1953, along with Artie's band the Rhythm Riders. It became a local hit and publishers got a hold of it and it went nationwide. He released the original version as a single as Valley 105 in 1953. His original recording reached number one on the Cash Box charts where all the different versions were amalgamated and number six on Billboard
.
Darrell Glenn's original version also hit number six on the Billboard pop singles chart and number four on the Billboard country and western chart, Rex Allen
's number eight, Ella Fitzgerald
number 15, and Art Lund reached number 23.
A recording by June Valli
with orchestra directed by Joe Reisman was made in New York City
on June 11, 1953. It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog umber 20-5368 (in USA) and by EMI
on the His Master's Voice label as catalog numbers HR 10007, N 14105 and CS 14. This was the most successful pop version on the Billboard charts
, reaching number four after charting for 17 weeks beginning August 1, 1953.
recorded a version of the song during the sessions for his RCA Records
gospel album, His Hand in Mine
. It was not included on that album, but rather was held back by RCA and finally released as an "Easter
Special" single (447-0643) in April 1965, hitting number three on the Billboard Hot 100
singles chart and topping the Easy Listening chart for seven weeks, the greatest chart success for Presley over a six-year span. The single reached number one on the British charts in 1965 where it stayed for two weeks. It was later included as a bonus track on Presley's 1967 gospel album, How Great Thou Art. The single was eventually certified "Platinum" by the RIAA for sales in excess of one million units in the US.
on lead vocals and guitar, Rita Marley
(replacing Neville Livingston aka Bunny Wailer
, who was in jail at the time) and Peter Tosh
on harmony vocals backed by Rastafarian nyabinghi percussion group Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus recorded an adapted version of the song in Kingston, Jamaica. Its lyrics were adapted from the Orioles' version by Rasta leader Mortimo Planno, who also produced and pressed the single entitled "Selassie Is the Chapel", the first ever Rastafarian song recorded and released by Bob Marley
. The song is thus very meaningful to Rastafarians as its lyrics were modified in order to affirm the divinity of Haile Selassie as the born again Christ:
Haile Selassie is the chapel/Power of the trinity/Build your mind on this direction/Serve the living God and live
Only a few hundred copies of the single were pressed on a blank label at the time, making this song a much sought-after rarity for decades until it was finally reissued and documented on CD on the Selassie Is the Chapel hit album (JAD Records, 1997) as part of the Complete Bob Marley & the Wailers 1967 to 1972 series produced by Bruno Blum
and Roger Steffens
. A vinyl single was also released by JAD in 2002. The recording was reissued on that single along with the original Mortimo Planno-voiced flip side, Rastafarian cult song "A Little Prayer" as well as on the 2002 four CD Bob Marley
Rebel anthology set released in France only and deleted in 2003.
A "Selassie Is the Chapel" remix produced by Bruno Blum
with a contribution by original Marley backing group The Wailers was released on the European Rastafari label in 1998 (and the Jamaican Human Race label a few years later) as War
/Selassie Is the Chapel. They feature a virtual duet between Bob Marley
and Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie in medley style. This duet version single hit number one in the U.K. Echoes Magazine in April 1998. A dub
version entitled War/Selassie in Dub was released on the flip side. A later Jamaican DJ version by Joseph Cotton entitled Conflicts was released on the Rastafari label in 2009.
Darrell Glenn
Darrell Glenn made his mark in the music business with his 1953 recording of "Crying In the Chapel", written by his dad, Artie Glenn....
to sing. Darrell recorded it while still in high school in 1953, along with Artie's band the Rhythm Riders. It became a local hit and publishers got a hold of it and it went nationwide. He released the original version as a single as Valley 105 in 1953. His original recording reached number one on the Cash Box charts where all the different versions were amalgamated and number six on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
.
Darrell Glenn's original version also hit number six on the Billboard pop singles chart and number four on the Billboard country and western chart, Rex Allen
Rex Allen
Rex Elvie Allen was an American film actor, singer and songwriter, known as the Arizona Cowboy, particularly known as the narrator in many Disney nature and Western film productions. For contributions to the recording industry, Allen was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.-Family...
's number eight, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
number 15, and Art Lund reached number 23.
A recording by June Valli
June Valli
June Valli , the stage name of June Foglia, was an American singer and television personality.Born in the Bronx, Valli was one of the stars of the 1950s television shows Stop the Music and Your Hit Parade. She sang on the show during the show's 1952–1953 season...
with orchestra directed by Joe Reisman was made in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on June 11, 1953. It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog umber 20-5368 (in USA) and by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
on the His Master's Voice label as catalog numbers HR 10007, N 14105 and CS 14. This was the most successful pop version on the Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
, reaching number four after charting for 17 weeks beginning August 1, 1953.
Elvis Presley version
On October 30, 1960, Elvis PresleyElvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
recorded a version of the song during the sessions for his RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
gospel album, His Hand in Mine
His Hand in Mine
His Hand in Mine is the twelfth album by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 2328, in November 1960. It was the first of three gospel music albums that Presley would issue during his lifetime. Recording sessions took place on October 30 and 31, 1960, at RCA...
. It was not included on that album, but rather was held back by RCA and finally released as an "Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
Special" single (447-0643) in April 1965, hitting number three on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
singles chart and topping the Easy Listening chart for seven weeks, the greatest chart success for Presley over a six-year span. The single reached number one on the British charts in 1965 where it stayed for two weeks. It was later included as a bonus track on Presley's 1967 gospel album, How Great Thou Art. The single was eventually certified "Platinum" by the RIAA for sales in excess of one million units in the US.
Bob Marley & The Wailers version
In April, 1968, the vocal trio The Wailers, featuring Bob MarleyBob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
on lead vocals and guitar, Rita Marley
Rita Marley
Alpharita Constantia Anderson , better known as Rita Marley, and sometimes called "Nana Rita", is the widow of reggae legend/musician Bob Marley, and a member of the trio the I Threes, Bob Marley's backup singers.-Biography:...
(replacing Neville Livingston aka Bunny Wailer
Bunny Wailer
Bunny Wailer, , also known as Bunny Livingston and affectionately as Jah B, is a singer songwriter and percussionist and was an original member of reggae group The Wailers along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh...
, who was in jail at the time) and Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh , was a Jamaican reggae musician who was a core member of the band The Wailers , and who afterward had a successful solo career as well as being a promoter of Rastafari.Peter Tosh was born in Grange Hill, Jamaica, an illegitimate child to a mother too young...
on harmony vocals backed by Rastafarian nyabinghi percussion group Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus recorded an adapted version of the song in Kingston, Jamaica. Its lyrics were adapted from the Orioles' version by Rasta leader Mortimo Planno, who also produced and pressed the single entitled "Selassie Is the Chapel", the first ever Rastafarian song recorded and released by Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
. The song is thus very meaningful to Rastafarians as its lyrics were modified in order to affirm the divinity of Haile Selassie as the born again Christ:
Haile Selassie is the chapel/Power of the trinity/Build your mind on this direction/Serve the living God and live
Only a few hundred copies of the single were pressed on a blank label at the time, making this song a much sought-after rarity for decades until it was finally reissued and documented on CD on the Selassie Is the Chapel hit album (JAD Records, 1997) as part of the Complete Bob Marley & the Wailers 1967 to 1972 series produced by Bruno Blum
Bruno Blum
Bruno Blum is a singer songwriter, guitar player and music producer nicknamed "Doc Reggae." Born in Vichy, France on October 4, 1960, he is mostly known for his work in the reggae music field, and also works as a comic book artist, illustrator, painter, photographer, writer and speaker.He was the...
and Roger Steffens
Roger Steffens
Roger Steffens is a Brooklyn, New York born actor, author, lecturer, editor, reggae archivist, photographer, producer. Roger is perhaps best known for his reggae archives, in particular his archives of Bob Marley. Six rooms of his home in Los Angeles house his archives, which include the world's...
. A vinyl single was also released by JAD in 2002. The recording was reissued on that single along with the original Mortimo Planno-voiced flip side, Rastafarian cult song "A Little Prayer" as well as on the 2002 four CD Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
Rebel anthology set released in France only and deleted in 2003.
A "Selassie Is the Chapel" remix produced by Bruno Blum
Bruno Blum
Bruno Blum is a singer songwriter, guitar player and music producer nicknamed "Doc Reggae." Born in Vichy, France on October 4, 1960, he is mostly known for his work in the reggae music field, and also works as a comic book artist, illustrator, painter, photographer, writer and speaker.He was the...
with a contribution by original Marley backing group The Wailers was released on the European Rastafari label in 1998 (and the Jamaican Human Race label a few years later) as War
War (Bob Marley song)
"War" is a song recorded and made popular by Bob Marley. It first appeared on Bob Marley and the Wailers' 1976 Island Records album, Rastaman Vibration, Marley's only top 10 album in the USA...
/Selassie Is the Chapel. They feature a virtual duet between Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
and Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie in medley style. This duet version single hit number one in the U.K. Echoes Magazine in April 1998. A dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
version entitled War/Selassie in Dub was released on the flip side. A later Jamaican DJ version by Joseph Cotton entitled Conflicts was released on the Rastafari label in 2009.
Other cover versions
- The black R&B group, The OriolesThe OriolesThe Orioles were a successful and influential American R&B group of the late 1940s and early 1950s, one of the earliest such vocal bands who established the basic pattern for the doo-wop sound....
, recorded a cover version of the song which became a major success in 1953. The Orioles' cover version went to number one on the R&B chart and number eleven on the pop chart. - Arne Alm wrote the SwedishSwedish languageSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
lyrics. Raya Avellan and Yngve Stoors Hawaiiorkester recorded "Klockorna i dalen" in Stockholm on October 10, 1953. The song was released on the 78 rpm record Cupol 4780. - Little RichardLittle RichardRichard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
recorded a version in 1963 for Atlantic Records , which became a "Regional" hit on the Billboard Charts. - Don McLeanDon McLeanDonald "Don" McLean is an American singer-songwriter. He is most famous for the 1971 album American Pie, containing the renowned songs "American Pie" and "Vincent".-Musical roots:...
recorded a version of the song on his Homeless BrotherHomeless BrotherHomeless Brother is an album by American singer-songwriter Don McLean, released in 1974. It was reissued by BGO Records in 1996.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Don McLean except where indicated.#"Winter Has Me in Its Grip"#"La La Love You"...
album (1974). - AlliesAllies (band)Allies is a Christian rock band. They released six albums during the 1980s and early 1990s.-Band members:The most notable band members were guitarist Randy Thomas, formerly of the Jesus music group Sweet Comfort Band and vocalist Bob Carlisle...
, a Christian rockChristian rockChristian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
band, recorded a version of the song on their album Long Way From Paradise (1989). - Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn BridgeJohnny Maestro & The Brooklyn BridgeJohnny Maestro and The Brooklyn Bridge is an American musical group, best known for their million selling rendition of Jimmy Webb's "The Worst That Could Happen" .-History:...
recorded the song for their 1994 AcapellaAcappella (album)Returning to their roots, Johnny Maestro and The Brooklyn Bridge released Acappella, a collection of notable doo wop covers.-Track listing:#"Beside You"#"At My Front Door"#"Could This Be Magic"#"Life Is But A Dream"#"Having A Party"#"Sincerely"...
album.