Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old)
Encyclopedia
Elvis Country is the thirty-seventh studio album
by Elvis Presley
, released on RCA Records
(LSP 44600 in January 1971. Recorded at RCA Studio B
in Nashville
, it reached #12 on the Billboard 200
. It was certified Gold on 12/1/1977 by the R.I.A.A. It peaked at #6 in the United Kingdom
, selling over one million copies worldwide.
The lead single for the album, "I Really Don't Want to Know
" b/w "There Goes My Everything
" was released on December 8, 1970 and peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
" and a manic, one-take version of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On
."
Along with his second LP
, Elvis' Christmas Album
, Elvis Is Back!
, and From Elvis in Memphis
, "Elvis Country" stands as one of Presley's cohesive musical works - the closest he came to concept album
s, a mere handful from his large catalogue.
Nearly every style of country music is represented; bluegrass
, honky tonk, Western swing
, rockabilly
, countrypolitan, and even the then-nascent "outlaw
" movement. Snippets of the song "I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago" act as a bridge between each track to enhance the sense of continuity.
After this album, Presley would return to his usual practice of recording a seemingly random batch of songs on each trip to the recording studio, letting his producer assemble them into albums.
The June 14, 2004 compact disc
reissue included six bonus tracks from the same sessions. Three of them had been previously released on the LP Love Letters from Elvis
. The others were the B-side "Where Did They Go, Lord?
" (a track that made its first LP appearance on the 1978 compilation "He Walks Beside Me"), and the unabridged version of "I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago" later released on Elvis Now
.
In late 2011, RCA Legacy (owned by SONY) announced a 2-CD "Legacy Edition" set of the "Elvis Country" album. Enthusiam was short-lived as fans quickly criticized the decision to pair the album with the leftover set that was 1970's "Love Letters" LP instead of compiling rarities from the acclaimed "Elvis Country" set.
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
by Elvis Presley
Elvis 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"....
, released on 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...
(LSP 44600 in January 1971. Recorded at RCA Studio B
RCA Studio B
RCA Studio B is a noted recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee. Situated at 30 Music Square W and originally known simply as RCA Studios, it became famous in the 1960s for being a part of what many refer to as the Nashville Sound...
in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, it reached #12 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. It was certified Gold on 12/1/1977 by the R.I.A.A. It peaked at #6 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, selling over one million copies worldwide.
The lead single for the album, "I Really Don't Want to Know
I Really Don't Want to Know
"I Really Don't Want to Know" is a popular song with music was written by Don Robertson and lyrics by Howard Barnes. The song was published in 1953....
" b/w "There Goes My Everything
There Goes My Everything (song)
"There Goes My Everything" is a popular song by Dallas Frazier, published in 1965. The song is best known in a 1966 version by Jack Greene whose version spent seven weeks at the top and a total of twenty-one weeks on the chart. The song also won several awards, including Single of the Year and...
" was released on December 8, 1970 and peaked at #21 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...
.
Content
The bulk of the album came from five days of recording sessions in June 1970 which yielded 35 usable tracks. Presley performed every track "live", recording his vocal part in the same take as the band as was standard practice for him. During the sessions, Presley and producer Felton Jarvis realized they had several country songs in hand, and decided to record several more to create a full album of country material. Needing two more satisfactory tracks, Elvis returned to the same studio in September where he recorded "SnowbirdSnowbird (song)
"Snowbird" is a song by the Canadian songwriter Gene MacLellan. Though it has been recorded by many performers , it is best known through Anne Murray's 1970 version, which launched her into a long career of international exposure. It was a #2 hit on Canada's pop chart and went to #1 on both the...
" and a manic, one-take version of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On
Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On
"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" is a song best known in the 1957 rock and roll/rockabilly hit version by Jerry Lee Lewis.-Origins of the song:...
."
Along with his second LP
Elvis (1956 album)
Elvis is the second album by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor in mono, LPM 1382, in October 1956. Recording sessions took place on September 1, September 2, and September 3 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, with one track leftover from the sessions for Presley's debut album at RCA recording...
, Elvis' Christmas Album
Elvis' Christmas Album
Elvis' Christmas Album is the fourth album by Elvis Presley on RCA Victor Records, LOC 1035, a deluxe limited edition, released in October 1957, and recorded at Radio Recorders in Hollywood. It has been reissued in numerous different formats since its first release...
, Elvis Is Back!
Elvis Is Back!
Elvis Is Back! is the tenth album by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 2231, in April 1960. Recording sessions took place on March 20 and April 3, 1960, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee. It was Presley's first album to be released in true stereo...
, and From Elvis in Memphis
From Elvis in Memphis
From Elvis in Memphis is the thirty-fifth album by American rock and roll icon Elvis Presley, released on RCA Records LSP 4155, in June 1969. Recorded at American Sound Studio in Memphis, between January 13–16 and 20–23, and February 17–22, 1969...
, "Elvis Country" stands as one of Presley's cohesive musical works - the closest he came to concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
s, a mere handful from his large catalogue.
Nearly every style of country music is represented; bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
, honky tonk, Western swing
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
, rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
, countrypolitan, and even the then-nascent "outlaw
Outlaw country
Outlaw country is a subgenre of country music, most popular during the late 1960s and the 1970s , sometimes referred to as the outlaw movement or simply outlaw music...
" movement. Snippets of the song "I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago" act as a bridge between each track to enhance the sense of continuity.
After this album, Presley would return to his usual practice of recording a seemingly random batch of songs on each trip to the recording studio, letting his producer assemble them into albums.
The June 14, 2004 compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
reissue included six bonus tracks from the same sessions. Three of them had been previously released on the LP Love Letters from Elvis
Love Letters from Elvis
Love Letters from Elvis is a 1971 studio album by Elvis Presley.The album was made up mostly of leftovers from Elvis' marathon June 1970 recording sessions in Nashville. Most of the other 35 songs recorded during those sessions had been used in Elvis' 1970 albums That's the Way It Is and Elvis...
. The others were the B-side "Where Did They Go, Lord?
Where Did They Go, Lord?
Where Did They Go, Lord? is a song by Elvis Presley. It was recorded on September 22, 1970, and adapted from Dallas Frazier's original version. It first appeared on the 1978 compilation album "He Walks Beside Me"....
" (a track that made its first LP appearance on the 1978 compilation "He Walks Beside Me"), and the unabridged version of "I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago" later released on Elvis Now
Elvis Now
Elvis Now is a gold-selling Elvis Presley album from 1972.Despite the "now" in the title, the tracks on this album were recorded anywhere from one to three years before its release. "Hey Jude" had been recorded at Elvis' legendary sessions at the American Studio in Memphis in early 1969...
.
In late 2011, RCA Legacy (owned by SONY) announced a 2-CD "Legacy Edition" set of the "Elvis Country" album. Enthusiam was short-lived as fans quickly criticized the decision to pair the album with the leftover set that was 1970's "Love Letters" LP instead of compiling rarities from the acclaimed "Elvis Country" set.
Personnel
- Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis 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"....
– vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - James BurtonJames BurtonJames Burton is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 , Burton has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Chip Young - guitar
- Eddie HintonEddie HintonEddie Hinton was an American songwriter and session musician best known for his work with soul music and R&B singers...
- guitar - Harold BradleyHarold BradleyHarold Bradley is a pop guitarist and an American country guitarist.Harold played banjo as a child but switched to guitar on the advice of his elder brother, Owen Bradley. Owen arranged for Harold to tour with Ernest Tubb while Harold was still in high school. After graduation, Harold joined the...
- guitar - David BriggsDavid Briggs (American musician)David Briggs is an American keyboardist, record producer, arranger, composer and studio owner....
- keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Norbert PutnamNorbert PutnamNorbert Putnam is an American record producer and musician. He grew up near Florence, Alabama and was part of the Muscle Shoals musicians brought to Nashville to play for Elvis Presley in 1965. Putnam worked there as a bassist on recording sessions with Presley, Roy Orbison, Al Hirt, Henry...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Jerry CarriganJerry CarriganJerry Carrigan is an American drummer and record producer born 13 September 1943 in Florence, Alabama. He first achieved widespread recognition by being part of the first wave of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and later as a session musician in Nashville, Tennessee for over 3 decades...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Farrell Morris - percussion
- Weldon Myrick - pedal steel guitarPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
- Bobby Thompson – banjo on "Little Cabin on the Hill"
- Buddy SpicherBuddy SpicherBuddy Spicher is an American fiddle player.Spicher started in the late 50s as part of the backing band for Audrey Williams, the widow of Hank Williams, later with Hank Snow, the Charles River Valley Boys....
– fiddle on "Little Cabin on the Hill" - The ImperialsThe ImperialsThe Imperials are an American Christian music group that has been around for over 45 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There have been many changes for the band in membership and musical styles...
- backing vocals - The JordanairesThe JordanairesThe Jordanaires are an American vocal quartet, which formed as a gospel group in 1948. They are best known for providing vocal background for Elvis Presley, in live appearances and recordings from 1956 to 1972...
- backing vocals - Joe Babcock - backing vocals
- Millie KirkhamMillie KirkhamMildred 'Millie' Kirkham is an American singer who was featured on many classic hit recordings from the mid 1950s through the 1980s.-Early life:Kirkham was born in Nashville, Tennessee...
- backing vocals - Mary Holladay - backing vocals
- Ginger Holladay - backing vocals
- June Page - backing vocals
- Sonja Montgomery - backing vocals
- Dolores Edgin - backing vocals
- Mary Greene - backing vocals
- Temple Riser - backing vocals
- Cam Mullins - string arrangements
- Don Tweedy - string arrangements
- Bergen White - horn arrangements
Side One
| Track | Recorded | Song Title | Writer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 9/22/70 | Snowbird Snowbird (song) "Snowbird" is a song by the Canadian songwriter Gene MacLellan. Though it has been recorded by many performers , it is best known through Anne Murray's 1970 version, which launched her into a long career of international exposure. It was a #2 hit on Canada's pop chart and went to #1 on both the... |
Gene MacLellan Gene MacLellan Gene MacLellan was a Canadian singer-songwriter from Prince Edward Island.Among his notable compositions were "Snowbird", made famous by Anne Murray, "Put Your Hand in the Hand, "The Call", "Pages of Time" and "Thorn in My Shoe"... |
2:17 |
| 2. | 6/7/70 | Tomorrow Never Comes | Johnny Bond Johnny Bond Cyrus Whitfield Bond , known professionally as Johnny Bond, was a popular American country music entertainer of the 1940s through the 1960s.-Biography:... and Ernest Tubb Ernest Tubb Ernest Dale Tubb , nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" , marked the rise of the honky tonk style of music... |
4:07 |
| 3. | 6/4/70 | Little Cabin on the Hill | Bill Monroe Bill Monroe William Smith Monroe was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader... and Lester Flatt Lester Flatt Lester Raymond Flatt was a bluegrass musician and guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his membership in the Bluegrass duo The Foggy Mountain Boys, also known as "Flatt and Scruggs," with banjo picker Earl Scruggs. Flatt's career spanned multiple decades; besides his work with Scruggs, he... |
1:58 |
| 4. | 9/22/70 | Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On | Dave "Curly" Williams and Sunny David | 3:10 |
| 5. | 6/7/70 | Funny How Time Slips Away Funny How Time Slips Away "Funny How Time Slips Away" is a song written by Willie Nelson and also performed by Willie Nelson. The song was included as a track on Willie Nelson's 1962, debut album, And Then I Wrote.-Cover versions:... |
Willie Nelson Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized... |
4:32 |
| 6. | 6/7/70 | I Really Don't Want to Know I Really Don't Want to Know "I Really Don't Want to Know" is a popular song with music was written by Don Robertson and lyrics by Howard Barnes. The song was published in 1953.... |
Howard Barnes and Don Robertson | 2:59 |
Side Two
| Track | Recorded | Song Title | Writer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 6/8/70 | There Goes My Everything There Goes My Everything (song) "There Goes My Everything" is a popular song by Dallas Frazier, published in 1965. The song is best known in a 1966 version by Jack Greene whose version spent seven weeks at the top and a total of twenty-one weeks on the chart. The song also won several awards, including Single of the Year and... |
Dallas Frazier Dallas Frazier Dallas Frazier is an American country musician and songwriter who had success in the 1950s and 60s.-Biography:Frazier was born in Spiro, Oklahoma but was raised in Bakersfield, California... |
3:10 |
| 2. | 6/5/70 | It's Your Baby You Rock It It's Your Baby You Rock It "It's Your Baby, You Rock It" is an Elvis Presley song off of his Elvis Country album. It was written by Shirl Milete, and Nora Fowler. It was produced by Felton Jarvis.... |
Shirl Milete and Nora Fowler | 3:04 |
| 3. | 6/4/70 | The Fool | Naomi Ford and Lee Hazlewood Lee Hazlewood Lee Hazlewood , born Barton Lee Hazlewood was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s.Hazlewood had a distinctive baritone voice that added an ominous... |
2:34 |
| 4. | 6/7/70 | Faded Love Faded Love "Faded Love" is a Western swing song written by Bob Wills, his father John Wills, and his brother, Billy Jack Wills. The tune is considered to be an exemplar of the Western swing fiddle component of American fiddle.The melody came from an old fiddle tune Bob learned from his father, John Wills.... |
Bob Wills Bob Wills James Robert Wills , better known as Bob Wills, was an American Western Swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader, considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western Swing and universally known as the pioneering King of Western Swing.Bob Wills' name will forever be associated with... and Johnnie Lee Wills Johnnie Lee Wills Johnnie Lee Wills was an American Western swing fiddler popular in the 1930s and 1940s.-Biography:Wills was born in Jewett, Texas, and was the younger brother of Bob Wills. He played banjo with Bob as a member of the Texas Playboys starting in 1934, the year the ensemble began playing on KVOO-AM... |
3:19 |
| 5. | 6/7/70 | I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water "I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water" is a song by Elvis Presley. It is a cover of the 1965 original by Stonewall Jackson. It was also a hit by Johnny Rivers in 1966, reaching #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.... |
Joe Babcock | 3:54 |
| 6. | 6/7/70 | Make the World Go Away Make the World Go Away "Make the World Go Away" is a country-popular music song composed by Hank Cochran. It has become a Top 40 popular success three times: for Timi Yuro , for Eddy Arnold , and for the brother-sister duo Donny and Marie Osmond . The original version of the song was recorded by Ray Price during... |
Hank Cochran Hank Cochran Garland Perry "Hank" Cochran was an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting during the 1960s, Cochran was a prolific songwriter in the genre, including major hits by Patsy Cline, Ray Price, Eddy Arnold and others... |
3:46 |
2000 Reissue Bonus Tracks
Chart positions for albums from the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
| Track | Recorded | Original LP Issue | Catalogue | Release Date | Chart Peak | Song Title | Writer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 6/6/70 | Love Letters from Elvis Love Letters from Elvis Love Letters from Elvis is a 1971 studio album by Elvis Presley.The album was made up mostly of leftovers from Elvis' marathon June 1970 recording sessions in Nashville. Most of the other 35 songs recorded during those sessions had been used in Elvis' 1970 albums That's the Way It Is and Elvis... |
LSP 4530 | 6/16/71 | #33 | It Ain't No Big Thing (But It's Growing) | Shorty Hall, Alice Joy Merritt, Neal Merritt | 2:47 |
| 2. | 6/4/70 | The Essential 70s Masters Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential 70s Masters Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential '70s Masters is a box set five-disc compilation of the recorded work of Elvis Presley during the decade of the 1970s, released in 1995, RCA 66670-2. In its initial format as a long box issue, it included a set of collectable stamps duplicating record jackets... |
66670-2 | 10/10/95 | A Hundred Years From Now | Lester Flatt Lester Flatt Lester Raymond Flatt was a bluegrass musician and guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his membership in the Bluegrass duo The Foggy Mountain Boys, also known as "Flatt and Scruggs," with banjo picker Earl Scruggs. Flatt's career spanned multiple decades; besides his work with Scruggs, he... and Earl Scruggs Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs is an American musician noted for perfecting and popularizing a 3-finger banjo-picking style that is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music... |
1:40 | |
| 3. | 6/8/70 | Love Letters from Elvis Love Letters from Elvis Love Letters from Elvis is a 1971 studio album by Elvis Presley.The album was made up mostly of leftovers from Elvis' marathon June 1970 recording sessions in Nashville. Most of the other 35 songs recorded during those sessions had been used in Elvis' 1970 albums That's the Way It Is and Elvis... |
LSP 4530 | 6/16/71 | #33 | If I Were You | Gerald Nelson | 3:01 |
| 4. | 6/5/70 | Love Letters from Elvis Love Letters from Elvis Love Letters from Elvis is a 1971 studio album by Elvis Presley.The album was made up mostly of leftovers from Elvis' marathon June 1970 recording sessions in Nashville. Most of the other 35 songs recorded during those sessions had been used in Elvis' 1970 albums That's the Way It Is and Elvis... |
LSP 4530 | 6/16/71 | #33 | Got My Mojo Working Got My Mojo Working "Got My Mojo Working" is a 1956 song written by Preston Foster and first recorded by Ann Cole, but popularized by Muddy Waters in 1957. Waters' rendition of the song was featured on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at #359 and was inducted in the Grammy Hall of... /Keep Your Hands Off of It |
Preston Foster/Elvis Presley | 4:34 |
| 5. | 9/22/70 | He Walks Beside Me | 47-9980b | 2/3/71 | Where Did They Go, Lord | Dallas Frazier Dallas Frazier Dallas Frazier is an American country musician and songwriter who had success in the 1950s and 60s.-Biography:Frazier was born in Spiro, Oklahoma but was raised in Bakersfield, California... and A.L. "Doodle" Owens Arthur Leo Owens Arthur Leo Owens , born November 28, 1930 in Waco, Texas; died October 4, 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee, was an American country music songwriter and singer... |
2:27 | |
| 6. | 6/4/70 | Elvis Now Elvis Now Elvis Now is a gold-selling Elvis Presley album from 1972.Despite the "now" in the title, the tracks on this album were recorded anywhere from one to three years before its release. "Hey Jude" had been recorded at Elvis' legendary sessions at the American Studio in Memphis in early 1969... |
LSP 4460 | 2/20/72 | #43 | I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago | Traditional | 3:13 |