Narvel Felts
Encyclopedia
Narvel Felts is an American
country music
singer. Known for his soaring tenor and high falsetto, Felts enjoyed his greatest success during the 1970s, most famously 1975's "Reconsider Me."
where he attended Bernie High School, Felts was discovered during a talent show at the school. He had been encouraged to participate in the show by some of his classmates, and it just so happened that a talent agent was attending the performance at the time.
Felts recorded his first single "Kiss-a Me Baby" at the age of 16, and his career skyrocketed with the help of Roy Orbison
and Johnny Cash
. Narvel Felts enjoyed modest pop success in 1960 with a remake of the Drifters "Honey Love" which earned a low position on the Billboard Hot 100. He went on to release such songs as "Lonely Teardrops" and "Pink And Black Days", but it wasn't until the 1970s when he began enjoying success on a national level as a country singer.
His first major hit came in 1973, with a cover of Dobie Gray's "Drift Away
". Felts' version — No. 8 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles
chart in September 1973 — was mid-tempo country compared to Gray's blues version. The follow-up single, "All in the Name of Love," just missed hitting the top 10 in December 1973.
Felts continued to enjoy modest success during the next year and a half, when he signed with ABC-Dot Records
in 1975. That year, he enjoyed his biggest hit: a cover of Johnny Adams
' soul classic "Reconsider Me", which showcased his falsetto and high tenor. The song reached No. 2 that August, and was 1975's second-biggest country hit of the year http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_display.jsp?f=Hot+Country+Songs&g=Year-end+Singles&year=1975.
Felts, who became known to fans as "Narvel the Marvel," continued to enjoy success throughout the 1970s. Included in his streak of hits was a remake of "Lonely Teardrops," which became his last top 10 hit in the summer of 1976; and a cover of Willie Nelson
's "Funny How Time Slips Away." He also had a #14 country hit with "Everlasting Love
" in 1979.
Narvel Felts pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
.
He currently resides in Malden, Mo. where he continues to perform on occasion.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer. Known for his soaring tenor and high falsetto, Felts enjoyed his greatest success during the 1970s, most famously 1975's "Reconsider Me."
Career
Raised in Bernie, MissouriBernie, Missouri
Bernie is a city in Stoddard County, Missouri, United States. The population was recorded as 2,031 in 2006.-Geography:Bernie is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
where he attended Bernie High School, Felts was discovered during a talent show at the school. He had been encouraged to participate in the show by some of his classmates, and it just so happened that a talent agent was attending the performance at the time.
Felts recorded his first single "Kiss-a Me Baby" at the age of 16, and his career skyrocketed with the help of Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
and Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
. Narvel Felts enjoyed modest pop success in 1960 with a remake of the Drifters "Honey Love" which earned a low position on the Billboard Hot 100. He went on to release such songs as "Lonely Teardrops" and "Pink And Black Days", but it wasn't until the 1970s when he began enjoying success on a national level as a country singer.
His first major hit came in 1973, with a cover of Dobie Gray's "Drift Away
Drift Away
"Drift Away" is a song written by Mentor Williams and originally recorded by John Henry Kurtz on his 1972 album Reunion. In 1973 the song became Dobie Gray's biggest hit, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, though it did not enter the charts in the United Kingdom.This song is also a...
". Felts' version — No. 8 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart in September 1973 — was mid-tempo country compared to Gray's blues version. The follow-up single, "All in the Name of Love," just missed hitting the top 10 in December 1973.
Felts continued to enjoy modest success during the next year and a half, when he signed with ABC-Dot Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
in 1975. That year, he enjoyed his biggest hit: a cover of Johnny Adams
Johnny Adams
Laten John Adams , known as Johnny Adams, was an American blues, jazz and gospel singer, known as "The Tan Canary" for the multi-octave range of his singing voice, his swooping vocal mannerisms and falsetto...
' soul classic "Reconsider Me", which showcased his falsetto and high tenor. The song reached No. 2 that August, and was 1975's second-biggest country hit of the year http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_display.jsp?f=Hot+Country+Songs&g=Year-end+Singles&year=1975.
Felts, who became known to fans as "Narvel the Marvel," continued to enjoy success throughout the 1970s. Included in his streak of hits was a remake of "Lonely Teardrops," which became his last top 10 hit in the summer of 1976; and a cover of 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...
's "Funny How Time Slips Away." He also had a #14 country hit with "Everlasting Love
Everlasting Love
"Everlasting Love" is a song written by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden that has been a hit for various artists, including Robert Knight, Carl Carlton, Love Affair, and Gloria Estefan.- Overview :...
" in 1979.
Narvel Felts pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
Rockabilly Hall of Fame
The Rockabilly Hall of Fame was established on the internet on March 21, 1997, to present early rock and roll history and information relative to the artists and personalities involved in this pioneering American music genre....
.
Personal
He is married to the former Loretta Stanfield. Two children resulted from the marriage, but Felts lost his only son, Narvel Jr. (known as Bub) in 1995. At one time, Bub played drums for his father. One of his albums is dedicated to his son.He currently resides in Malden, Mo. where he continues to perform on occasion.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Drift Away | 30 | Cinnamon |
| 1974 | When Your Good Love Was Mine | 41 | |
| 1975 | Narvel Felts | 4 | ABC/Dot |
| Greatest Hits Vol. 1 | 20 | ||
| 1976 | Narvel the Marvel | 10 | |
| Doin' What I Feel | 26 | ||
| 1977 | The Touch of Felts | 30 | |
| Narvel | — | ||
| 1978 | Inside Love | — | ABC |
| 1979 | One Run for the Roses | 49 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US 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... |
CAN Country | |||
| 1957 | "Foolish Thoughts" | — | — | — | singles only |
| "Cry, Baby, Cry" | — | — | — | ||
| 1958 | "Rocket Ride" | — | — | — | |
| "Rocket Ride Stroll" | — | — | — | ||
| "Vada Lou" | — | — | — | ||
| 1959 | "Cutie Baby" | — | — | — | |
| 1960 | "Honey Love" | — | 90 | — | |
| "Tony" | — | — | — | ||
| "3000 Miles" | — | — | — | ||
| 1962 | "Little Miss Blue" | — | — | — | |
| "Lovelight Man" | — | — | — | ||
| 1963 | "Mountain of Love" | — | — | — | |
| 1964 | "Four Seasons of Life" | — | — | — | |
| 1965 | "You Were Mine" | — | — | — | |
| "Night Creature" | — | — | — | ||
| "Your True Love" | — | — | — | ||
| 1966 | "Girl Come Back" | — | — | — | |
| "I'd Trade All of My Tomorrows" | — | — | — | ||
| 1967 | "86 Miles" | — | — | — | |
| "Don't Let Me Cross Over" | — | — | — | ||
| 1968 | "Dee Dee" | — | — | — | |
| "Since I Met You Baby" | — | — | — | ||
| 1973 | "Rockin' Little Angel" | — | — | — | Drift Away |
| "Drift Away Drift Away "Drift Away" is a song written by Mentor Williams and originally recorded by John Henry Kurtz on his 1972 album Reunion. In 1973 the song became Dobie Gray's biggest hit, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, though it did not enter the charts in the United Kingdom.This song is also a... " |
8 | — | 48 | ||
| "All in the Name of Love" | 13 | — | 63 | ||
| 1974 | "When Your Good Love Was Mine" | 14 | — | 14 | When Your Good Love Was Mine |
| "Until the End of Time" (w/ Sharon Vaughn Sharon Vaughn Sharon Vaughn is a musician, songwriter and producer. She has had over two hundred cuts including several number one hits. She has also been nominated for The Nashville Songwriters Federation "Hall Of Fame". Vaughn was formerly married to songwriter Bill Rice, and later to Howard Bellamy of The... ) |
39 | — | — | single only | |
| "I Want to Stay" | 26 | — | 35 | Greatest Hits Vol. 1 | |
| "Raindrops" | 33 | — | — | ||
| 1975 | "Reconsider Me Reconsider Me "Reconsider Me" is a country/soul ballad written by Margaret Lewis and Mira Smith. The best known version is by American country music artist Narvel Felts. Released in 1975, it was the first single from his album Narvel Felts. The song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart... " |
2 | 67 | 1 | Narvel Felts |
| "Funny How Time Slips Away" | 12 | — | 45 | ||
| "Somebody Hold Me (Until She Passes By)" | 10 | — | 27 | Narvel the Marvel | |
| 1976 | "Lonely Teardrops" | 5 | 62 | 5 | |
| "My Prayer" | 14 | — | — | Doin' What I Feel | |
| "My Good Thing's Gone" | 20 | — | — | ||
| 1977 | "The Feeling's Right" | 19 | — | 26 | The Touch of Felts |
| "I Don't Hurt Anymore" | 37 | — | 38 | ||
| "To Love Somebody" | 22 | — | — | Narvel | |
| "Please" | 34 | — | — | ||
| 1978 | "Blue Darlin'" | flip | — | — | |
| "Runaway Runaway (Del Shannon song) "Runaway" was a number-one Billboard Hot 100 song made famous by Del Shannon in 1961. It was written by Shannon and keyboardist Max Crook, and became a major international hit... " |
30 | — | — | ||
| "Just Keep It Up" | 31 | — | 25 | Inside Love | |
| "One Run for the Roses" | 26 | — | 38 | One Run for the Roses | |
| 1979 | "Everlasting Love" | 14 | — | 7 | |
| "Moment by Moment" | 43 | — | 37 | singles only | |
| "Tower of Strength" | 33 | — | 26 | ||
| "Because of Losing You" | 73 | — | — | ||
| 1981 | "Louisiana Lonely" | 67 | — | — | |
| "Fire in the Night" | 84 | — | — | ||
| 1982 | "I'd Love You to Want Me" | 58 | — | — | |
| "Sweet Southern Moonlight" | 84 | — | — | ||
| "Roll Over Beethoven Roll Over Beethoven "Roll Over Beethoven" is a 1956 hit single by Chuck Berry originally released on Chess Records, with "Drifting Heart" as the B-side. The lyrics of the song mention rock and roll and the desire for rhythm and blues to replace classical music... " |
64 | — | — | ||
| "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes Smoke Gets in Your Eyes "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for their 1933 operetta Roberta. It was originally recorded by Gertrude Niesen, on 13 October 1933 on the Victor label 24454. It was performed by Irene Dunne for the 1935 film adaptation,... " |
84 | — | — | ||
| "You're the Reason" | 82 | — | — | ||
| 1983 | "Cry Baby" | 52 | — | — | |
| "Anytime You're Ready" | 79 | — | — | ||
| "Fool" | 52 | — | — | ||
| 1984 | "You Lay So Easy on My Mind" | 70 | — | — | |
| "Let's Live This Dream Together" | 53 | — | — | ||
| "I'm Glad You Couldn't Sleep Last Night" | 63 | — | — | ||
| 1985 | "Hey Lady" | 51 | — | — | |
| "If It Was Any Better (I Couldn't Stand It)" | 68 | — | — | ||
| "Out of Sight Out of Mind" | 71 | — | — | ||
| 1986 | "Rockin' My Angel" | 70 | — | — | |
| 1987 | "When a Man Loves a Woman When a Man Loves a Woman (song) "When a Man Loves a Woman" is a song recorded by Percy Sledge in 1966 at Norala Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. It made number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts. It was listed 54th in the List of Rolling Stone magazine's 500 greatest songs of all time... " |
60 | — | — | |
| 1988 | "I Need Somebody Bad" | — | — | — |
External links
- http://www.rockabillyhall.com/NarvelFelts1.html
- http://www.mkoc.com/NarvelFelts/