"Guitar Man" is a 1967 song written and recorded by Jerry Reed, who took it to #53 on the Billboard country music charts in 1967. Elvis Presley soon covered the song[1], singing over Reed's guitar; the collaboration reached #1 on the Billboard "Hot country singles" charts.
Elvis Presley versions
According to Peter Guralnick's two-volume biography of Presley, the singer had been trying to record the tune, but missed the sound Jerry Reed had brought to the original release. RCA managed to locate Reed and brought him to the session at RCA's Studio B in Nashville. The twelfth take eventually became the 1968 single master, after Reed overdubbed some additional guitar and the length was edited to omit Elvis ad-libbing Ray Charles' "What'd I Say" (which he had previously covered in 1963 for Viva Las Vegas) towards the end of that take.
Presley opened his 1968 comeback special a medley of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's "Trouble" and this number. With dark, moody lighting highlighting his presence, the sequence alluded to Presley's original "dangerous" image, and served to prove that the singer was still "sexy, surly and downright provocative."[2][3]
Under the supervision of Presley's producer Felton Jarvis, the song was (partially) re-recorded in 1980 with a new backing track that again included Jerry Reed playing his unique guitar licks, and spent one week at number one on the country chart the following year.[4]
Personnel (Elvis Presley versions)
Credits sourced from British fan Keith Flynn's research.[5]
1967 recording
- Elvis Presley – lead vocals
- Jerry Reed – lead guitar
- Scotty Moore — rhythm guitar
- Chip Young – rhythm guitar
- Harold Bradley – rhythm guitar
- Bob Moore – bass
- Floyd Cramer – piano
- D. J. Fontana — drums
- Buddy Harman – drums
1980 re-recording
Credits from Keith Flynn's research of RCA and AFM paperwork.[6]
- Elvis Presley – lead vocals
- Jerry Reed – lead guitar
- Jerry Shook — rhythm guitar
- Larry Byrom — rhythm guitar
- Mike Leech — bass
- David Briggs — piano
- Jerry Carrigan — drums
Chart performance
Jerry Reed
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 53 |
Elvis Presley
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada[7] | 36 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [8] | 43 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [8] | 42 |
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [9] | 28 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles [10] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary [11] | 16 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks [12] | 1 |
References
- ^ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 8 - The All American Boy: Enter Elvis and the rock-a-billies. [Part 2]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
- ^ Doll, Susan. Understanding Elvis: Southern Roots vs. Star Image 1998. p. 154.
- ^ Doll, Susan. Elvis for Dummies 2009. p. 182.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 273.
- ^ "Elvis Presley Recording Sessions".
- ^ "Elvis Presley Recording Sessions".
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - March 9, 1968" (PDF).
- ^ a b "Club Elvis - 1968". www.clubelvis.org. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ "Elvis Presley | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ Coyne, Kevin John (2023-01-08). "Every No. 1 Country Single of the Eighties: Elvis Presley, "Guitar Man"". Country Universe. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ "Guitar Man (song by Elvis Presley) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ Canada, Library and Archives (2013-07-17). "Image : RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
