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Guitar Man (song)

For the song by Bread, see The Guitar Man.
For the song by Duane Eddy, see (Dance with the) Guitar Man.
"Guitar Man"
Single by Jerry Reed
from the album The Unbelievable Guitar and Voice of Jerry Reed
B-side"It Don't Work That Way"
Released1967 (1967)
Recorded1967
GenreRock and roll
Length2:25
LabelRCA Victor
Songwriter(s)Jerry Reed
Producer(s)Chet Atkins
Jerry Reed singles chronology
"If I Don't Live Up to It"
(1965) 		"Guitar Man"
(1967) 		"Tupelo Mississippi Flash"
(1967)

"Guitar Man" is a 1967 song written and originally recorded by Jerry Reed, who took his version of it to number 53 on the Billboard country music charts in 1967. Soon after Reed's single appeared, Elvis Presley recorded the song[1] with Reed playing the guitar part, and it became a minor country and pop hit.

Elvis Presley versions

"Guitar Man"
Single by Elvis Presley
from the album Clambake
B-side"High Heel Sneakers"
ReleasedJanuary 3, 1968 (1968-01-03)
RecordedSeptember 10, 1967
StudioRCA Studio B, Nashville
GenreRock and roll
LabelRCA Victor
Songwriter(s)Jerry Reed Hubbard
Producer(s)Felton Jarvis
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"Big Boss Man" b/w "You Don't Know Me"
(1967) 		"Guitar Man"
(1968) 		"U.S. Male" b/w "Stay Away"
(1968)

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. So 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 "What'd I Say" during the close.

Presley opened his 1968 comeback special a medley of Leiber and 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]

The track was later remade in 1980 with a new backing track that again included Jerry Reed playing some of 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


1980 re-recording

Credits from Keith Flynn's research of RCA and AFM paperwork.[6]

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

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Doll, Susan. Understanding Elvis: Southern Roots vs. Star Image 1998. p. 154.
  3. ^ Doll, Susan. Elvis for Dummies 2009. p. 182.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 273.
  5. ^ "Elvis Presley Recording Sessions".
  6. ^ "Elvis Presley Recording Sessions".
  7. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - March 9, 1968" (PDF).
  8. ^ a b "Club Elvis - 1968". www.clubelvis.org. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  9. ^ "Elvis Presley | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  10. ^ Coyne, Kevin John (2023-01-08). "Every No. 1 Country Single of the Eighties: Elvis Presley, "Guitar Man"". Country Universe. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  11. ^ "Guitar Man (song by Elvis Presley) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  12. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (2013-07-17). "Image : RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-05-28.


Quelle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Man_(song)