The Jordanaires

www.jordanaires.net

One Sunday afternoon in 1955, the Jordanaires played a show in Memphis with Eddy Arnold. They had just completed the "Eddy Arnold Show" for TV in 1954 and were in Memphis, publicizing the series. The Jordanaires had sung "Peace In The Valley" on the show that afternoon. When the show was over, a young man, blond, quiet and courteous, with plenty of combed-back hair, came backstage to meet them. He was Elvis Presley, a young, practically unheard of singer, just getting his start in the area. There were a few polite exchanges, then Elvis said, "If I ever get a recording contract with a major company, I want you guys to back me up." He was on the "Sun" label at that time. Thinking back to that night, the Jordanaires' first tenor, Gordon Stoker, remembers wishing Elvis well, "But we never expected to hear from him again," he said. "People were always coming up and saying that. We're still told that."

On January 11, 1956, Gordon Stoker was called by Chet Atkins to do a session with a "new-probably-wouldn't-be-around-long kid, named Elvis Presley"---oily hair, pink shirt, black trousers. Elvis used the Jordanaires on nearly every one of his recording sessions for the next 14 years. At a time when no backing musicians, producers, or engineers received a name recognition on any records, Elvis insisted that he have the Jordanaires on the labels of his records. The reflected glory was enough to earn the Jordanaires "Group of the Year" awards well into the Beatles era.

In 1969, when Elvis decided to play long engagements in Las Vegas, the Jordanaires opted to stay in Nashville. In doing so, they never found themselves short of work. In addition to their work with Elvis, the Jordanaires backed up Jim Reeves, Patsy Cline, Marty Robbins, Ricky Nelson and virtually every other major name in both Pop and Country music during the '50s, '60s, and '70s; between 2,200 and 2,500 hundred artists and over 30,000 sides recorded in the studios.

A SAMPLING OF ARTISTS WITH BACKGROUND VOCALS BY THE JORDANAIRES

Elvis Presley, Marty Robbins, Jim Reeves, Patsy Cline, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton, kd lang, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Ricky Nelson, Conway Twitty, Chicago, Neil Young, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Rogers, Don McLean, Ringo Starr, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ronnie Milsap, The Judds, Julie Andrews, Johnny Cash, Connie Francis, Ronnie McDowell, Roy Orbison, Pat Boone, Carol Channing, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Billy Ray Cyrus, Vince Gill

Awards & Recognition