Elvis left for Nashville at 1:00 am on a chartered Greyhound bus for his first non - soundtrack recording session for two and a half years. 

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RECORDING SESSION: - (RCA)

RCA Victor Studio B, 30 Music Square, Nashville, Tennessee. (6:30 pm - 9:30 am) (10:00 pm - 1:00 am) (1:30 am - 4:00 am)

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Producer(s): Felton Jarvis.

Engineer: Jim Malloy.

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Musicians: Vocals: Elvis Presley - Electric Guitar: Scotty Moore - Electric Guitar: Jerry Stembridge (Chip Young)  - Bass

Guitar: Charlie McCoy - Electric/Upright Bass: Bob Moore - Drums: D.J. Fontana - Drums/Timpani: Murrey "Buddy"

Harman - Piano: Floyd Cramer - Piano/Organ: Henry Slaughter (The Imperials) - Saxophone: Homer "Boots" Randolph - Saxophone: Rufus Long - Steel Guitar: Peter Drake - Trumpet: Ray Stevens

Backup Vocals: The Jordanaires: 1st Tenor: Gordon Stoker  - 2nd Tenor: Neal Matthews - Baritone: Hoyt Hawkins - Bass: Ray Walker.

Backup Vocals: The Imperials: Lead: Jake Hess - Tenor: Sherrill Nielsen - Baritone: Gary McSpadden - Bass: Armond Morales.

Backup Vocals: Soprano: Mildred "Millie" Kirkham - Dolores Dinning Edgin - June Page.

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At Studio B Elvis met his new producer, thirty-year-old Felton Jarvis. Chet Atkins, never a night owl, brought in Felton, who had recently joined the RCA staff, because he thought Felton had a temperament better suited to Elvis' and to staying up for all-night sessions. Felton, a huge fan of Elvis', recorded an Elvis tribute / imitation, "Don't Knock Elvis", before going on to a career as an R&B producer in his native Atlanta. Elvis' task, as spelled out by RCA under the terms of the new contract, was to deliver two singles, a Christmas single, and a religious album. The musicians appeared on time, but Elvis arrived a couple of hours late and they worked from 10:00 pm to 7:00 am on the first night and continued through the four-day session, Elvis showed a greater degree of musical focus than he had done in years, concentrating primarily on the gospel numbers that would make up the album, but also completed a handful of pop tunes, that included Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" learned from the "Odetta Sings Dylan" album. 

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Songs recorded: "Run On", "How Great Thou Art", "Stand By Me", "Where No One Stands Alone", "Down in the Alley", "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" (audio)

Peter Drake

The Imperials

(Top left: Sherrill Nielsen, Gary McSpadden, Henry Slaughter, Jake Hess and Armond Morales

Dolores Edgin

RECORDING SESSION: - (RCA)

RCA Victor Studio B, 30 Music Square, Nashville, Tennessee. (6:30 pm - 9:30 am) (10:00 pm - 1:00 am) (4:00 am - 7:00 am)

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Producer(s): Felton Jarvis.

Engineer: Jim Malloy.

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Musicians: Vocals: Elvis Presley - Electric Guitar: Scotty Moore - Electric Guitar: Jerry Stembridge (Chip Young)  - Bass Guitar: Charlie McCoy - Electric/Upright Bass: Bob Moore - Drums: D.J. Fontana - Drums/Timpani: Murrey "Buddy" Harman - Piano: Floyd Cramer - Piano/Organ: Henry Slaughter (The Imperials) Piano/Organ: David Briggs - Saxophone: Homer "Boots" Randolph - Saxophone: Rufus Long - Steel Guitar: Peter Drake - Trumpet: Ray Stevens

Backup Vocals: The Jordanaires: 1st Tenor: Gordon Stoker  - 2nd Tenor: Neal Matthews - Baritone: Hoyt Hawkins - Bass: Ray Walker.

Backup Vocals: The Imperials: Lead: Jake Hess - Tenor: Sherrill Nielsen - Baritone: Gary McSpadden - Bass: Armond Morales.

Backup Vocals: Soprano: Mildred "Millie" Kirkham - Dolores Dinning Edgin - June Page.

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Tonight's session ran from 6:30 pm until 7:00 am. One of the highlights of the first three days of the session was the presence of the Imperials, formed as an all-star gospel quartet by one of Elvis' singing idols, Jake Hess, the previous year. The Imperials were a last-minute suggestion from Chet Atkins' secretary, Mary B. Lynch, via Tom Diskin when Diskin was unable to locate Jimmy Jones of the Harmonising Four. Elvis could not be more happy with their presence, however, attempting in several instances to give Hess the vocal lead.

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An interesting sidelight: Tonight's session marked the debut of David Briggs, a young piano player who recently arrived from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, who was booked for the first session, which began at 6:30 pm, (at which generally nothing was recorded), because regular pianist Floyd Cramer was working elsewhere until 9:00 pm To everyone's surprise Elvis turned up on time and was ready to work, and Briggs accompanied him on a cover of Ketty Lester's R&B-tinged ballad "Love Letters," and remained in his chair even after Cramer arrived because Elvis had grown used to his sound.

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Songs recorded: "Love Letters", "So High", "Farther Along", "By and By", "In the Garden", "Beyond the Reef" (audio)

David Briggs