Guitar Man (song)

Last updated
"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
Genre Rock and roll
Length2:25
Label RCA 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.

Contents

Elvis Presley versions

"Guitar Man"
Elvis Presley Guitar Man 1968 Picture Sleeve.jpg
Single by Elvis Presley
from the album Clambake
B-side "High Heel Sneakers"
ReleasedJanuary 3, 1968 (1968-01-03)
RecordedSeptember 10, 1967
Studio RCA Studio B, Nashville
Genre Rock and roll
Label RCA 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 in his two-volume biography of Presley, the singer had been trying unsuccessfully to record the tune, but wasn't happy with the groove. He said something to the effect of: "Get me that redneck picker who's on the original tune", and his staff brought Reed into the studio - who nailed it on the first take (though this romantic account is contradicted by a studio tape of the session that documents the first, second and fifth takes which are available on video-sharing website YouTube, and it is unclear if the first take is the one selected for the album).[ citation needed ] The single spent one week at number one on the country chart. [2]

In 1968, Presley opened his 1968 comeback special with this number. With dark, moody lighting highlighting his sneer, the sequence alluded to Presley's checkered past and "dangerous" image and served to prove that the singer was still "sexy, surly and downright provocative." [3] [4] The song was featured in a medley along with "Trouble" against a "Jailhouse Rock" backdrop featuring male dancers in cells.

In 1981, "Guitar Man" was re-recorded in a new electric arrangement, with Presley's original vocal left intact, and it was the last of his eleven number-one country hits. The record also peaked at number twenty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and was his last top-40 pop hit in the U.S. [5]

Personnel (Elvis Presley versions) Credits sourced from Keith Flynn's research of RCA and AFM paperwork. [6]

1967 version

1981 version

Credits from Keith Flynn's research of RCA and AFM paperwork. [7]

Chart performance

Jerry Reed

Chart (1967)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles53

Elvis Presley

Chart (1967)Peak
position
Canada [8] 36
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [9] 43
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [9] 42
Chart (1981)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [10] 28
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles [11] 1
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary [12] 16
Canadian RPM Country Tracks [13] 1
Dutch Top 40 [14] 39

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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. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 273.
  3. Doll, Susan. Understanding Elvis: Southern Roots vs. Star Image 1998. p. 154.
  4. Doll, Susan. Elvis for Dummies 2009. p. 182.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 504.
  6. "Elvis Presley Recording Sessions".
  7. "Elvis Presley Recording Sessions".
  8. "RPM Top 100 Singles - March 9, 1968" (PDF).
  9. 1 2 "Club Elvis - 1968". www.clubelvis.org. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  10. "Elvis Presley | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  11. Coyne, Kevin John (2023-01-08). "Every No. 1 Country Single of the Eighties: Elvis Presley, "Guitar Man"". Country Universe. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  12. "Guitar Man (song by Elvis Presley) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  13. Canada, Library and Archives (2013-07-17). "Image : RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  14. Hung, Steffen. "Elvis Presley - The 100 Top-Hits Collection". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2024-05-28.