U.S. Male

"U.S. Male" is a country song first recorded by country musician Jerry Reed in 1966, to be included on his 1967 debut album The Unbelievable Guitar and Voice of Jerry Reed . ^[1] Elvis Presley covered the song in 1968. Presley's cover remains better known and recognized than Reed's original.

Elvis Presley cover

"U.S Male"
Single by Elvis Presley
B-side	"Stay Away"
Released	February 27, 1968
Recorded	January 16, 1968
Studio	RCA Studio B, Nashville
Genre	Country
Label	RCA
Songwriter	Jerry Reed Hubbard
Producer	Felton Jarvis
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"Guitar Man" (1968) "U.S Male" / "Stay Away" (1968) "We Call on Him" / "You'll Never Walk Alone" (1968)

Jerry Reed recorded and released "U.S. Male" in late 1966 and Elvis Presley recorded his cover of the song in January 1968 for the B-movie Stay Away, Joe. It reached number 28 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 during the spring of 1968. ^[2] In that same recording session, Presley also recorded a relatively unique jazzy blues-rock version of "Big Boss Man" by Jimmy Reed. ^[3] Presley recorded these three songs accompanied by Reed on lead guitar. It paved the way for Presley's famous '68 Comeback Special , filmed in June 1968 and broadcast on NBC on December 3, 1968.

Accolades

Dave Marsh included the song in his collection, The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made ^[4] as song #655.

References

1. "Jerry Reed – the Unbelievable Guitar & Voice of (1967, Vinyl)". Discogs . 1967.
2. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN   0-89820-089-X
3. "Elvis Presley Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic .
4. Marsh, Dave (1999). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Da Capo Press. ISBN   9780306809019. OCLC   40200194.