By Pat Harris
NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) – “I’m on a small label right nowmaking some noise,” said the brash, dark-haired kid. “But if Iget a recording contract with a major company, I want you toback me up.”
The year was 1955. The little-known youngster was ElvisPresley, making a backstage pitch to Gordon Stoker, whoseJordanaires quartet had just finished backing up Eddy Arnold ata show in Memphis.
“Nobody had heard of Elvis Presley,” Stoker, now 80,recalled recently, “but apparently he was impressed with ourrendition of ‘Peace in the Valley’ because his first love wasalways gospel, you know. He had listened to us on the Grand OleOpry where we were the first white quartet to sing spiritualsand his music was influenced by that too.”
The collaboration took off and the Jordanaires ultimatelysang back-up on some of Elvis’ biggest hits including “Don’t BeCruel” and “Jailhouse Rock.”
The quartet also sang back-up for Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash,George Jones, Brenda Lee, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson,Merle Haggard, Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton — even the Beatles’Ringo Starr.
Although they are hardly household names themselves, theyhave recorded with an estimated 2,500 different artists andhave sung on more Top 10 records than any other vocal group inhistory, culminating in record sales of more than $2.6 billion.
Looking back on this career, Stoker lounged in the old RCAstudio where Presley put out those first albums on Nashville’sfamed “Music Row.” His gaze lingered on the somewhat battered1949 Steinway, the recording equipment, the instruments, thestraight-back chairs and the black and white photos on the walltaken when Presley and his entourage were all so very young.
It was almost as if they had left on a break from asession.
Stoker remembers being surprised a year after meetingPresley when the “noise” he spoke of making at Sun Records inMemphis had landed him a contract with RCA. By that time, theJordanaires, who had formed their quartet in 1948 inSpringfield, Missouri, were a fixture in Nashville.
ELVIS HAD A REQUEST
Country star Chet Atkins, who was producing Presley’s firstRCA record, told Stoker that the young fellow had asked for theJordanaires to sing backup.
“Chet didn’t think the kid would go anywhere in the musicbusiness,” said Stoker. “He said that Elvis was just along-haired kid who was a passing fancy and he called me in tosing backup with Ben and Brock Speer on the session.
“It wasn’t that we had anything against the Speers,” saidStoker, “but in music, meshing harmonies and styles can betricky. But I went over to the studio and Elvis asked where therest of the Jordanaires were and was disappointed that theyweren’t there. Four months later, Chet brought in the Speersagain to join me in backing up Presley on ‘I Want You, I NeedYou, I Love You,’ which was a big hit.”
At that point, Elvis insisted not only on the Jordanaireson all future sessions but also their name on his album — anunusual move since no backing musicians, producers or engineerswere given credit on labels then.
This time he got his way. The long-haired kid was a starwith enough clout to overrule Atkins, then a powerhouse in thebusiness.
Presley’s manager, Col. Tom Parker, “told Chet that whenElvis asks for someone, Elvis gets them,” Stoker recalled. And, he added, “to the day he died, Elvis didn’t like Chet.”
It was the beginning of a 14-year relationship during whichthe Jordanaires provided backup on “Don’t Be Cruel,” “All ShookUp,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love” andnumerous other Presley hits.
It lasted until Presley based his career in Las Vegas andthe Jordanaires declined to leave their roots in Nashville forthe bright lights of the gambling mecca.
Was it a hard decision to make?
“Well,” drawled the white-haired Stoker who sees nothingunusual about his continuing to sing harmony at age 80 for thebiggest artists in the business, “not really. We could havegone with Elvis to Las Vegas with our careers tied to his butit made more sense for us to stay here and make music with justabout everyone in the business. So that’s what we did.”
Presley died in Memphis in 1977 at age 42.
STILL ON THE ROAD
The Jordanaires went on to back up other singers sosuccessfully that they are still cutting records and performingin their own shows, now members of the Country Music Hall ofFame.
They take on new challenges, just releasing their firstbluegrass album titled “Believe,” which contains 26 hymnsincluding four new ones written specifically for the project.The album features a Presley favorite, “Angel Band.”
Through the years several members of the original grouphave died and been replaced. First tenor Stoker joined in 1950.Ray Walker became a member eight years later. Other currentmembers are Louis Nunley and Curtis Young.
“We’ve played to a quarter of a million people in Canadaduring the past two years,” said Stoker. “We do between 30 and35 shows a year here in this country and we can’t keep up withthe requests for more.”
“Yeah,” said Walker. “I think people have found out thatwe’re not dead.”
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