How Great Thou Art

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Though Elvis Presley’s 1968 NBC special is often cited as the starting point of his spectacular comeback, his mid-career renaissance actually began a year earlier, with the 1967 gospel collection <i>How Great Thou Art</i>. To those who only knew Presley from his hip-shaking, hound-dogging early day, the spiritual side he displayed on <i>How Great Thou Art</i> might have been a bit of a shock. But to some fan, this <i>was</i> Elvis Presley, and while his gospel numbers may not be as well known as his rocker, <i>How Great Thou Art</i> was a hit album at a time when he needed one: It brought Presley back near the top of the pop chart, and earned the singer his first Grammy, thanks to the title track, which was named Best Sacred Performance. Presley’s gospel pivot had been inspired a few years earlier, thanks to “Crying in the Chapel,” a tossed-off single that became a surprise hit in 1965, after sitting in a vault unreleased for five year. The song’s success prompted RCA to encourage Presley to make another gospel record, eventually leading to <i>How Great Thou Art</i>. “Crying in the Chapel” shows up again on this record, and it’s not hard to understand why it became a hit: The song features the same quivering, crooning singing that appeared on Presley’s early ballad hits—you can trace its lineage all the way back to “Love Me Tender.” And while no other single from <i>How Great Thou Art</i> managed to cross over into pop succe, Presley’s lush, almost chintzy collection of gospel classics ultimately went multi-platinum. (His work on the album went beyond just providing vocal, though: Presley is credited with arrangements on a number of the track, including “Run On,” one of a handful of songs here that draw heavily from the tradition of African-American gospel music groups like the Golden Gate Quartet.) .

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