*(1960) Liberty LRP 3183-A2 ''Crying In The Chapel'' (Take NA LP Master) Johnny Burnette

''Crying In The Chapel'' (Take NA Liberty LRP-3183-A2 LP Master) (Artie Glenn) (Valley Publishers) (2:04) (20:00-23:00)
Recorded December 1, 1960 at United Recording Corporation, 6050 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, California

Name (Or, No, of Instruments
Johnny Burnette - Vocals & Acoustic Guitar
Unknown - Lead Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums, Backup Vocals and Orchestra

Producer - Thomas ''Snuff'' Garrett
Recording Engineer - Bruce Botnick

"Crying In The Chapel" is a song written by Artie Glenn and recorded by his son Darrell Glenn. The song was released in 1953 and reached number six on the Billboard chart. The song has also been recorded by many artists including the Orioles and June Valli, but the most successful version was by Elvis Presley, whose recording reached number three in the US, and number one in the UK in 1965.

According to Artie Glenn's youngest son, Larry, the song was inspired by a personal experience his father had, and the chapel in the title was the Loving Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. By this account, Glenn had suffered a serious back problem, and while in hospital, he bargained with God that he would become a better person if God helped him recover. He recuperated from a successful spinal surgery, and when he was released from hospital, he went to pray at the nearest chapel he could find. While in the chapel, he started shedding tears of joy, which was witnessed by the pastor. The inspiration for the song then came to him, by the time he was back home, he had the basic tune and the chorus, and that evening he finished the rest of the song. Glenn's son Darrell recorded a demo of the song. The song, however, was rejected by a number of publishers, and the song sat unreleased for some time. The song was eventually published by Valley Publishers, while a small independent label Valley Records from Knoxville released the recording as a single.

Darrell Glenn was the first to record the song while still in high school, backed by his father's band the Rhythm Riders. This original version of the song was issued in May 1953. The song became a local hit in Fort Worth, Texas, and then it went nationwide. It quickly gained the attention of other artists who then recorded the song.

Many different versions of the song in a variety of genres were released in the summer of 1953, and they appeared in multiple genre charts. Four versions (Glenn, Rex Allen, the Orioles and June Valli) reached Billboard's best-selling popular records chart at the same time in August, while two versions (Glenn, Allen) also reached the country and western best-selling record chart, and one (the Orioles) on the rhythm and blues chart in the same month. Ella Fitzgerald and the Ray Charles Singers also recorded a Jazz version (flip side of her "When the Hands of the Clock Pray at Midnight", Decca 28762), while Rosetta Tharpe recorded a spiritual version. All versions sold over a combined million copies by August 1953 before they peaked in the charts.

Glenn's original recording was the first to appear in Billboard's Top Popular Records as well as the country and western charts in July 1953, eventually reaching number six on Billboard pop singles chart, and number four on the Billboard country and western chart. The version by Rex Allen reached number eight, the Orioles' number 11, Ella Fitzgerald number 15, and Art Lund reached number 23. On the Cash Box chart where versions by Glenn, June Valli, the Orioles and Rex Allen were amalgamated, the song reached number one. In the UK, Lee Lawrence took his version to number 7.

On October 31, 1960, Elvis Presley cut a version of the song with plans to put it on his RCA gospel album His Hand in Mine. Three takes were recorded, but neither Elvis nor the Jordanaires, who provided background vocals, were satisfied. Eventually, it was decided to shelve the recordings and move on. On April 6, 1965, "Crying In the Chapel" was issued on RCA's "Gold Standard Series." It became Elvis' first million seller since "Return to Sender" in 1962 and his greatest chart success over a six-year span. The single hit number three on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and topped the Easy Listening chart for seven weeks. It was later included as a bonus track on Presley's 1967 gospel album, How Great Thou Art. Presley's version also was a hit in the United Kingdom, where it spent two non-consecutive weeks at number one.

More than 50 artists worldwide have released a version of "Crying in the Chapel".

Source and more information see: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

* - Digitally Remastered

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