*(1972) RCA ''Always On My Mind'' (Take 4 Complete) Elvis Presley

''Always On My Mind'' (BPA3-1259) (Take 4 Complete) (7:00 PM - 1:00 AM)
Recorded Wednesday March 29, 1972 at RCA Studio C, Hollywood California

Name (Or. No. of Instruments)
Elvis Presley - Vocals
James Burton - Lead Guitar
John Wilkinson - Guitar
Charlie Hodge - Guitar
Joe Esposito - Guitar
Emory Gordy - Bass Guitar
Ronnie Tutt - Drums
Glen D. Hardin - Piano

J.D. Sumner & The Stamps consisting of John Daniel Sumner, Bill Baize, Donnie Sumner, and Richard Sterban - Backup Vocals

Producer - Felton Jarvis
Recording Engineers Al Pachucki & Rick Ruggieri

"Always On My Mind" is a ballad written by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, and Mark James, first recorded by Brenda Lee and first released by Gwen McCrae (as "You Were Always On My Mind") in March 1972. Lee's version was released three months later in June 1972. The song has been a crossover hit, charting in both the country and western and pop categories. Elvis Presley's recording was the first commercially successful version of the song. AllMusic lists more than 300 recorded releases of the song in versions by dozens of performers. While Lee's version reached number 45 on the U.S. country chart in 1972, other performers reached the Top 20 on the country and/or pop charts in the United States and elsewhere with their own versions: Elvis Presley (1972, U.S. country; U.K. pop Top Ten); John Wesley Ryles (1979, US country) and Willie Nelson's Grammy Award-winning version (1982, US/Canada country number one; US/Canada pop Top Ten); and the Pet Shop Boys' 1987 hi-NRG/synth-pop interpretation (UK number one; US Top Ten).

Elvis Presley recorded "Always On My Mind" on March 29, 1972, a few weeks after his February separation from his wife, Priscilla. The song was popular and critically appreciated and is considered one of Presley's standout songs of the 1970s. The song was released as the B-side of the "Separate Ways" single, which was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of one million units. It was listed as a double A-side, reaching number 16 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart in November 1972. In the United Kingdom, "Always on My Mind" (as the A-side) reached the Top Ten in January 1973. In 2013 the recording ranked number one in a poll conducted by ITV, "The Nation's Favourite Elvis Songs", just ahead of "Suspicious Minds" and "Can't Help Falling in Love".

Willie Nelson recorded and released the song in early 1982. It raced to number one on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart that May, spending two weeks on top and a total of 21 weeks on the chart. The song also fared well on Top 40 radio, reaching number five on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and staying on that chart for 23 weeks. It was the best-performing single on the Hot Country Singles year-end chart of 1982. This version also charted in a number of other countries. The single was certified platinum by the RIAA on October 7, 1991.

Nelson's version resulted in three wins at the 25th Grammy Awards in February 1983: songwriters Christopher, James, and Carson won Song of the Year and Best Country Song; in addition, Nelson won for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. This version also won Country Music Association Awards in two consecutive years: 1982 Song of the Year and 1983 Song of the Year for songwriters Christopher, James and Carson; 1982 Single of the Year for Nelson; and contributed to Nelson winning 1982 Album of the Year for the album Always on My Mind. Nelson performed the song with Johnny Cash on the 1998 release of VH1 Storytellers: Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson. The song was also featured in a December 2009 ASPCA commercial. In 2008, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2013, Nelson's version was also featured in its entirety in a season two episode of the HBO series The Newsroom.

Source and more information see: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

* - Digitally Remastered

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