This song is especially appropriate for Elvis to sing because he fought insomnia all his life and the nights were especially difficult for him.

Everyone email the US library of Congress and nominate Elvis for next years Gershwin Award for his impact on culture and music, his influence on so many artist and opened the door for black artists

I’d let my ribbon and clothes fall all at once for my Elvis lol.

The guy with the red hair is Red West, one of the men in his group that wrote a book about Elvis which was controversial. Elvis died two or three weeks after it was released. Red was the kid in high school that kept the boys in the bathroom from cutting his hair. That was their first meeting.

You crack me up. Elvis has a way of making you feel lost.

Vocal acrobatics of Elvis always astound me, such an amazing talented, empathetic, human being. 👑🎶⚡💖

Yes well put i felt his presence at graceland it was unreal. Love you ray and our man Elvis great reaction doesn't he just get you in the feels . By the way if you have a dollar tree near by go look for the Elvis socks I got a set I about died when I found them they are so cute ❤

One my personal favorites

"A prince among men" I think is the phrase you were going for 😄

Have to lesson to you every night. Thanks

That red headed guy was a year behind Elvis at Humes High School. When a few guys has Elvis surrounded in the men’s room and were trying to cut off his hair, Red West told them they would have to cut Red’s hair first. They became friends and he was a member of the Memphis Mafia. He wrote Elvis song Separate Ways, and a few other songs, was in several of Elvis movies and was in a TV series.

“I love the reaction, greetings from a big Elvis fan from Germany (Dortmund)

Thank you, Thank you very much God bless you always and your family, you're so real.your love for Elvis,The G.O.A.T. comes from your heart TCB⚡TLC 🕺🎸🎤🥁🎼🕊🥰😇🇵🇷🇺🇲❤🙏

Awesome! Elvis had a lot of Native American designs on his jumpsuits cause he is Cherokee

"I got no peanut butter 😢 only a wole bunch of jelly"😅😅

The people that had asked for the song in the audience was Elvis girlfriend Lindas parents Mr and Mrs Thompson.

I love this song ❤

As you know, I am an Elvis fan forever! I finally sent a gift for you to react to Santa Claus Is Back In Town from his first Christmas album. It certainly isn’t like any Christmas Song I haveI heard before or since. Thank you for your consideration!

What a wonderful voice, a caress that comforts me. Elvis my happy island. Thanks Ray and thanks Elvis fans will always be in my mind 💝👑🎸🎶🎶🎶🎶🌈🌸😍💫💫💫💫💫💫💫

Awww here's our guy...singing this gorgeous heartfelt country song...yes Ray I heard of several people having felt his presence at Graceland. Beautiful. We all love you Elvis...we will not forget you..yes indeed he started the party and Ray will finish it !!! Actual factual!!!!! Did you hear that lowwww note he hit??? Did you hear him say " Don't turn the lights out yet!" ❤❤❤ Loved this one Ray...we love you too Ray...Peace!!!❤❤

His voice just melts my heart.

Ray we know we u can’t give a shout out to over 100k of ppl. We do love u and urs because u show us so much love and u keep it real. Keep being u babe. ❤❤❤❤

The cross he is wearing in the suit you love so much was designed by Linda Thompson and given to him. It includes they birthstones.

This voice is wonderful 😢❤

That red headed dude would have taken a bullet for Elvis. His crew love him

that voice. like no other. relvis bld.

Elvis fans are the best from 8 to 80 which I am, I have counting on the Elvis family for years. I was in one of the first Elvis fan clubs in Virginia. I must say you are one of the best Elvis reactors ever. I went to Graceland Twice and everybody says it's a special feeling. I guess I'll never get over him, but then I don't want too. Thanks Ray, always fun.

OH SO MANY COMMENTS! 1) I am also wearing my Federico shirt tonight. So comfy. 2) Elvis did a magnificent job - as always - with a song written by Kris Kristofferson. And if EP had ever asked me to "lay down by my side", I'd have been a puddle on the floor - even if he just needed a friend. 3) Can't wait for tomorrow's live - I'm in there like swimwear. 4) You do NOT want me to start slapping people. I may be an old broad, but I'm still packing a wallop. 5) To all the Vibe Gang members named and not named - you are all in my thoughts every day, and I thank you for all the love you have shown to me, Ray and each other. And for tonight - Elvis has left the building. KP

Mr.Relvis you and Elvis make my day/night I just love all the positive vibes and love 💙❤💯🙏

This song was for Linda Thompson. She was his live in Girlfriend after his divorce from Pricilla.

Ray you have asked about Elvis voice, he was a Baritone, but he could go down to the Bass and up to the Tenor range...

Ray, you are absolutely right about feeling an energy at Graceland! My Son and me were there in 2007 and from the minute you walk in the front door you can feel it!! The house is alive!! It breaths, it thrives, it was a witness unto itself of all the music and history that went on within those walls!! You really get the feeling that the house plays it's own role in carrying on the lore and legacy! I truly believe in 300 years people will still be talking about Elvis Presley!

Awww Ray...so sweet to shout out love to everyone..❤❤❤🤗🥰Happy Birthday Miss Dawson🎉🎉🎂 sing it Ray !!!!

its about the voice

Bridge over troubled water 1972 is amazing, if you ever get the chance

For me listening to a Elvis song is a spiritual and very emotional experience. I can remember my mother singing some of this song growing up, and it always makes me cry and miss her so much. You can feel the passion and pain radiating from his voice. I had his song My way played at her memorial, because she loved him, and that song was the epitome of how she lived her life and how she died on her own terms. For a long time i could not hear it without completely breaking down. I would love to hear your reaction to this song. I also think that the song was a prophecy of his death.

oh Elvis 💗💗💗

He can do any genre

I know exactly the feeling you had when inside Graceland. I felt his presence without a doubt & was so overwhelmed by it that I started shaking as I silently cried. You truly do feel him when there. I don't have the words, but I get what you felt. Spent a great deal of time outside the house (when I went in late 90's there was no time limit outside). That was such a delight. Meditated sitting against the wall in Meditation Garden in front of his grave for a long time. Only experience more awesome than that visit was seeing him in person in the early 70's. Thrill of a lifetime. Thanks for spreading the love & keeping his memory alive. I think he'd love your humor.

Thanks!

THANK YOU TO ALL VIBE GANG MEMBERS- V.I.F*CKIN'.P! FACTS! AND RAY MY GUY- ALL THOSE VOHICULARS WITHOUT AUTOTUNE?! STANDING OVATION 👏👏👏👏🌹🌹🌹🌹🙌💃🙌💃🙌💃🙌 HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS NANCY 💝🎂💝🎶🎸🎶🙌💃🙌💃🌹🌹🌹🌹 And Ray I agree: Ain't no way I'm sharing my peanut butter with nobody 😂😂😂 (kidding obviously) Right okay: Terry Blackwood & Jim Murray of The Imperials provided back up vocals for Elvis both on recordings & on stage when they toured with him (1971): Below is an article- interview of them talking about their time with Elvis: When The Imperials first worked with Elvis during the May 1966 'How Great Thou Art' sessions, he told them that he had been an admirer of their music for years. Murray and Blackwood were not singing with The Imperials yet at that point, but they were there when Elvis returned to live performances in 1969. The Imperials continued to sing back-up for Elvis until the fall of 1971, and can be seen in 'That's The Way It Is'. They recorded in the studio with him in May / June 1971, where Elvis recorded the Grammy Award winning album 'He Touched Me'. Because of Presley's love for Gospel music, Murray and Blackwood got to know him quite well, and in the following interview they shed some light on their relationship with him. When did you first meet Elvis? Terry: In the mid-fifties, my father Doyle Blackwood was running for the state representative position in Tennessee, and that's when I first met him, because Elvis loaned my daddy his pink Cadillac to be in a parade in downtown Memphis. So that's when I first met him, but Elvis had been a fan of Gospel music ever since he was a kid, and he would go to all the Gospel concerts. I'm sure we'd probably met him at one of those concerts, because whenever they had concerts in Memphis he would come. He'd come backstage. Sometimes in the evening they would announce that Elvis Presley was there, and he'd come out and take a bow. Colonel Parker wouldn't let him sing because of contracts, but he'd come out and take a bow... Jim: and in about '66 or so, we did some studio work with him. He had asked us to be on a Gospel album with him. During that time is when he heard us and got to know the Imperials. So when he decided to go back on the road, The Jordanaires weren't able to come, so he asked us to come. That's when we really started working with him: in '69, '70 and '71. What were your first impressions of him during those '69 rehearsals? Terry: He was a workaholic! (laughs). We rehearsed from probably nine in the morning to six in the evening, and we would go over the same song dozens of times, just because he wanted to be comfortable with it. So we knew the songs backwards and forwards by the time we started doing the shows! Jim: He wanted us to work as hard as he did. And he worked very hard. There were two vocal groups - The Imperials and The Sweet Inspirations - and one solo vocalist, Millie Kirkham. Wasn't it difficult blending all these voices together? Terry: The styles were different, but 'blend' may not be what he was going for. He was going more for power and big sound. He had a 40-piece orchestra, he had The Sweet Inspirations to sing all the high stuff, and we were singing all the mid-range stuff and Millie Kirkham (the soprano) was singing above the Sweets. So he just had a cast of thousands out there that just sounded humongous. It just sounded huge with everybody singing. So 'blend', we blended among ourselves, among The Imperials we blended, but ... Jim: and the Sweets blended. So just the combination of all those voices together - I don't know how you explain it, but it sounded pretty good! (laughs). Do you remember the songs that were rehearsed? Terry: Everything that he did, every song that he sang Jim: Everything he did in the show, the Las Vegas show Terry: And some that we actually didn't do in the show Jim: extra songs that he never used, that didn't make it into the show. Terry: But we did a lot of songs. Opening Night July 31st, 1969 Terry: Everybody was there, everybody that was anybody in showbusiness was at the International that night. It was electric, 'The Event of the Decade'. And he was prepared. His physical ability was at its prime. Vocally he was great. He was nervous, very nervous. He had a lot of nervous energy. He was always concerned about doing a good job. That was something that he never - he never slacked off. He never did less than his best. August '69 was pure rock 'n' roll, but in the engagements after that it seems that he focused more and more on ballads. Do you think that this was a conscious change? Jim: No, he just knew a good song, he liked good songs. He didn't care what slot it fit into. Terry: I think he probably evolved from 'Blue Suede Shoes' and 'Hound Dog' to songs with a little more substance (laughs). Some of the August '70 were recorded by MGM for 'That's The Way It Is'. Were there any differences with the previous engagements because of that? Terry: It was just another concert for us. The only difference was that there were cameras everywhere. We did the same thing we always did. Jim: I think by then he was pretty much - He knew what he could do on the stage, and he was pretty much in charge of everything. I don't think he was afraid of doing it, but I think that just the fact that with all these cameras around and all these extra people on stage and everything - But I don't think he changed anything he ever did. He was who he was. They had to work around him! (laughs). It's interesting, because the first movie 'That's The Way It Is' included a lot of interviews of fans. 'How do you feel about seeing Elvis for the first time', you know. They have just re-released a new 'That's The Way It Is' and they put a lot more rehearsal and concert footage in there, and a lot of that footage hasn't been seen before. The Imperials are on all of that. Yes, I have seen it and it's great. I love that part during the rehearsal of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' where he says (about the Imperials): 'These guys sound like they are lost, which is true, but we don't want to emphasize that!'. Terry: (laughs) I don't remember that! Jim: It sounds like something he would say! (laughs). With the Imperials being a Gospel Quartet, were you ever criticized for playing in Las Vegas with Elvis Presley? Terry: There were probably some people who criticized us, but there always have been criticisms of people who are trying to do something different. I'm not justifying what we did, except to say that Elvis' background was Gospel music. He loved Gospel quartets, that's what he listened to. But he was known for his rock 'n' roll music, so when you work with Elvis Presley, you sing his songs. He didn't sing your songs. Except in rehearsal - I mean, when we were off the stage, and we were enjoying our time together, was when we sang Gospel music, because that's what he loved to sing. So what we were doing is - I don't feel like we were compromising - He was there because he was a rock 'n' roll singer and we were backing him up on his songs. I think we had an influence on his life. I don't know to what degree, but - I think that's what we as christians are supposed to do, is somehow impact other people's lives without being judgemental. Being true to ourselves, but also getting a chance when we can to share our work for the Lord. How did you feel about Elvis as a human being? Terry: Very generous, very kind, very polite to his elders - a Southern gentleman. Very respectful of - Jim: Very loyal. Loyal to the people that worked with him. He'd take good care of you. And very much in defense of the people that worked with him. He would defend you. Do you have specific examples of that? Jim: Well, without going into a long story, one of our members had some things stolen from his house, or his house was broken into. Elvis jumped in to defend, 'call the sheriff', 'call the police' - whatever it took to find out who did it. That was the way he was. Terry: But he expected loyalty from his people too. He had a group of men who were lovingly called the Memphis Mafia. They were around him all the time and helped him, supported him, encouraged him - Because deep down he was not really sure that he was worthy to be called The King of Rock 'n' Roll. So he had to be reminded of how great he was. It's difficult to go out there every night and prove that you're The King of Rock 'n' Roll, when you may not feel like it that night. (Sorry to say that part 2 may not be available for reading 😢)

You make us feel like family.

You only pop up on my timeline for Elvis songs, but I appreciate the love you have for him. At almost 69 years old, I rarely listen to any other music, but his. I am going to see Melissa Ethridge in August. She has that emotional commitment to her vocal performances, so uncommon these days. Thanks for sharing!

@Ray - I so appreciate your reactions as compared to so many ( I've now checked to understand what's this all reacting business is about) you have a marvellous skill of analysing, sharing and interpretating the performance of an artist, adding a flavour of your own humor to it. Love the playful intelligence of your style! A lot others bring all their lack of knowledge to the screen ( may it be music, history or pure emotional intelligence) which ruins the enjoyment. You never dissapoint and make this actually entertaining and smart. Boy oh boy I have so many more little Elvis suggestions that I'd love to go over with you but that's a different section I guess :D Bless you!

☀️Happy Birthday Miss Dawson! 🎉 Relvis you are the best! Thank you for always cheering me up!😘💚

His studio version is much better. Very nice pictures of Elvis there.

Happy birthday Ms Dawson

I have always loved this version by Elvis. Even sent it to my best girl once, so she could hear the ache in those string instruments and with Elvis delivering the lullaby lyrics, I knew she would feel my heart aching for her. You keep taking care of business Ray and I'm diggin it! Thank you for this one! 🎶🎶

Ray I love your Reactions ❤Thanks for Sharing our Elvis 👏👏👏

I've been in Australia the last 5 days, just got back home (NZ) and it's time to catch up on Ray's Elvis reactions ❤❤❤ OH YEAH BABY!!! I used to listen to this song growing up, Thank you Dad!! Love how he intonates the words in this one, his southern accent and drawl just add to the magic of his golden voice ❤❤

I love this one!! ❤

The King mister perfect

Actual Factual

“You started the party “ 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣🤣

Hahahahahahah!!

☮️

🙅💕🥰👌👍

Do you have more Graceland pilgrimage photos or videos coming up? I’m sure you have more . Hint hint. That red headed guy is Red west…his friend and bodyguard and wrote some good songs for Elvis

Cursing in «church» here….😂the version released on «Elvis Now», was not, IMHO, prime Elvis, he sounded strained. Take a listen to the version that Gladys Knight released, amazing. Take care, everyone👍

❤

Am I the Kim you mentioned? I'm just going to assume it is me 🤣😂🤣 so to you I say Thanks! I lost it with you doing the "Me, me, me, me, me, me, me, you, you, you, you... us" that cracked me right up; never heard that before. and then the "record scratch" & rewind and starting Happy Bday over again. Comedy hilarity in the studio tonight! EDIT: Nope, that wasn't me lmfao! Thanks for the appreciation shoutout; even interrupting Elvis right at the start to do it. Not me feeling special 🙃😜

I love this song, it's another amazing song from the greatest songwriter there is, his name is of course Kris Kristofferson (He also wrote Why me Lord that Elvis sings/sang). I found another band that sound amazing when they are singing Why me Lord: kzfaq.info?search_query=Why+Me+Lord+~+Gaither+Vocal+Band

hope you had a great 420 Relvis 💚😘

Morning bro ❤🎉

Never wrote a note of music, he made every song better.

HAPPY 420 FROM CANADA

Elvis was part American Indian

RELVIS

this song is just too good, his highs and lows, elvis who gave you the permission to be doing all that? 🙂‍↕️ the miserable little red head dude is red west, we dont like him round here cause he betrayed elvis by writing a false, lie filled, smearin book about him in ‘77 after he got fired! thanks for another GREAT reaction as per usual ❣️

I cannot open up any of your links Ray to write a message. I have been looking for an Elvis video/reaction but it has been five days. Are you only doing his certain days?****

that outfit was wacko, but he's such a beautiful soul it dont matta. Ray take a survey: which opening do people like best

Hey you should check out good time by cage the elephant I think you would like it

He was part indian.

Where can I send mail to vibe reaction

YOUR KILLING ME

Check out shaboozey a bar song

PLAY THE SONG IN FULL, THAN SPEAK PLEASE. I LIKE YA, BUT COME ON DUDE..

PHHUK.. I NEED SOME WYYTE FRIENDS!!! DAWG!!!!!