They decided to abandon that track and allowed Elvis to riff on some other ideas with far greater success. In July 1954, the single That’s Alright Mama was released and The King was on the way to claiming his crown.
The story around Without You grew over the years and achieved mythical status for it’s clear influence on the way Elvis sounded, but nobody could identify the singer until recently.
In the 1975 book Mystery Train, Greil Marcus said of the Without You demo: “Most of all, anyone who listens hears Elvis… The unnamed singer’s voice is full of pain and full of acceptance; gliding along the stately lines of the song, reaching for solace, falling short, reaching again.”
It was music producer Chris Kennedy who finally made the stunning discovery it was Nashville singer Jimmy Sweeney, who died in 1992.
Kennedy contacted his daughter Eugenia to make the emotional revelation. She confirmed it was her father’s voice and revealed what it would have meant to him.
FULL CHRIS KENNEDY AND EUGENIA SWEENEY INTERVIEW BELOW
Published at Mon, 03 May 2021 13:48:00 +0000
Mystery singer who inspired Elvis identified after 65 years 'Why can't I sing like that?'
