"Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" is a

popular song Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Funk ...

written by Scotty Wiseman for the 1944 musical film, '' Sing, Neighbor, Sing'' and performed by Lulu Belle and Scotty. It was their greatest hit and one of the first country music songs to attract major attention in the pop music field. Although the song was featured in the movie, it was not released by Lulu Belle and Scotty until 1947 (and then again in 1956). The first released version of this song was by

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

in 1945.

Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters version

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

and the Andrews Sisters recorded the song on November 25, 1949 and it had a good reception from the trade magazine

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

who said: "Ditty’s a sprightly mountain-musiker that had its innings a couple of years back on straight hillbilly diskings. Bing and the gals are in top form as they harmonize it to a spanking fare-thee-well." The record entered the Billboard charts on January 21, 1950 and in a four-week stay it peaked at No. 24.

Lulu Belle and Scotty version

Lulu Belle and Scotty released their version in 1956 on a

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

45 rpm single.

Elvis Presley version

The earliest and easily most prominent recording of "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" in the early rock era was by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

. According to the book of the CD-boxset "Elvis - The Complete 50's Masters", Presley recorded it on January 19, 1957, at RCA's Radio Recorders in Hollywood for his '' Loving You'' album. Session musicians for the song included Presley himself on acoustic guitar, Scotty Moore on electric guitar,

Bill Black William Patton Black Jr. (September 17, 1926 – October 21, 1965) was an American musician and bandleader who is noted as one of the pioneers of rock and roll. He played in Elvis Presley's early trio. Black later formed Bill Black's Combo. Ear ...

on double bass,

D. J. Fontana Dominic Joseph Fontana (March 15, 1931 – June 13, 2018) was an American musician best known as the drummer for Elvis Presley for 14 years. In 1955, he was hired to play drums for Presley, which marked the beginning of a 15-year relationshi ...

on drums, Dudley Brooks on piano, Hoyt Hawkins on organ, and the Jordanaires on background vocals. When the song was included on the ''Loving You'' album release in July 1957, it immediately prompted both Ricky Nelson and

Eddie Cochran Ray Edward Cochran (; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. Cochran's songs, such as "Twenty Flight Rock", "Summertime Blues", " C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desire ...

to record cover versions of the song. Nelson's was the "B" side of a hit single ("Be-Bop Baby", released in September), while Cochran's was an album cut (released in November). The impact of the Elvis version was felt across the Atlantic.

Eddie Cochran version

recorded his version in August 1957 and released it on the album ''

Singin' to My Baby ''Singin' to My Baby'' is the first album by Eddie Cochran, released on Liberty Records in mono in November 1957. The catalogue number was LRP 3061. It was the only album Eddie Cochran released during his short lifetime (which ended on April 17, 1 ...

''. Musicians on the session were: *

- guitars,

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

, vocals *

Perry Botkin Sr. Perry Botkin (July 22, 1907October 14, 1973) was an American jazz guitarist, banjoist, and composer. Career Born in Springfield, Ohio, Perry Botkin started working in the 1920s for Wayne Euchner, who had a big band in West Baden, Indiana. Aroun ...

- rhythm guitar * Connie "Guybo" Smith - double bass * The Johnny Mann Chorus - backing vocals

Other versions

Rosalie Allen Rosalie Allen (born Julie Marlene Bedra; June 27, 1924 – September 23, 2003) was an American country singer, songwriter, guitarist, columnist and television and radio host who was noted for her yodeling. She was known as the Queen of Yodeling, ...

* Ricky Nelson on his 1957 album 'Ricky' Imperial LP 9048 USA and the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to "

Be-Bop Baby "Be-Bop Baby" is a song written by Pearl Lendhurst and performed by Ricky Nelson. The song reached No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' pop chart and No. 5 on the R&B chart in 1957. The song appears on his 1957 album, ''Ricky''. Joe Maphis was the lead gui ...

" * Eddy Arnold *

– one of the first recorded versions of this song, which went to number 3 on the C&W charts in 1946. For many years it was the standard, and still is to many people today. *

The Beau Marks The Beau-Marks were a Canadian rock music group formed in 1958 in Montreal, Quebec. Their first release, the April 1959 single "Rockin' Blues" b/w "Moonlight Party", came out under the name The Del-Tones, but the group changed their name soon after ...

* The Blue Diamonds (Netherlands, 1961) * Jim Ed Brown *

Anita Bryant Anita Jane Bryant (born March 25, 1940) is an American singer known for anti-gay activism. She scored four "Top 40" hits in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Paper Roses" which reached No. 5 on the charts. She was th ...

* Michael Bublé (2013) with Naturally 7 - included in the album

To Be Loved ''To Be Loved'' is the eighth studio album by Canadian singer, Michael Bublé. The album was released on April 15, 2013, by 143 Records and Reprise Records. The album was preceded by the release of the lead single, " It's a Beautiful Day", rel ...

. * The Canadian Sweethearts *

Tommy Collins Tommy Collins may refer to: * Tommy Collins (filmmaker) (died 2022), Irish filmmaker * Tommy Collins (singer) (1930–2000), American country music singer and songwriter See also * Thomas Collins (disambiguation) * Tom Collins (disambiguation) A ...

* Jill Corey *

Floyd Cramer Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American pianist who became famous for his use of melodic "half step" attacks. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His signature ...

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...

with

(This was a parodied version which was used in Crosby's

radio show A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio networ ...

on February 1, 1950.) * Vic Damone * Skeeter Davis and

Porter Wagoner Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Po ...

Little Jimmy Dickens James Cecil Dickens (December 19, 1920 – January 2, 2015), better known by his stage name Little Jimmy Dickens, was an American country music singer and songwriter famous for his humorous novelty songs, his small size (4'11" 50 cm, and h ...

* Don Edwards * George Faith * Red Foley (1947) * Billy Fury *

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made ...

* Vera Lynn * Al Martino - included in his album "Painted, Tainted Rose" (1963). *

Susan McCann Susan McCann (born 26 February 1949) is an Irish-born country and Irish singer. She had a 1977 hit "Big Tom is Still the King" which become a Number 1 in the Irish pop charts. Today, Mccann is affectionately known as 'Irelands First Lady Of Cou ...

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

(on his 1967 album '' Make Way for Willie Nelson'') *

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), known professionally as Patti Page, was an American singer and actress. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female ar ...

- included in her album "Patti Page Sings Country and Western Golden Hits" (1961) * Freddy Quinn *

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville Sound. Known as "Gentleman ...

- included in the album "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" (1964). *

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...

(on his 1965 album '' Love is Forever'' album) * Riders in the Sky *

Riders of the Purple Sage ''Riders of the Purple Sage'' is a Western novel by Zane Grey, first published by Harper & Brothers in 1912. Considered by scholars to have played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre, the novel has been called ...

* Tex Ritter (1946) * Marty Robbins - included in his album "The Songs of Robbins" (1957 Columbia Records) and "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" (1974). * Johnny Rodriguez * The Sons of the Pioneers * Sissy Spacek (on her 1983 album '' Hangin' Up My Heart'') *

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

(on his 1970 album '' Sentimental Journey'') * Hank Thompson * Wesley Tuttle 1946 *

Billy Vaughn Richard Smith "Billy" Vaughn (April 12, 1919 – September 26, 1991) was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, orchestra leader, and A&R man for Dot Records. Biography Vaughn was born in Glasgow, Kentucky, United States, where his father, ...

and His Orchestra * Bobby Vinton *

Patrick Wall Sir Patrick Henry Bligh Wall, (14 October 1916 – 15 May 1998) was a British commando in the Royal Marines during the Second World War and later a Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Haltemprice in the Eas ...

* Kitty Wells * Slim Whitman * Roger Whittaker *

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

Mac Wiseman Malcolm Bell Wiseman (May 23, 1925 – February 24, 2019) was an American bluegrass and country singer. Early life He was born on May 23, 1925, in Crimora, Virginia. He attended school in New Hope, Virginia, and graduated from high school the ...

* Faron Young * Dale Evans and Roy Rogers * Pat and Shirley Boone - included in their album "I Love You Truly" (1962). *

The Overtones The Overtones are a UK based vocal harmony group. They were discovered by a Warner Bros. Records' talent scout while working as decorators in a shop near Oxford Street, singing during their tea break. Their first album, '' Good Ol' Fashioned Lo ...

- On their first album,

Good Ol' Fashioned Love ''Good Ol' Fashioned Love'' is the debut studio album by British-Irish doo-wop boy band The Overtones. The album was released on 1 November 2010 in the UK by Rhino Entertainment. The album was subsequently re-released on 8 March 2011, containing ...

Charting versions

References

External links

Scotty Wiseman at Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
{{authority control 1945 songs 1956 singles Eddie Cochran songs Gene Autry songs Kitty Wells songs Red Foley songs Ricky Nelson songs Tex Ritter songs Bob Hope songs Liberty Records singles Mercury Records singles