Albert Narvel Felts (born November 11, 1938) is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

and rockabilly singer. Known for his soaring tenor and high falsetto, Felts enjoyed his greatest success during the 1970s, most famously 1975's "

Reconsider Me "Reconsider Me" is a country/soul ballad written by Margaret Lewis and Mira Smith. Johnny Adams recording Johnny Adams's 1969 version was his biggest hit, peaking at number eight on the American R&B charts and number 28 on the pop charts. ...

Career

He was born in

Keiser, Arkansas Keiser is a city in Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 751 at the 2020 census. History Originally known as "Savage Crossing", Keiser was one of several cities established by prominent late-19th century planter and l ...

, United States, and raised in

Bernie, Missouri Bernie is a city in southern Stoddard County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,958 at the 2010 census. History Bernie was laid out in 1890, and named after Bernice "Bernie" Crumb, the daughter of an early Euro-American settler. A p ...

, where he attended Bernie High School, Felts was discovered during a talent show at the school. He had been encouraged to participate in the show by some of his classmates, and a talent agent happened to be attending the performance at the time. Felts recorded his first single, "Kiss-a Me Baby", at the age of 18, and his career skyrocketed with the help of

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

and

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

. Felts enjoyed modest pop success in 1960 with a remake of the Drifters' "Honey Love", which earned a low position on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. He went on to release such songs as "Lonely Teardrops" and "Pink And Black Days", but he did not begin enjoying success on a national level as a country singer until the 1970s. His first major hit came in 1973, with a cover of Dobie Gray's "

Drift Away "Drift Away" is a song by Mentor Williams written in 1970 and originally recorded by John Henry Kurtz on his 1972 album ''Reunion''. Mentor Williams was a country songwriter, and John Henry Kurtz was an actor and swamp rock singer. It was later ...

". Felts' version – number eight on the ''

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 ...

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart in September 1973 – was midtempo country compared to Gray's blues version. The follow-up single, "All in the Name of Love", just missed hitting the top 10 in December 1973. Felts continued to enjoy modest success during the next year and a half, when he signed with ABC-Dot Records in 1975. That year, he enjoyed his biggest hit, a cover of

Johnny Adams Laten John Adams Jr. (January 5, 1932 – September 14, 1998), was an American blues, jazz and gospel singer, known as "The Tan Canary" for the multi-octave range of his singing voice, his swooping vocal mannerisms and falsetto. His biggest ...

' soul classic "Reconsider Me", which showcased his falsetto and high tenor. The song reached number two that August, and was 1975's second-biggest country hit of the year. Felts, who became known to fans as "Narvel the Marvel", continued to enjoy success throughout the 1970s. Included in his streak of hits was a remake of "

Lonely Teardrops "Lonely Teardrops" is a song written by Berry Gordy Jr., Gwen Gordy and Roquel "Billy" Davis, first recorded and released as a single in 1958 by R&B singer Jackie Wilson on the Brunswick label. It is a 1999 Grammy Hall of Fame Inductee. The r ...

", which became his last top-10 hit in the summer of 1976, and a cover of

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 ...

's "

Funny How Time Slips Away "Funny How Time Slips Away" is a song written by Willie Nelson and first recorded by country singer Billy Walker. Walker's version was issued as single by Columbia Records in June 1961 and peaked at number 23 on the Hot C&W Sides chart. Notab ...

". He also had a number-14 country hit with " Everlasting Love" in 1979. Narvel Felts' pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the

Rockabilly Hall of Fame The Rockabilly Hall of Fame is an organization and website launched on March 21, 1997, to present early rock and roll history and information relating to the artists and personalities involved in rockabilly. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennesse ...

Personal life

He is married to the former Loretta Stanfield. Two children resulted from their marriage, although they lost their only son at the age of 31, Albert Narvel Jr. (known as Bub), on September 14, 1995, as the result of an automobile accident. At one time, Bub played drums for his father. One of his albums is dedicated to his son. He currently resides in

Malden, Missouri Malden is a city in the northeast corner of Dunklin County, Missouri, United States, located near the intersection of Missouri Route 25 and U.S. Route 62. The population was 4,277 at the 2010 census. Malden is within Missouri's 8th congressional ...

, where he continues to perform on occasion.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

Narvel Felts

Narvel Felts – The Man and His Music – The Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Felts, Narvel 1938 births Living people American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters People from Mississippi County, Arkansas Groove Records artists Singer-songwriters from Arkansas People from Stoddard County, Missouri Country musicians from Missouri Country musicians from Arkansas Singer-songwriters from Missouri