''Promised Land'' is the twenty-first studio album by American singer and musician

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 ...

, released by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

on January 8, 1975. It was recorded in December 1973 at

Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. Stax was ...

studios in Memphis and released on Presley's 40th birthday in January, 1975. In the US the album reached number 47 on the ''Billboard'' Top 200 chart and number 1 in ''Billboards Top Country LPs chart, as well as the ''Cashbox'' Country albums chart. In the UK the album reached #21.

Content

The material was the second pick from the December 1973 session, as the songs considered strongest had been issued on '' Good Times''. The title track, a cover of the 1965 hit by

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

, was issued earlier as a single on September 27, 1974, and hit number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK top ten. Its flip side, "It's Midnight", reached 9 on the Country Charts. Another hit single from the album was " If You Talk in Your Sleep" reaching 17 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "Promised Land" was used for the 1997 film ''

Men in Black In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are purported men dressed in black suits who claim to be quasi- government agents, who harass, threaten, or sometimes even assassinate unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesse ...

''.

Reissues

In 2011, the FTD (Follow That Dream) collectors label released an expanded, 48-track version of the album including outtakes.

Track listing

Original release

Follow That Dream CD reissue

Personnel

* Elvis Presley – lead vocals, harmony vocals on "Promised Land" *

James Burton James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also been recognized ...

– lead guitar *

Johnny Christopher John (“Johnny”) Lee Christopher Jr. (born 1943 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American singer, guitarist, session musician and songwriter. Music career Christopher's singles included "(She's A) Girl Of Many Colors / The Teacher And The Pet" (19 ...

– rhythm guitar * Charlie Hodge – acoustic rhythm guitar * Jeannie Green – backing vocals * David Briggs – piano, Hammond organ, overdubbed tambourine on "Promised Land" * Per Erik "Pete" Hallin – piano on "Help Me" and "Love Song of the Year",

Wurlitzer electric piano The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from the mid-1950s to mid-1980s. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is concept ...

on "I’ve Got a Feelin’ In My Body", clavinet on "Promised Land" * Mary and Ginger Holladay – backing vocals * Susan Pilkington – backing vocals *

Norbert Putnam Norbert Auvin Putnam (born August 10, 1942) is an American musician, studio owner and record producer who was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2019.Robert McFarland, Jr"Norbert Putnam."'' Delta Business Journal''. November 2004. Acce ...

– bass guitar *

Ron Tutt Ronald Ellis Tutt (March 12, 1938 – October 16, 2021) was an American drummer who played concerts and recording sessions for Elvis Presley, the Carpenters, Roy Orbison, Neil Diamond, and Jerry Garcia. Early life Born in Dallas, Texas, United ...

– drums * Voice (Donnie Sumner, Sherrill Nielsen, Tim Baty, Per Eric "Pete" Hallin) – backing vocals * JD Sumner & The Stamps (Bill Baize, Ed Enoch, David Rowland) – backing vocals * Kathy Westmoreland – backing vocals Overdubbed *

Dennis Linde Dennis Linde (pronounced LIN-dy, March 18, 1943December 22, 2006) was an American music songwriter based in Nashville who has had over 250 of his songs recorded. He is best known for writing the 1972 Elvis Presley hit, "Burning Love". Rarely w ...

, Alan Rush – guitar on "Promised Land" *

Bobby Ogdin Robert Ford Ogdin (born September, 1945) is a Nashville-based recording session pianist. He is best known as a member of Elvis Presley's TCB band. He performed on 20 of Presley's recordings and accompanied him on 45 live shows until Presleys' deat ...

– piano on "Promised Land" * Randy Cullers –

cowbell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. Although they are t ...

on "Promised Land" * Mike Leech – string and brass arrangements * Bobby Taylor –

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

Technical *

Felton Jarvis Charles Felton Jarvis (November 15, 1934 – January 3, 1981) was an American record producer and singer. Career As an RCA Victor record producer, Jarvis was responsible for most recordings of Elvis Presley in the years 1966–1977. He also rele ...

– producer * Mike Moran, Dick Baxter, Al Pachucki, Mickey Crofford – engineers

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* Elvis Presley albums 1975 albums Albums produced by Felton Jarvis RCA Records albums {{1970s-rock-album-stub