"Tell It Like It Is" is a song written by George Davis and Lee Diamond and originally recorded and released in 1966 by

Aaron Neville Aaron Joseph Neville (born January 24, 1941) is a retired American R&B and soul singer. He has had four platinum albums and four Top 10 hits in the United States, including three that reached number one on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. ...

. In 2010, the song was ranked No. 391 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' magazine's list of

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

Aaron Neville version

In 1966, Aaron Neville recorded and released the original version of "Tell It Like It Is" on his album also entitled ''Tell It Like It Is'' (Par-Lo Records). In November 1966, the track was issued as a single which peaked in early 1967 at No. 2 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (behind "

I'm a Believer "I'm a Believer" is a song written by Neil Diamond and recorded by the Monkees in 1966 with the lead vocals by Micky Dolenz. The single, produced by Jeff Barry, hit the number-one spot on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for the week en ...

" by

the Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...

) and No. 1 on the US

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. The personnel on the original recording included George Davis arranging and playing baritone saxophone, Emory Humphrey-Thompson (Umar Shariff) on trumpet, Deacon John on guitar,

Alvin "Red" Tyler Alvin Owen "Red" Tyler (December 5, 1925 – April 3, 1998) was an American R&B and neo-bop jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger, regarded as "one of the most important figures in New Orleans R&B". Biography Born and raised in New Orleans, Ty ...

on tenor saxophone, Willie Tee on piano and June Gardner on drums.

Andy Williams version

His 1975 version touched the top 50 in the Canadian country charts, and was #16 in the AC charts.

John Wesley Ryles version

In 1976, American

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

singer

John Wesley Ryles John Wesley Ryles (born December 2, 1950) is an American country music artist. Ryles recorded a string of hit country songs, beginning in 1968 when he was still a teenager, and continuing through the 1980s. He no longer records as a headline ar ...

covered the song for his 1977 self-titled album, which also included a cover of When a Man Loves a Woman. Ryles's version became a minor hit, reaching Number 83 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 Songs 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.

Heart version

Heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...

covered "Tell It Like It Is" in 1980. It was a studio recording included on their ''

Greatest Hits/Live ''Greatest Hits/Live'' is a compilation album of greatest hits, live recordings and new tracks by American rock band Heart, released on November 29, 1980, by Epic Records. The album was issued in North America as a double LP. The first disc is ...

'' album. It was the first of two singles released from the album, the other one a live recording but both of them cover hits. The song peaked at Number 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 during the winter of 1981 and became their highest-charting single in the United States to that point. It had higher success in Canada, reaching Number 4.

Billy Joe Royal version

In 1988, American

country soul ''Country Soul'' contains recordings of a prestardom Glen Campbell, which were made around 1960-1961. This album, just like the other Starday album '' Country Music Star No. 1'', was released after Glen Campbell rose to international fame with hit ...

singer

Billy Joe Royal Billy Joe Royal (April 3, 1942 – October 6, 2015) was an American country soul singer. His most successful record was " Down in the Boondocks" in 1965. Life and career Born in Valdosta, Georgia, to Clarence and Mary Sue Smith Royal, and rai ...

recorded a cover for His seventh studio album of the same name. Royal's version was released in January 1989 and reached Number 2 both on the Billboard

and

Canada Country The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

charts respectively.

Don Johnson version

Also in 1989, American actor and singer

Don Johnson Donnie Wayne Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor, producer and singer. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series ''Miami Vice'', for which he won a Golden Globe, and received a Primetime Em ...

covered the song for his second studio album '' Let It Roll''. Johnson's version was successful in Europe, especially in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, reaching Number 2 there.http://www.officialcharts.de/ersuche.asp?kategorie=chart&interpret_suche=don+johnson&titel_suche=&jahr=&cat=s

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control 1966 singles 1976 singles 1980 singles 1989 singles Aaron Neville songs Otis Redding songs Percy Sledge songs Nina Simone songs Freddy Fender songs John Wesley Ryles songs Andy Williams songs Heart (band) songs Billy Joe Royal songs Gene Summers songs Epic Records singles Atlantic Records singles 1966 songs 1960s ballads