His Hand in Mine

Presley had a lifelong, fundamental love of church music, and often used it to rehearse and loosen up before concerts and at the beginning of recording sessions.Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; p. 75, 328. Presley had earlier devoted an extended play single, Peace in the Valley, to his love for gospel songs, and was eager to record a full album of this music. This fit well with the plans of Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, to steer his client into a family-friendly image as he switched Presley's career concentration toward movie stardom in Hollywood.Jorgensen, p. 132-3.

All the selections for His Hand In Mine were completed in one fourteen-hour session. The songs "Surrender" and "Crying in the Chapel" were recorded during the session, but were withheld for later issue as singles. "Surrender" would be his first single of 1961 and top the chart, but "Crying in the Chapel" would wait until April 1965 to be issued, going to #3 on the chart. The song "In My Father's House" was arranged and adapted by Elvis Presley which was published by Elvis Presley Music.

Presley later re-recorded "Swing Down Sweet Chariot" (not to be confused with the popular "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot") for the soundtrack of his 1969 film, The Trouble with Girls.Carr, Roy, and Farren, Mick. Elvis the Illustrated Record. London: Harmony Books, 1982; pp. 97, 106–107.

"His Hand in Mine" is a gospel song written by Mosie Lister and first recorded by the Statesmen Quartet in 1953.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=First Recording|url=https://secondhandsongs.com/work/120005/all|access-date=|website=SecondHandSongs}} Presley's version was recorded on October 30, 1960{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Elvis The Music|url=https://www.elvisthemusic.com/music/his-hand-in-mine-2/|access-date=|website=}} and was the title track of his 1960 gospel album.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=His Hand In Mine LP|url=https://www.elvisthemusic.com/music/his-hand-in-mine/|access-date=|website=}} The song was released nine years later as an Easter single on March 25, 1969.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Elvis The Music|url=https://www.elvisthemusic.com/music/his-hand-in-mine-2/|access-date=|website=}} The B-side was a more recent recording of "How Great Thou Art."{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=How Great Thou Art LP|url=https://www.elvisthemusic.com/music/how-great-thou-art/|access-date=|website=}} Neither side charted and the record sold poorly.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Elvis The Music|url=https://www.elvisthemusic.com/music/his-hand-in-mine-2/|access-date=|website=}}

In 1976, RCA reissued the album in its lower priced "Pure Gold" series, with new cover art under a new catalog number, ANL1-1319. This reissue contains the same tracks as the original release. In 1981, the album was reissued in RCA's "Best Buy" series, with the 1976 cover art and catalog number changed to AYL1-3935.{{cite web |url= http://www.elvisrecords.us/anl1-1319-his-hand-in-mine/

|title = His Hand in Mine |website =The Elvis Presley Record Research Database|year = 2013 |publisher = 2009–2013 elvisrecords.us |access-date = May 13, 2013}}

RCA first reissued the album on compact disc in 1990 with three bonus tracks ("It Is No Secret", "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Who Am I"). This CD reissue utilized the revised cover art from the "Pure Gold" and "Best Buy" series LP reissues.

On March 11, 2008, RCA released a remastered version of this album on CD, adding as bonus tracks the four songs which had originally appeared on that 1957 EP single Peace in the Valley, its contents later incorporated into Elvis' Christmas Album. Follow That Dream, the Presley fan-club reissue label, released an extended two-disc version of the His Hand in Mine album the same year.

Credits sourced from Keith Flynn’s research of AFM contracts and RCA paperwork.{{Cite web|url=https://keithflynn.com/recording-sessions/601030.html|title = Elvis Presley Recording Sessions}}

• Elvis Presley – vocals, acoustic guitar
• The Jordanaires – backing vocals
• Millie Kirkham – backing vocals
• Scotty Moore – electric guitar
• Hank Garland – acoustic guitar
• Floyd Cramer – piano
• Bob Moore – double bass
• D.J. Fontana, Buddy Harman – drums
• Boots Randolph – saxophone
• Charlie Hodge – harmony and backing vocals on “His Hand in Mine”, “I Believe in the Man in the Sky”, and “He Knows Just What I Need”

{{Track listing

|headline=Side one

|extra_column=Recording date

|title1=His Hand in Mine

|writer1=Mosie Lister

|length1=3:15

|extra1=October 30, 1960

|title2=I'm Gonna Walk Dem Golden Stairs

|writer2=Culley Holt

|length2=1:50

|extra2=October 31, 1960

|title3=In My Father's House

|writer3=Aileene Hanks (Arranged and adapted by Elvis Presley)

|length3=2:03

|extra3=October 31, 1960

|title4=Milky White Way

|writer4=Lander Coleman (Arranged and adapted by Elvis Presley)

|length4=2:12

|extra4=October 30, 1960

|title5=Known Only to Him

|writer5=Stuart Hamblen

|length5=2:07

|extra5=October 31, 1960

|title6=I Believe in the Man in the Sky

|writer6=Richard Howard

|length6=2:11

|extra6=October 30, 1960

}}

{{Track listing

|headline=Side two

|extra_column=Recording date

|title1=Joshua Fit the Battle

|writer1=Traditional (Arranged and adapted by Elvis Presley)

|length1=2:39

|extra1=October 31, 1960

|title2=He Knows Just What I Need

|writer2=Mosie Lister

|length2=2:12

|extra2=October 30, 1960

|title3=Swing Down Sweet Chariot

|writer3=Traditional (Arranged and adapted by Elvis Presley)

|length3=2:32

|extra3=October 31, 1960

|title4=Mansion Over the Hilltop

|writer4=Ira Stanphill

|length4=2:55

|extra4=October 31, 1960

|title5=If We Never Meet Again

|writer5=Albert E. Brumley

|length5=1:58

|extra5=October 31, 1960

|title6=Working on the Building

|writer6=Winifred O. Hoyle, Lillian Bowles

|length6=1:52

|extra6=October 31, 1960

}}

{{Track listing

|headline={{nobold|Tracks 1–12 consist of the original album's content. The following bonus tracks were originally issued on the Peace in the Valley EP in 1957 and then included on Elvis' Christmas Album:}}

|extra_column=Recording date

|title13=(There'll Be) Peace in the Valley (For Me)

|writer13=Thomas A. Dorsey

|length13=3:22

|extra13=January 13, 1957

|title14=It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)

|writer14=Stuart Hamblen

|length14=3:53

|extra14=January 19, 1957

|title15=I Believe

|writer15=Ervin Drake, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl, Al Stillman

|length15=2:05

|extra15=January 12, 1957

|title16=Take My Hand, Precious Lord

|writer16=Thomas A. Dorsey

|length16=3:16

|extra16=January 13, 1957

}}

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Discogs master|type=album|207050|name=His Hand in Mine}}
• [http://www.elvisrecords.us/lpm-2328-his-hand-in-mine/ LPM-2328 His Hand in Mine Guide] part of [http://www.elvisrecords.us The Elvis Presley Record Research Database]
• [http://www.elvisrecords.us/lsp-2328-his-hand-in-mine/ LSP-2328 His Hand in Mine Guide] part of [http://www.elvisrecords.us The Elvis Presley Record Research Database]
• [http://www.sergent.com.au/elvis/1960.html Elvis Presley Discography]

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Category:Elvis Presley albums

Category:1960 albums

Category:RCA Victor albums

Category:Gospel albums by American artists

Category:Albums produced by Steve Sholes