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  #31  
Old 11-09-2018, 02:26 PM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is offline
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I sing a number of songs that Elvis recorded, but since I’m a second tenor (same range as Billy Joel and Johnny Rivers) I don’t sound remotely like Elvis. I also sing “Pretty Woman,” and while I can hit all the high notes without any problem, I don’t sound remotely like Roy Orbison.

Or like Marvin Gaye when I sing “I Heard It Through The Grapevine.”


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  #32  
Old 11-09-2018, 06:54 PM
bluetweed bluetweed is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by personatech View Post
Yes, you can make any song your own. Here's my favorite rendition of an Elvis song:

I'm sorry but I think this is just terrible!
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  #33  
Old 11-09-2018, 07:08 PM
brad2001 brad2001 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tnfiddler View Post
I sing Little Sister, but prefer to sing it closer to Dwight Yoakams version. This may be blasphemy, but I think Dwight did a much better version than Elvis.
Robert Plant does a great live performance of "Little Sister", backed by Rockpile at the Concert for the People of Kampuchea, 1979. Stellar show.
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  #34  
Old 11-09-2018, 07:48 PM
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Basalt Beach Basalt Beach is offline
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Several artists have covered songs by Elvis. One I like is Dave Matthews and guitar, seen here at 51 second mark in the video performing "Stuck on you"

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  #35  
Old 11-09-2018, 08:36 PM
Paddy1951 Paddy1951 is offline
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Yes, I think you can sing an Elvis song. But...
You have to make it yours. Crawl up inside it and find a way to do that. The mistake that can be made is attempting to do the song in the way it was done by Elvis (or any other iconic person.)

I recently performed the BB King classic "The Thrill is Gone." I had reservations about doing such a signature song. There was no point in trying to do it like BB King. I couldn't have anyway.

So, I did it in a different key than the original. I made no attempt to try have a soulful voice inflection. ( Hey, I don't have the pipes for that.) I made it more mournful, plaintiff. I kept the solo part simpler. ( I did this on an acoustic guitar.) Instead of using many high notes, I went with a more bass-ie approach.

Afterward, several people commented positively about my version.

Make the Elvis song yours by experimenting with it, not doing the things Elvis did.
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  #36  
Old 11-10-2018, 09:10 AM
ManyMartinMan ManyMartinMan is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aaron Smith View Post
Most of the songs that Elvis sang weren't Elvis songs.
Just like Streisand, Hendrix and other iconic singers - EVERYTHING Elvis sang became an "Elvis song". The City Of New Orleans wasn't written by Arlo Gutherie but the majority of people think he wrote it. It's an Arlo Gutherie song. A song sitting in a notebook isn't anything more than a poem until a singer records it.
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  #37  
Old 11-10-2018, 10:19 AM
RustyAxe RustyAxe is offline
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Sure ... that's what people did with those songs before Elvis covered 'em.
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  #38  
Old 11-10-2018, 01:50 PM
frankmcr frankmcr is offline
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Sure it's possible to sing an Elvis song w/o the Elvis voice. "Alison" is a staple in my repertoire, and "Red Shoes" & "Pump It Up" work great too.
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  #39  
Old 11-10-2018, 01:58 PM
Sonics Sonics is offline
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There you go...



...erm nice footwork!
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  #40  
Old 11-10-2018, 03:18 PM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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Doesn't sound quite like Elvis but I don't think he would have minded.

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  #41  
Old 11-10-2018, 04:16 PM
rwmct rwmct is offline
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When I think of "Blue Moon of Kentucky" I hear Bill Monroe in my head, not Elvis. And when it is "Blue Suede Shoes" it is Carl Perkins I hear, every time.
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  #42  
Old 11-10-2018, 08:31 PM
phcorrigan phcorrigan is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg Rappleye View Post
Shawn Colvin's version of "Viva, Las Vegas" is haunting. It plays over the closing credits of the film "The Big Lebowski," but unfortunately, is not on the soundtrack album for that film. Nor (as far as I know) does the song appear on any of Colvin's CDs. There is a version on YouTube, however, and it is well worth checking out.



Greg Rappleye
I just listened to it. A totally different feel than the Elvis version. I've been meaning to watch The Big Lebowski, so now I have to find it.
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  #43  
Old 11-27-2018, 10:27 PM
jpricewood jpricewood is offline
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Kina Grannis does a good job of covering Falling in Love
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tyoAsprwDRc
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