His Hand In Mine

Elvis Presley’s love of gospel music had long been evident, for he had previously recorded and released an EP of gospel material and used gospel songs to warm up before live performances. The idea to devote an entire album to gospel appealed to Elvis as a singer and in particular to his manager Colonel Tom Parker, who wanted to break Elvis into films and Hollywood; gospel would help Elvis project a family-friendly image. During the course of 14 hours on 30 and 31 October 1960, Elvis recorded a total of fourteen songs; twelve gospel songs together with new material in Surrender and Crying In The Chapel. Whilst the latter two tracks would be held over for single release, the twelve gospel tracks were released as His Hand In Mine in November 1960. A #13 hit in the US, the album surpassed expectations in the UK, where it would power its way to #3 and spend nearly six months on the listing.