His Hand in Mine
Elvis Presley's first full gospel album, recorded in 1960.
Elvis Presley’s fifth studio album, His Hand in Mine, arrived on November 23, 1960, via RCA Victor. It marked his first of three gospel releases and later earned Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Elvis Presley
- Released
- November 23, 1960
- Recorded
- October 30 and 31, 1960
- Studio
- RCA Studio B (Nashville)
- Genre
- Gospel
- Length
- 28:08
- Label
- RCA Victor
- Producer
- Steve Sholes
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
Side one
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | His Hand in Mine | Mosie Lister | 3:15 |
| 2 | I’m Gonna Walk Dem Golden Stairs | Culley Holt | 1:49 |
| 3 | In My Father's House | Aileene Hanks (Arranged, adapted by Elvis Presley) | 2:03 |
| 4 | Milky White Way | Lander Coleman (Arranged, adapted by Elvis Presley) | 2:12 |
| 5 | Known Only to Him | Stuart Hamblen | 2:07 |
| 6 | I Believe in the Man in the Sky | Richard Howard | 2:11 |
Side two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Fit the Battle | Traditional (Arranged, adapted by Elvis Presley) | 2:39 |
| 2 | He Knows Just What I Need | Mosie Lister | 2:12 |
| 3 | Swing Down Sweet Chariot | Traditional (Arranged, adapted by Elvis Presley) | 2:32 |
| 4 | Mansion Over the Hilltop | Ira Stanphill | 2:55 |
| 5 | If We Never Meet Again | Albert E. Brumley | 1:58 |
| 6 | Working on the Building | Winifred O. Hoyle, Lillian Bowles | 1:52 |
Track listing from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The title track "His Hand in Mine" was written by Mosie Lister and first recorded by the Statesmen Quartet in 1953.
- Presley's version of "His Hand in Mine" was released as an Easter single on March 25, 1969, with "How Great Thou Art" as the B-side; neither side charted.
Background
Presley held a lifelong fondness for church music, often using it to warm up before concerts and recording sessions. He had previously released a gospel EP, Peace in the Valley, and wanted to record a full album of such songs. His manager, Colonel Tom Parker, supported this as part of steering Presley toward a family-friendly image while focusing on movie stardom in Hollywood.
Content
The album His Hand in Mine came together in a single fourteen-hour recording marathon. Two tracks cut that day, "Surrender" and "Crying in the Chapel," were saved for later single releases. "Surrender" became Presley's first single of 1961 and hit number one, while "Crying in the Chapel" reached number three in April 1965. Presley himself arranged and adapted "In My Father's House," which was published by his own music company. He later recorded a new version of "Swing Down Sweet Chariot" for his 1969 film, The Trouble with Girls.
Reissues
In 1976, RCA reissued the album in its "Pure Gold" series with new cover art and catalog number ANL1-1319, retaining the same tracks. A 1981 reissue in RCA's "Best Buy" series used the 1976 cover art with catalog number AYL1-3935. The first compact disc reissue in 1988 added three bonus tracks ("It Is No Secret", "You'll Never Walk Alone", "Who Am I") and used the revised cover art from the LP reissues. On March 11, 2008, RCA released a remastered CD with four bonus tracks from the 1957 EP Peace in the Valley. The fan-club label Follow That Dream issued an extended two-disc version that same year.
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