Classic Pop Icons

Annette Funicello, member of the original Mickey Mouse Club and star of the 1960s Beach Party movies, died yesterday (April 8) at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield, California after a long struggle with multiple sclerosis. She was surrounded by her family and longtime friend Shelley Fabares.

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Gordon Stoker, a member of The Jordanaires vocal group that backed Elvis Presley and many other big names, sadly died today (Mar 27) at his home in Brentwood, Tennessee. He was 88.

Stoker was born in Gleason, Tennessee on August 3, 1924 and began his musical career as a young teen playing piano with The Clement Trio on WSM radio and the Grand Ole Opry. The Jordanaires recruited him in 1950 as a pianist, and he became their first tenor a couple of years later.

The Jordanaires’ association with Elvis began in the mid-1950s when the young singer met them at a show at the Ellis Auditorium in Memphis and told them that he would like to use them on his records when he hit big.

Stoker’s first recordings with Elvis were alongside Ben and Brock Speer of the Speer Family during Elvis’ first RCA session in January 1956. Gordon featured on “I’m Counting On You” and “I Was the One”. The latter was the B-side of Elvis’ breakthrough national hit “Heartbreak Hotel”. It wasn’t long before the rest of the Jordanaires joined Gordon at Elvis sessions, beginning a 14-year association that yielded such classics as “Hound Dog,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “It’s Now or Never,” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”

“It’s Now or Never” – Elvis Presley and the Jordanaires

The group made a particularly impressive contribution to Elvis’ fine gospel recordings, starting with his “Peace in the Valley” EP in 1957, and continuing with the “His Hand In Mine” and “How Great Thou Art” albums in 1960 and 1967, respectively. The Jordanaires performed the title track of the “Peace in the Valley” EP on the Ed Sullivan Show with Elvis in 1957.

“Peace in the Valley” – Elvis Presley and the Jordanaires

Elvis’ affection for the group is often very clear when listening to outtake recordings, referring to them jokingly as the Gordonaires on occasion in a nod to their first tenor.

Hugh Jarrett, Gordon Stoker, Elvis, Hoyt Hawkins and Neal Matthews

The Jordanaires are perhaps best known for their work with Elvis, but they also featured on thousands of recordings by many big names, including Ricky Nelson, Jim Reeves, Patsy Cline, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and many more.

These classic recordings would not be the same without Gordon and his group.

“Crazy” – Patsy Cline

“It’s Late” – Ricky Nelson

Ricky’s band, including a young James Burton on guitar, are of course miming the Jordanaires’ vocal part.

“Big Bad John” – Jimmy Dean

The Jordanaires also made many country and gospel recordings in their own right. Here’s a television performance of a song that they would also record with Elvis. Gordon is on the left and takes the lead on the last few verses.

“Working on the Building” – The Jordanaires

The Jordanaires have received many plaudits over the years, including the CMA Masters Award in 1984, and induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001 and Vocal Group Hall Of Fame in 2004. Their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is overdue.

Gordon Stoker was a singer who made an indelible contribution to popular music through his appearances on thousands of recordings over decades. He also had a reputation as a friendly and gracious man, always ready to share a story about the big names he had worked with. He will be missed by many.

You can leave your tributes to Gordon Stoker at the Gordon Stoker Memorial Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/GordonStokerMemorialPage

British guitarist and founding member of Ten Years After, Alvin Lee, died today aged 68.

Lee’s family made the following announcement via his official website:

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Bobby Rogers, founding member of the Motown group the Miracles, died yesterday (March 3) in Detroit. He was 73.

The Miracles’ lead singer, Smokey Robinson, has paid tribute to Rogers in a statement:

“Another soldier in my life has fallen. Bobby Rogers was my brother and a really good friend. He and I were born on the exact same day in the same hospital in Detroit. I am really going to miss him. I loved him very much.”

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Otis “Damon” Harris, who sang with The Temptations in the 1970s, died on February 18 at Baltimore’s Joseph Richey Hospice after a long battle with cancer. He was 62.

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