The Jordanaires is filled with so many interesting stories. I learned so many details about Elvis. This is a quick read that will leave you a fan of The Jordanaires if you weren’t already one.

The Jordanaires were exceptionally talented and successful backup singers for several decades. Almost everything by Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Ricky Nelson and everybody else in Nashville and beyond contained backup vocals by The Jordanaires during their heyday in the 1950's and 1960's. Gordon Stoker is listed as the author but the book was written almost a decade after he passed away , relying on published interviews with him and the other Jordanaires as well as his surviving sons. As such, it comes across more like an oral history than a chronological biographical book. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed the anecdotes and stories of The Jordanaires extraordinary career. Using various interviews from different time periods as of the source material it is a little repetitive at times but somehow that just added to the charm. Strongly recommended for fans of Elvis, Patsy Cline, Ricky Nelson or almost any country/pop star of the 60's and 70's.

Thanks to NetGalley and Backbeat publisher for an advanced reader copy.

On November 15, 2022, The Jordanaires: The Story of the World's Greatest Backup Vocal Group will be published. Backbeat Books, a subsidiary of Rowman and Littlefield, provided an early galley for review.

This is the story straight from one of its founding members recorded words. Gordon Stoker was the group's manager and high tenor. His son Alan is a musician, vocalist, audio engineer and music historian. Together, they compile the story of this world-renowned group. And what a history they had. Besides their work with Elvis, they also had great success with Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Ricky Nelson, Andy Williams, Fats Domino, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Dinah Shore, The Everly Brothers, Glen Campbell, Patti Page, Neil Young, Perry Como, Ringo Starr, Tom Jones, Andy Griffith, Bobby Vinton, Brenda Lee, Billy Ray Cyrus, Waylon Jennings, and about 2,100 other recording acts. That is a veritable who's who of music. Through anecdotes and reminiscing, we get some interesting stories of these performers.

While I knew of the group and their sound, I never knew their story. Gordon Stoker's recollections are like listening to an elderly family member sharing the past over a glass of lemonade on a hot summer afternoon. It is comfortable and easy-going. His story is a reminder of the simpler times of the first half of the 20th century. For someone my age (born the the mid-60's), it is the right balance of foreign and familiar - in a very good way.

I learned a lot from reading this one. I suspect I would have gotten even more enjoyment from it if my knowledge-base related to country music was a lot broader than it is.