" Drift Away " is a song written by Mentor Williams in 1970 and first recorded by British singer Mike Berry on his 1972 album Drift Away . A version by John Henry Kurtz was released two months later in November 1972. Mentor Williams was a country songwriter, and John Henry Kurtz was an actor and swamp rock singer. It was later given to soul singer Dobie Gray for whom it became a surprise international hit. In 1973, the song became Gray's biggest hit, peaking at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and receiving a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song has been covered by numerous musicians.
18-491: Shipments figures based on certification alone. A country version was recorded by American country music and rockabilly singer Narvel Felts in 1973. Felts' version — which changed the lyrics "I wanna get lost in your rock and roll" to "I wanna get lost in your country song" — peaked at number 8 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in mid-August 1973, about three months after Gray's version reached its popularity peak. This song marked Narvel's first success in
36-415: A ballad. After recording it, Wilson and Brunswick executives felt the song lacked something. It was then given to veteran Decca Records arranger Dick Jacobs who re-arranged it into the smash hit it became. While Dick Jacobs is credited on the label as the director of the orchestra neither the orchestra nor the accompanying chorus is identified. It is, however, widely accepted that the signature guitar lick
54-404: A garage (owned by his brother), unloading and stacking tires. Scenes also feature him walking alone on snowy railroad tracks, and singing on an empty stage in the garage. His mechanic's uniform is labeled "Matt," a reference to his real first name, Matthew. The Rolling Stones recorded a cover of the song during the sessions for their It's Only Rock 'n Roll LP in 1974, but it did not appear on
72-625: Is a song written by Berry Gordy Jr. , Gwen Gordy and Roquel "Billy" Davis , first recorded and released as a single in 1958 by R&B singer Jackie Wilson , on the Brunswick label. The single was commercially successful, reaching the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 , and number-one on the R&;B chart . It is ranked as the 57th biggest U.S. hit of 1959. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame named it one of "Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll". In 1999, it
90-669: The Drifters' "Honey Love", which earned a low position on the Billboard Hot 100. He went on to release such songs as "Lonely Teardrops" and "Pink And Black Days", but he did not begin enjoying success on a national level as a country singer until the 1970s. His first major hit came in 1973, with a cover of Dobie Gray's " Drift Away ". Felts' version – number eight on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in September 1973 –
108-610: The United Kingdom, where it reached number 18, and also charted in Ireland and New Zealand. American singer-songwriter Uncle Kracker released a cover version from his second studio album, No Stranger to Shame (2002), in January 2003. This version, which featured Dobie Gray singing the bridge and singing backing vocals and the final verse with Kracker, reached number nine on the Hot 100. The song
126-455: The country scene, as he was known from the late 1950s as a rockabilly singer. American singer and songwriter Michael Bolton covered " Drift Away " and released it as the second single from his 1992 covers album, Timeless: The Classics , in December 1992 by Columbia . His rendition was produced by Bolton with David Foster and Walter Afanasieff . It became the only hit version of the song in
144-714: The finished album. It was finally given an official release in October 2021 as part of the Tattoo You reissue. Narvel Felts Albert Narvel Felts (born November 11, 1938) is an American country music and rockabilly singer. Known for his soaring tenor and high falsetto, Felts enjoyed his greatest success during the 1970s, most famously 1975's " Reconsider Me ". He was born in Keiser, Arkansas , United States, and raised in Bernie, Missouri , where he attended Bernie High School, Felts
162-648: The genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame . He is married to the former Loretta Stanfield. Two children resulted from their marriage, although they lost their only son at the age of 31, Albert Narvel Jr. (known as Bub), on September 14, 1995, as the result of an automobile accident. At one time, Bub played drums for his father.[1] One of his albums is dedicated to his son. He currently resides in Malden, Missouri , where he continues to perform on occasion. Lonely Teardrops " Lonely Teardrops "
180-460: The later careers of Davis, who joined the staff of Chess Records while Gordy used the money from the song's success to form Motown Records within a year. The song raced up to number one on the Billboard R&;B chart and became Wilson's first top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 , eventually peaking at number seven. According to Wilson, it was originally intended by Gordy to be recorded as
198-513: The respective shows, as well as other shows such as Shindig and Hullabaloo . This was the last song Jackie Wilson performed. He collapsed on-stage from a heart attack, while he was in the middle of the phrase, "My Heart is Crying", while appearing as one of the feature acts in Dick Clark 's 'Good Ol' Rock and Roll Revue' in 1975. In performances around 1958, The Isley Brothers often ended their shows with "Lonely Teardrops", and began to extend
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#1732875926041216-425: The song with an improvised call-and-response around the words "You know you make me wanna... Shout!". They would eventually record this ending as the separate song " Shout ", which was their first chart hit and gold single, and has been widely covered including a UK top 10 version by Lulu . Covers of the song have also appeared in several films: Michael McDonald covered the song in the early 1990s and his version
234-511: Was 1975's second-biggest country hit of the year. Felts, who became known to fans as "Narvel the Marvel", continued to enjoy success throughout the 1970s. Included in his streak of hits was a remake of " Lonely Teardrops ", which became his last top-10 hit in the summer of 1976, and a cover of Willie Nelson 's " Funny How Time Slips Away ". He also had a number-14 country hit with " Everlasting Love " in 1979. Narvel Felts' pioneering contribution to
252-409: Was discovered during a talent show at the school. He had been encouraged to participate in the show by some of his classmates, and a talent agent happened to be attending the performance at the time. Felts recorded his first single, "Kiss-a Me Baby", at the age of 18, and his career skyrocketed with the help of Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash . Felts enjoyed modest pop success in 1960 with a remake of
270-609: Was in the year-end top 20 just like the original 1973 version. It spent a then-record-setting 28 weeks atop the adult contemporary chart in the US. It also peaked at number 25 on the New Zealand Singles Chart . The music video for the song was directed by Bronston Jones. Filmed in Kracker's hometown of Detroit , it shows him performing the song on stage to an audience (Dobie, during his parts, comes in to perform) and Kracker working at
288-496: Was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame . "Lonely Teardrops" was also ranked #315 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2011). Written by Berry Gordy Jr. , Gwendolyn Gordy (Berry's sister) and Roquel "Billy" Davis , going under the pseudonym Tyran Carlo, the single, alongside Wilson's debuting five consecutive singles between 1957–58, turned Wilson into an R&B superstar and influenced
306-510: Was midtempo country compared to Gray's blues version. The follow-up single, "All in the Name of Love", just missed hitting the top 10 in December 1973. Felts continued to enjoy modest success during the next year and a half, when he signed with ABC-Dot Records in 1975. That year, he enjoyed his biggest hit, a cover of Johnny Adams ' soul classic "Reconsider Me", which showcased his falsetto and high tenor. The song reached number two that August, and
324-469: Was performed by George Barnes who was then a Decca artist and a first-call session musician, and the vocal accompaniment was supplied by "The Ray Conniff Orchestra and Chorus," who at the time were also popular in their own right, and who also supplied uncredited musical accompaniment to other popular singers and groups of the era. The hit's success helped land Wilson on American Bandstand and The Ed Sullivan Show performing to receptive audiences on
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