♥♪♫ Elvis Presley Cover ~♥~ Love Me Tender ♫♪ ♥

I hope you enjoy my rendition of this lovely Elvis Presley ballad. “Love Me Tender” is a song sung by Elvis Presley, adapted from the tune of “Aura Lee” (or “Aura Lea”), a sentimental Civil War ballad with music by George R. Poulton and words by WW Fosdick. “Aura Lee” was published in 1861 and this Civil War song later became popular with college glee clubs and barbershop quartets. It was also sung at the US Military Academy at West Point, New York. Elvis Presley performed “Love Me Tender” on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 9, 1956, shortly before the single’s release and about a month before the movie, Love Me Tender, was released, for which the song was originally recorded. On the following day, RCA received 1 million advance orders, making it a gold record before it was even released. The studio, 20th Century Fox, originally wanted to call the movie The Reno Brothers but instead re-titled it Love Me Tender to capitalize on the song’s popularity. Movie producer Hal Wallis would not allow Presley’s regular band (Scotty Moore, Bill Black, and DJ Fontana) to play on the soundtrack. Instead, The Ken Darby Trio provided the musical backing with Red Robinson on drums, Charles Prescott on bass, Vita Mumolo on guitar, and Jon Dodson on background vocals, with Presley providing only lead vocals. The song is credited to Presley and Vera Matson because of the publishing agreement reached for the assignment of royalties, but the principal writer of the lyrics was Ken Darby …