How Great Thou Art | ||||
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Studio album by Elvis Presley | ||||
Released | February 27, 1967 | |||
Recorded | October 1960, May 1966 | |||
Genre | Gospel | |||
Length | 31:33 | |||
Label | RCA Victor | |||
Producer | Felton Jarvis | |||
Elvis Presley chronology | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
MusicHound | |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Rough Guides |
How Great Thou Art is the twenty-eighth studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor in mono and stereo in February 1967. Recording sessions took place at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 25, 26, 27, and 28, 1966. It peaked at No. 18 on the Top Pop Albums chart. It was certified Gold on February 16, 1968, Platinum and 2x Platinum on March 27, 1992 and 3x Platinum on October 13, 2010 by the RIAA. The title song won the 1967 Grammy Award for Best Sacred Performance.
His previous gospel album His Hand in Mine had been a solid catalog seller for RCA. While Presley faced difficulty getting radio airplay in the mid-1960s, during that decade radio stations played Christmas music at Christmas-time and religious music at Easter, and Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was convinced Presley could break through in these niche markets. So, recording sessions were arranged with the purpose of producing a Christmas single and a follow-up LP to His Hand in Mine.
How Great Thou Art would in fact be Presley's first non-soundtrack album recording of new material since Pot Luck with Elvis in 1962, and his first album release not to include any soundtrack recordings since the previous gospel album in 1960. It also introduced producer Felton Jarvis to Presley on the singer's second non-soundtrack sessions since May 1963. Jarvis would continue to work with Presley for the remainder of his career.