On the evening of February 19th, 1969, Elvis Presley must have felt a surge of elation. Just two nights prior, a marathon session had confirmed that his initial recordings the previous month at Memphis’ American Sound Studios were no fluke. While he couldn’t have known he was in the midst of a period that would become one of rock history’s most significant, defining moments, nor how many artists would draw inspiration from the renewed energy of those sessions, it’s easy to imagine Elvis Presley feeling profoundly grateful. He hadn’t produced music this raw and potent for vinyl since his 1967 take on Jerry Reed’s ‘Guitar Man’.
That particular February evening proved to be one of the less prolific sessions song-wise during Elvis’s tenure with producer Chips Moman at American Sound. Most sessions yielded at least three master recordings, but this one produced only two – yet both were exceptional. In the late hours and into the early morning, Presley delivered a powerful rendition of Jerry Butler’s ‘Only the Strong Survive’, a song seemingly capturing the essence of his entire heroic stand at American Sound in 1969. However, Elvis appeared even more captivated by the track he dedicated hours to earlier in the evening: ‘Kentucky Rain’, a haunting and atmospheric narrative of a traveler searching for a lost love on a rainy Kentucky day.
Meanwhile, Eddie Rabbitt, nearing thirty years old in 1969, must have been wondering when his big break would arrive. The Brooklyn-born artist had established a solid reputation as a top songwriter in Nashville throughout the mid to late sixties, but he still hadn’t landed a song that could truly launch his recording career.
While a Northern Irish background might seem unusual for the Tennessee music scene, Rabbitt had long perceived a connection between American country music and the Irish tunes his father played during his youth. Rabbitt recalled in an interview that music and writing were always his passions, noting that he penned his first song, a ballad titled ‘Susie’, at the age of twelve.
Struggling to get his words and music in front of established artists in the mid-sixties, Rabbitt must have felt far from home. Yet, there was something undeniably special about the young, exceptionally handsome writer. Chips Moman recognized this and repeatedly requested material from Rabbitt.
Rabbitt’s significant breakthrough came thanks to Lamar Fike, a Presley associate, who heard a demo of Rabbitt’s ‘Kentucky Rain’ in late 1968. Rabbitt later recounted the day, after months of waiting, when Fike called with the news: not only did Elvis want to record the song, but he intended to release it as his next A-Side single. Rabbitt was stunned, describing the feeling as “even more than a dream” and finally making him feel like “a songwriter after all.” In retrospect, had Eddie Rabbitt released ‘Kentucky Rain’ himself, it could easily have made him a solo recording star. But that success was yet to come, and even Rabbitt acknowledged that nothing he could have done would have matched the sheer majesty of Presley’s impassioned performance.
Elvis, Chips Moman, and the legendary American Sound band began working diligently on ‘Kentucky Rain’ just after 7:30 on that pivotal February evening. Presley historian Ernst Jorgensen noted in his book on Elvis’ sessions that ‘Kentucky Rain’ “wasn’t an easy song for the musicians to grasp,” and the recording process took hours “to arrive at a truly accomplished rendition – but that it was worth it.”
While the American Sound band and Moman found Rabbitt’s song challenging, Elvis effortlessly fell into its rhythm. His vocal takes that night were consistently mesmerizing. Moman was reportedly so captivated by Elvis’s vocals during each take that he enlisted co-producer Felton Jarvis to act as a “cheerleader,” encouraging Presley to push “onward” throughout the session. Just over a year prior, Presley had been recording songs about bulls in Hollywood. Standing in American Sound Studios that night, Elvis Presley Singing Kentucky Rain, such a mature and complex song, must have been a deeply emotional experience for him.
Of course, the story of ‘Kentucky Rain’ extends beyond Elvis Presley’s magical vocal performance. The American Studio band was arguably the best in the world in 1969, and every element, from Bobby Wood’s piano work to Reggie Young’s unparalleled guitar playing, clicks dramatically on ‘Kentucky Rain’. It stands as one of the great American Studio recordings—a raw, powerful, and incredibly cinematic piece that has lost none of its impact over forty years since its release.
The song was strategically held back for single release and was not included on either of the masterful American Sound Studio albums from those sessions. It hit stores in January 1970, with the catchy ‘My Little Friend’ as its B-Side. Like many of elvis presley many great songs, ‘Kentucky Rain’ blurred the lines between rock, pop, and country, making a significant impact on each chart. It quickly climbed into Billboard’s top twenty after its release and became one of the most played songs of the year, although many felt it deserved to chart even higher.
Elvis Presley held a fondness for ‘Kentucky Rain’. In 1970, he incorporated it into his legendary performances in Vegas at The International and The Hilton hotels. Live recordings of the song reveal how it might have sounded if Elvis had produced the cut himself instead of Moman. The tempo is slightly faster, allowing more space for Elvis’s unmatched TCB band to showcase their talent. These live versions of ‘Kentucky Rain’ are perhaps even more powerful than the studio recording, though they might sacrifice some of the original’s ethereal quality. For fans interested in the variety of his performances, exploring elvis most popular songs reveals how he adapted studio tracks for the stage.
Elvis developed a strong regard for Eddie Rabbitt and went on to record two more of the songwriter’s heartfelt and expertly crafted tunes: the epic ‘Inherit the Wind’ and the rocking ‘Patch it Up’. Both are masterworks in their own right, but neither quite reaches the splendor of ‘Kentucky Rain’. The song not only solidified Eddie Rabbitt’s reputation as a premier songwriter but also significantly helped launch his own solo career. Throughout the seventies and eighties, Rabbitt proved to be a remarkable cross-over artist, releasing well-crafted and exceptionally performed albums. A decade after Elvis first recorded one of his songs, Eddie found chart-topping success with another rain-themed tune, ‘I Love a Rainy Night’. This track remains one of the coolest and most resonant cross-over country songs ever recorded, highlighting Rabbitt’s versatility, much like how famous elvis songs spanned multiple genres.
‘Kentucky Rain’ has been covered numerous times since Elvis’s definitive version. Eddie Rabbitt himself recorded the song a year after Elvis passed away on his excellent 1978 album Variations. His version is heartfelt, gripping, and compelling—a splendid tribute to both Rabbitt’s skill as a singer and to Presley.
In the years following Elvis’s death, ‘Kentucky Rain’ has appeared on dozens of best-of collections and box sets. It was a standout track on the nearly chart-topping 2nd to None in the early 2000s and remains a favorite for many fans worldwide. One such admirer is the peerless Paul Westerberg, who began performing ‘Kentucky Rain’ live around the release of 2nd to None. Westerberg’s admiration for Elvis has been clear since The Replacements paid homage to the cover of G.I. Blues with their legendary Pleased to Meet Me LP twenty years prior. His rendition of ‘Kentucky Rain’ is a raw triumph—sloppy, genuine, and fitting, as Paul Westerberg stands alongside Elvis as one of rock’s truly great individuals. The sessions that produced this hit, including the iconic elvis presley suspicious minds album, are considered peak moments in his career.
Eddie Rabbitt and Elvis Presley met only once: backstage after a particularly energetic Vegas performance in the early seventies. Rabbitt recalled the meeting with an exhausted Elvis Presley as “short and sweet but a pleasure nonetheless.” Eddie Rabbitt sadly passed away in the early summer of 1998. However, his legacy as a great songwriter endures, with ‘Kentucky Rain’ remaining one of his most affecting and powerful compositions. When considering elvis presley’s top 10 songs, ‘Kentucky Rain’ is often a contender for its unique blend of country storytelling and Elvis’s powerful vocal delivery.
Elvis Presley at American Sound Studio in 1969
The American Sound Studio Sessions
Elvis’s recording history had primarily been in Nashville or Hollywood since signing with RCA. However, 1969 marked his return to recording in Memphis for the first time since 1955. These sessions, held as all-night marathons at American Sound Studio, would produce music now regarded as some of the finest of his career—his best work since the innovative days at Sam Phillips’ Sun Records and the electrifying early period at RCA before his military service.
Inspired and revitalized by the success of his 1968 television special, Elvis entered the small American Sound Studios in Memphis in January 1969 with a clear goal: to create quality music that would result in hit records. He hadn’t recorded in his hometown since leaving Sun in 1955, finding the musical atmosphere at RCA’s Nashville studios to have become stagnant. His friends and associates encouraged him to record at American Sound, believing Nashville wouldn’t offer the creative spark he needed at that time.
American Sound Studios, a modest facility located in a less affluent neighborhood, was operated by Chips Moman. With Moman as producer, Elvis dedicated himself to recording his first significant mainstream album in years. In retrospect, From Elvis in Memphis may be his most crucial album, rescuing his recording career from the ‘soundtrack purgatory’ of the 1960s and setting a high creative standard for the years that followed.
Album cover for From Elvis In Memphis featuring recording session output
Elvis had access to excellent material during these sessions and poured his heart and soul into the recordings. He collaborated with a host of top-notch Memphis musicians. The resulting sound was fresh and raw. On every track, one can sense his creative excitement and energy—this was truly joyful work after years of movie-related boredom.
Elvis Presley portrait from 1969, period of the American Sound sessions
These sessions yielded two significant albums, From Elvis In Memphis and Back In Memphis, as well as four hit singles released between late 1969 and 1970: ‘In the Ghetto’, ‘Suspicious Minds’, ‘Don’t Cry, Daddy’, and, of course, ‘Kentucky Rain’.
Conclusion
“Kentucky Rain” stands as a testament to a pivotal moment in Elvis Presley’s career. Recorded during the legendary 1969 sessions at American Sound Studios in Memphis, the song showcased a revitalized Elvis, eager to create raw, powerful music after years in Hollywood. Written by a young Eddie Rabbitt, the track was a challenging but ultimately rewarding recording experience for Elvis and the stellar studio band. Released as a single in 1970, it successfully blended genres and became a memorable hit, later frequently performed live by Elvis. Its enduring appeal highlights the King’s ability to connect deeply with poignant lyrics and deliver performances that resonate across decades, cementing its place among the truly Elvis Presley Singing Kentucky Rain best moments.
