Songs with Earlier Histories Than the Hit Version

Help support this site! Consider clicking an ad from time to time. Thanks!

 

Release Me (And Let Me Love Again)

Co-written and first recorded by Eddie Miller & His Oklahomans (1950).
Also recorded by Jimmy Heap & the Melody Masters (1953).
Hit versions by Ray Price (C&W #6 1954), Kitty Wells (C&W #8 1954), Little Esther Phillips (US #8/R&B #1 1962), Engelbert Humperdinck (US #4/UK #1/IRE #1 1967).

From the wiki: “‘Release Me’ (sometimes rendered as ‘Release Me (And Let Me Love Again)’), is a popular song written by Eddie Miller, Robert Yount, and James Pebworth (under the pseudonym ‘Dub Williams’). Miller worked as a locomotive engineer before becoming a songwriter. Although he never went beyond high school, he taught songwriting at the University of Tennessee.

“Although Miller later claimed to have written the song in 1946 — only being able to record it himself in December 1949 and releasing it in January 1950 — he actually co-wrote it with Robert Yount in 1949. As they were working at that time with Dub Williams, a pseudonym of James Pebworth, they gave him one-third of the song.

“A couple of years later, it was first covered by Jimmy Heap & the Melody Masters and, with even better success by Ray Price and Kitty Wells. In 1962, a big seller was recorded by Little Esther Phillips, who reached #1 on the R&B chart and #8 on the pop chart.

“Engelbert Humperdinck’s arrangement reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart and Top-5 in the US. It has the distinction in the UK of holding the #1 slot on the chart for six weeks during March and April 1967, preventing The Beatles’ single, ‘Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever’, from reaching the top.”

Jimmy Heap & the Melody Masters, “Release Me” (1953):

Ray Price, “Release Me” (1954):

Kitty Wells, “Release Me” (1954):

Little Esther Phillips, “Release Me” (1962):

Engelbert Humperdinck, “Release Me” (1972):

Comments are closed.

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close