The Jordanaires
The Jordanaires were an American vocal quartet that formed as a gospel group in 1948. Over the years, they recorded both sacred and secular music for recording companies such as Capitol Records, RCA Victor, Columbia Records, Decca Records, Vocalion Records, Stop Records, and many other smaller independent labels. In the mid-1950s, with a lineup of Gordon Stoker (first tenor), Neal Matthews (second tenor and lead vocals), Hoyt Hawkins (baritone and lead vocals), and Hugh Jarrett (bass vocals), they also began lending their vocal talents to other artists as singers in recording sessions. They are widely known for having provided vocals for Elvis Presley in live appearances, recordings, and feature films from 1956 to 1970. Jarrett was replaced by then-teacher Ray Walker in 1958. The group worked in the recording studio, on stage, and on television with many country, gospel, and rock and roll artists. They also provided background vocals using the names the Gordonaires (a play on the name of the group's first tenor Gordon Stoker), the Merry Melody Singers, and the Almanac Singers, sometimes using different personnel. |
Birth and Death Data: Died Ceased 2013
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1949 - 1968
Roles Represented in DAHR: Vocal group
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 182 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | CO55994 | 10-in. | 5/1/1956 | Just walking in the rain | Eddie Zack and his Dude Ranchers ; Dick Richards | Male vocal solo, with instrumental acc. | Vocal group | |
| Columbia | CO55997 | 10-in. | 5/1/1956 | Born to lose | Eddie Zack and his Dude Ranchers ; Dick Richards | Male vocal solo, with string band | Vocal group | |
| Decca | 76057 | 3/31/1950 | Dig a little deeper | The Jordanaires | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | 76058 | 3/31/1950 | I'm free again | The Jordanaires | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | 76059 | 3/31/1950 | Peace in the valley | The Jordanaires | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | 76060 | 3/31/1950 | The church in the wildwood | The Jordanaires | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | 102377 | 4/24/1957 | Today, tomorrow and forever | Patsy Cline | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | 102378 | 4/24/1957 | Fingerprints | Patsy Cline | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | 102379 | 4/24/1957 | A stranger in my arms | Patsy Cline | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | 102380 | 4/24/1957 | Don't ever leave me again | Patsy Cline | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | L 13988 | 2/23/1966 | Night train to Memphis-2 | Rick Nelson | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | L 13997 | 2/22/1966 | Louisiana man | Rick Nelson | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | L 13998 | 2/22/1966 | Congratulations-1, 3 | Rick Nelson | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | L 13999 | 2/22/1966 | Truck drivin' man-2 | Rick Nelson | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | L 14000 | 2/22/1966 | No vacancy | Rick Nelson | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | L 14001 | 2/22/1966 | Hello walls-1, 3 | Rick Nelson | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | L 14002 | 2/23/1966 | I'm a fool to care-1, 3 | Rick Nelson | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | L 14003 | 2/24/1966 | You just can't quit-3 | Rick Nelson | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | L 14004 | 2/24/1966 | Here I am-1, 3 | Rick Nelson | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | L 14005 | 2/24/1966 | Bright lights and country music-3 | Rick Nelson | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | L 14006 | 2/24/1966 | Kentucky means paradise-2 | Rick Nelson | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | L 14007 | 2/24/1966 | Welcome to my world-1, 3 | Rick Nelson | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | L 14149 | 8/15/1966 | Alone | Rick Nelson | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | L 14150 | 8/15/1966 | Big Chief Buffalo Nickle-1 | Rick Nelson | Vocal group | |||
| Decca | L 14151 | 8/15/1966 | Peddler man | Rick Nelson | Vocal group |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Jordanaires, The," accessed January 22, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/324094.
Jordanaires, The. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 22, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/324094.
"Jordanaires, The." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 22 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: The Jordanaires
Discogs: The Jordanaires
Allmusic: The Jordanaires
Apple Music: The Jordanaires
IMDb: The Jordanaires
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Jordanaires (Musical group) - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n88613897
Wikidata: The Jordanaires - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1197180
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/126812783
MusicBrainz: The Jordanaires - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/42b93918-afa2-4f77-b231-b1244606900d
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1483469 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1483469
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