I realized that I haven’t done any country torch songs in this space. It’s time to rectify that omission with a much loved, oft-recorded mid-tempo ballad.
I Can’t Stop Loving You was written by Don Gibson in 1957. He sat down to write a “lost love ballad” and came up with a classic.
We begin at the beginning with Don Gibson and the Jordanaires on backing vocals.
Kitty Wells was one of the ultimate country torch singers, so naturally she recorded Gibson’s song:
Ray Charles had the biggest hit of all: reaching number one on the pop charts for five weeks. No wonder the Genius loved this song.
It wouldn’t be the Friday Cocktail hour without the Chairman of the Board. Frank cut this track with Bill Basie and Quincy Jones in 1964:
Van Morrison may be a malaka but he’s a helluva singer. This version features The Chieftains as his backing band. By all accounts, they are not malakas.
What’s the Friday Cocktail Hour without a jazz instrumental? This time it’s Duke Ellington:
That’s it for this week. Pour yourself your favorite adult beverage and toast the end of a long, crazy week. It’s what Bogie, Betty, and Frank would have wanted. Never argue with them.
This post is a great example of how many ways a great song can be interpreted.
If you want some great country torch songs, listen to Raul Malo. Lead singer of the Mavericks, but I like him best solo.
You don’t have a great recording without a great song, that’s a fact.