The Gospel Side of Elvis

by Joe Moscheo (2007)

It is one of the most fascinating aspects of Elvis Presley, his life and his legend. It is an element not found – to the same extent – in any other pop music performer. To say Presley loved gospel music does not begin to explain the level of enmeshment in his life and make-up as a person that sacred songs attained. This music was as much a part of his being as country & western and rhythm & blues. But perhaps even more so than these other genres, gospel served a very specific function in Presley’s life. It provided comfort to him like few other things ever did.

Joe Moscheo – who died in 2016 at 78 – was a member of the Imperials, one of the gospel quartets that Presley used throughout his career. The Imperials have long been a seminal gospel group and their work in the 70s ranks high among other pioneering Contemporary Christian Music acts. The group worked with King in the studio and are heard on both Presley albums How Great Thou Art and He Touched Me. Also, the group backed Presley in concert in Las Vegas and on tours. Joe is foremost a singer and pianist but he is qualified to write of the effects of gospel music on the life of Elvis Presley. As anyone familiar with Elvis World knows, during recording session warm-ups – for gospel and secular recordings – and after performing on stage, Presley would for hours sing gospel songs around the piano. This required many in his circle to sing with him long into the daylight hours. Moscheo was one of these participants and his book, which followed on the heels of the DVD Joe produced, He Touched Me: The Gospel Music of Elvis Presley, focuses on the intimate times spent singing gospel during which Presley would have revealed a gentler part of his nature, one less related to his superstar status. Joe’s suitability to discourse on this topic is endorsed by the Elvis Presley estate and Priscilla Presley has written the foreword for The Gospel Side of Elvis.

In her foreword, Cilla does seem to couch things carefully, stating that the book will present Moscheo’s “opinions” of what he “perceived” but Joe’s book is inoffensive and even tender and presents nothing that approaches controversy. Just the opposite; the author states plainly that he will avoid any hard-hitting prose and instead stick to Presley’s love of gospel. Moscheo shares inside info on the many times he and his fellow vocalists were summoned to Presley’s suite after a show to sing until long after the sun rose. Interesting that he notes that he was somewhat apologetic to his young wife and children, telling them “I have to go”. So, Joe Moscheo was often behind the curtain, relating to Presley in an informal and personal manner. Certainly when gospel songs rang through Presley’s rooms it was a different atmosphere from the oft-reported bacchanals.

Moscheo confirms my long-held belief that Elvis Presley approached singing gospel songs differently than he did secular music. Joe speaks of Elvis’s devotion to the words of gospel songs, reporting that EP invested more into the singing of these lyrics – informally and in recording sessions – than he did into secular songs. And that is saying something considering Presley’s way with any lyric.

Moscheo reminds the reader that he was one of only about 50 people to perform regularly with Elvis Presley and he even was a rare animal in the bunch; he was a Northerner, an Italian from upstate New York. He provides a concise history of gospel quartet singing and of the tours through the south that many outfits engaged in in the early days. He even makes the claim that it was none other than J. D. Sumner of the Stamps who gave birth to the “touring bus” as a means for an artist to travel the country. Sumner was a tall man and tired of folding his frame into cars. The Stamps bought a bus, customizing it to their needs and a trend was started.

Moscheo explains that Presley so loved gospel quartet singing that he would have the lads – be they the Imperials, the Stamps or Voice – gather to sing in the shower of the dressing room to enjoy the fine acoustics there or provide live entertainment for guests convening in the suite. Joe describes Elvis forming the group Voice and putting them on retainer; he wanted them ready to come and sing to him at any time. He also speaks of Presley’s “unsophisticated” but “effective” means of vocal arranging and working with his musicians to build his live show. This included Elvis always encouraging his band and his singers to be engaged throughout the show; he wanted to look over and see them digging it, too. And Joe speaks of the joy Elvis took in recording his sacred LPs as there was no pressure to produce radio hits.

This book presents an interesting discussion. Moscheo says that Presley would have loved to have devoted his career to singing gospel but that would have had a monetary affect on himself and many others. And Joe also wonders if, through gospel music, Elvis wasn’t perhaps evangelizing to those around him. The varied and disparate crowds that would be on hand after hours in King’s hotel room would be exposed to songs of faith and to Elvis’ explanations of the power of the words and the sentiments in the songs. And also to the inherent spiritual power in gospel music. Moscheo speculates that in this way Elvis Presley shared the Good News with those around him.

Moscheo wraps by describing evangelist Rex Humbard’s visits with Presley near the end of his life. He also provides a fine description of Presley’s funeral and the gospel singers that were gathered and what they sang. In this insider look at the funeral, Joe Moscheo makes the sound observation that gospel music was there with Elvis Presley all through his life until the end.

I welcome any and all books on Elvis Presley regardless of their content. Joe Moscheo’s book is legit in that it covers this pertinent part of the King’s life. If I’m honest, I will say that the book is slight and Moscheo tends to repeat himself perhaps in an attempt to flesh things out. But as I’ve said, the gospel side of Elvis Presley needs to be discussed and Joe Moscheo is a good guy to lead the discussion.