Writing for The King: Mark James and His Elvis Connection
In 1967, Mark James worked as a songwriter in Memphis for a publishing company owned by producer Chips Moman.
His first big break came with Hooked On A Feeling, recorded by B.J. Thomas in 1968. The song was later covered by Jonathan King in 1971 and by Blue Swede in 1974, whose version reached #1 in the U.S.
1968 turned out to be an even more significant year, as Mark also wrote and recorded Suspicious Minds. In 1969, Elvis Presley covered the song and had a worldwide hit, helping to revitalise his career.
Following this success, Mark signed a new publishing deal with Columbia in 1972. His first notable hit under the new deal came with Sunday Sunrise, recorded by country singer Brenda Lee.
Brenda also recorded Always On My Mind that same year, and so did Elvis. However, Elvis’s version only appeared as a B-side and didn’t chart at the time.
A decade later, in 1982, Willie Nelson released his version of Always On My Mind, turning it into a #1 hit and earning Mark a Grammy—ten years after he’d written the song.
And the journey didn’t stop there. In 1987, Pet Shop Boys released their synth-pop version of Always On My Mind, which topped the U.K. chart, giving Mark another #1, nearly twenty years after the song was originally penned.
Mark James Tunes | Related Pages
Hooked On A Feeling | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Hooked On A Feeling by Blue Swede using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Ab | Eb | Ab7 | Db |
I can’t stop this feeling, deep inside of me…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Hooked On A Feeling (Blue Swede) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Suspicious Minds | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Suspicious Minds by Elvis Presley using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| G (C/G) | G (C/G) | C (F/C) | C (F/C) |
We’re caught in a trap, I can’t walk out…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Suspicious Minds (Elvis Presley) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Mark James on the web
