P.J. Proby Presley Style: Lost Elvis Songwriter Demos, 1961-1963

P.J. Proby is an American singer, songwriter, and actor, who was popular in the 1960s. He was born James Marcus Smith on November 6, 1938, in Houston, Texas, United States. Proby began his music career in the early 1960s and became known for his powerful voice and flamboyant stage presence. He had several hits in the UK in the mid-1960s, including "Hold Me," "Somewhere," and "Maria." Proby also appeared in several films, including "Three Hats for Lisa" and "Catch My Soul."

This collection of 21 tracks features demonstration recordings for Elvis pitched to him by songwriters, all sung by P.J. Proby and released by special arrangement with P.J. and Trevor Simpson.

The Elvis management insisted that all songs presented to him, had to be recorded on acetate and submitted for his consideration via his Hill & Range publishers. Competition amongst the songwriters was intense as they created fully produced recordings hoping to catch the ear of Elvis. Many used vocalists who sounded like Elvis, in the hope of giving them the edge, and the voice of P.J. Proby totally fitted the bill. Many of these songs were pitched for specific scenes in Elvis movies and were written accordingly after the songwriters studied the Hollywood script. On this collection, you can hear not only the successful songs chosen by Elvis, but also others which, although highly credible songs, were beaten by the finally recorded version.

P.J. said, “I had a couple of the demos in my possession and had been looking for more, as I had recorded so many. When they came with all the ones they had found and offered them back to me, I said, ‘Wonderful! Wonderful!’. I cherish them as a fond memory of songwriters Ben Weisman and Ruth Batchelor and the days we recorded the demos because we were so close. I want to share them with the world, as they are such an important piece of history”.

The release includes a 36-page booklet featuring rare Elvis and PJ memorabilia and an in-depth look at all the songs and where they fitted into the specific movies.

These tracks have been ‘lost’ for around 60 years, and this historic and nostalgic release will appeal to fans of both P.J. and Elvis and fills a gap for collectors in the history of the music.