"Kentucky Rain" is a 1970 song written by Eddie Rabbitt and Dick Heard and recorded by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

. It was recorded at American Sound Studio and features then session pianist

Ronnie Milsap Ronnie Lee Milsap (born Ronald Lee Millsaps; January 16, 1943) is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country music's most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s. Nearly completely blind from birth, h ...

. Other musicians on the record include Bobby Wood on piano, Bobby Emmons on organ, Reggie Young on guitar, Tommy Cogbill on bass and Gene Chrisman on drums. The song and session was produced by Felton Jarvis ( RCA Victor) and Chips Moman (American Sound Studio of Memphis). It was certified

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by the

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, signifying United States sales of more than a million copies.

Story

The song's lyrics describe a man searching for a woman he loves who fled his side for an unknown reason and the protagonist's search through rural Kentucky during a persistent rain storm.

Background

"Kentucky Rain" was first recorded by

. The single peaked at #16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop singles chart. Released as a single on January 29, 1970, featuring "My Little Friend" as the B side, "Kentucky Rain" was one of the decade's first hits for Presley. Its first appearance on an album was in the August 1970 compilation package '' Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits Vol. 1'' (LPM-6401). While the track does appear on the 2000 rerelease of '' From Elvis in Memphis'', it was not included on the original 1969 album. During Presley's February 1970 engagement in Las Vegas, he performed it some sixteen times, introducing it as a new song "out about a week." Live versions are available on the box sets ''Elvis Aron Presley'' and '' Live in Las Vegas''. The song is included on the CD ''Elvis with the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

: The Wonder of You'' (2016). It was published by Elvis Presley Music, Inc. and S-P-R Music Corporation. The single was certified Gold by the

in March, 1992.

Charts

The single peaked at #10 on the ''

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'' Top 100 and #16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It also reached #6 in Canada, #21 on the UK Singles Chart, and #7 in Australia.

Chart performance

References

{{Authority control 1970s ballads Elvis Presley songs RCA Records singles 1970 singles Songs written by Eddie Rabbitt Song recordings produced by Chips Moman Songs about Kentucky Songs about weather Country ballads