Inspired by the topic about I Need Your Love Tonight as started by Juan Luis: http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=94671#p1520930
Mark Matthews about the composer of the song Bill Trader (full name William Marvin Trader) in May 2005:
Source: http://www.searchingforagem.com/Misc/Fool.htm"I have been taking music lessons from a man named Bud Orr of Charlotte, North Carolina for the last few months and he has a very interesting story regarding Bill Trader. Bud is in his late 70's (78 I think) and told me recently that the song A Fool Such As I was written on his front porch.
Bud gives the following account. "Bill Trader had a job performing maintenance on vending machines for Pepsi Cola and dropped by my house with a song that he needed written down. He called before he came by to see if I was busy. He said, 'I've got a song in my head and I'm afraid I'll lose it'. Bill couldn't read music and was a 3 chord guitar picker. He had a melody and would sing it while I played the guitar and wrote it down. He paid me $5.00 for writing a lead sheet for him".
Bud is the one who came up with the chord progression for the song and says that a guy named Howard Simpson ran a recording studio where Bud played guitar on the first cut of the song. Apparently Simpson played a big part in the promotion of the song. He also told me he still has a few songs that he wrote down for Bill Trader that he was never paid for and were never picked up.
Bud is an interesting fellow. He taught himself to play the guitar, later the mandolin, the bass and the banjo. He worked at Griffin Music in Charlotte and pretty much taught himself to read and write music. He has authored 6 mandolin books and co-authored two guitar books with Bill Bay of Mel Bay music. He lives in the same house where he was born, in an old section of Charlotte, has never married and supports himself in his retirement by teaching music and receiving the royalties from his publications."
The first version of the song was released in November 1952 and was recorded on May 19, 1952 by Hank Snow, The Singing Ranger and The Rainbow Ranch Boys:
..
The song entered the Billboard Country & Western Disc Jockey Chart on December 27, 1952 and it peaked at number four early in 1953.
Jo Stafford recorded the song on December 30, 1952 and released her version on January 23, 1953:
..
Tommy Edwards didn't wait too long either. His version was released in January 1953 as well:
..
Elvis recorded his version on June 10, 1958. It was released on March 10, 1959. It peaked at #1 in the UK and reached #2 in the US:
..
Live in March 1961:
..
TTWII Rehearsal 1970:
..
Other versions
Recorded on January 29, 1959 and released in March. The same month as Elvis' version:
..
A German version from 1959:
..
Bill Trader himself also recorded the song in 1962. It was released that year on his album Bill Trader Sings His Songs.
Bob Dylan released his version on November 16, 1973 .
Petula Clark recorded her version in French: Prends Mon Coeur, released on 1960 SP Vogue 45 PV 15077:
..
A Portugese version by Ed Wilson (VOU PARTIR) was released in June 1966:
..
.
