Elvis Voice change

[ICanHelp]

The voice changes likely resulted from the painkillers which acted also as muscle relaxers. We can find evidence for this conclusion during those periods when Elvis abstained, to some extent, from heavy usage. In December 73 through March 74, and in March 75, Elvis' voice improves dramatically in the studio and on stage.

[jurasic1968]

Well, I admire a lot Roy Orbison because he had the same voice from the start of his career to finish.

[Asheville75]

Agree to what been said here, the voice changes naturally in life. "My voice was built much higher then", Trying To Get To You is so different in the 70s but one of his best numbers up until the end.

[Rob]

Also does anyone have any ideas why he over-pronounced his S's from around 1970 onwards?

He was talking about being called a "Squirrel" a lot on stage in Vegas in 1969. Someone told him that he needed to put more emphasis on his "S's" when he said this. From this point on, he kinda had a complex about it, so he started overdoing it. It made him more confident and it shows. From then on, those "S's" were heard loud and clear.

This is the biggest load of crock I've ever read on this message board. Nobody called you out on this, but I'm going to. You just made this up and obviously had people believing you. Please stop it. There's enough people on this board making stuff up already.

The only thing worse than making this crap up is quoting your own posts!

[londonflash]

Also does anyone have any ideas why he over-pronounced his S's from around 1970 onwards?

He was talking about being called a "Squirrel" a lot on stage in Vegas in 1969. Someone told him that he needed to put more emphasis on his "S's" when he said this. From this point on, he kinda had a complex about it, so he started overdoing it. It made him more confident and it shows. From then on, those "S's" were heard loud and clear.

This is the biggest load of crock I've ever read on this message board. Nobody called you out on this, but I'm going to. You just made this up and obviously had people believing you. Please stop it. There's enough people on this board making stuff up already.

The only thing worse than making this crap up is quoting your own posts!

You tell him/you, Rob!

[Jokerlola]

When I first became a young fan in 73, I liked his 50’s and 70’s voice the best but found his early to mid 60’s voice too perfect. I’ve since matured and find his voice as appealing throughout all his career. I even like his more worn, tired voice of the last few years because it conveyed the world weariness for many of the songs he was recording.

[Yamaguchi.Y]

When I first became a young fan in 73, I liked his 50’s and 70’s voice the best but found his early to mid 60’s voice too perfect. I’ve since matured and find his voice as appealing throughout all his career. I even like his more worn, tired voice of the last few years because it conveyed the world weariness for many of the songs he was recording.

Your experience pretty much echoes mine.

70's fan here. Discovering some of those earliest 1954 Elvis recordings (from SUN) (Harbor Lights, Blue Moon, etc.) was really surprising and mesmerizing for me.

I, too, thought his 60s voice was "perfect". This box set, . . .

60s Front.jpg

60s Back.jpg

Really cemented it for me (reminding me !) of that "perfect voice". (I had kind of started to lose sight of those gems from that time, mainly due to the movies output.)

But, have always loved and preferred (some portions of) the 70s Elvis.

[pmp]

I think it's almost impossible to explain away the changes in Elvis's voice. All voices go through change, of course, but you might expect that change to occur every decade or so. For example, Sinatra's voice changed in the early 1950s, and then got a bit harsher in the early 1960s, before changing more drastically during the early 70s retirement. Some voices barely change at all - Neil Sedaka's voice was roughly the same when I saw him live in 2012 and 2017 as on his late 50s hits. Yes, there was some ageing (although not much), but that's not the same as voices changing how they sound beyond that.

With Elvis, there was a change every couple of years. The change between Sun and 1956 RCA Elvis can be mostly explained away by a voice maturing naturally, as well as the different repertoire. But even that 1956 voice was changing by 1958. Again, natural maturing? Possibly/probably. But in 1960, we hear a completely different sound. There are hints of the raw 1958 sound in something like Dirty Dirty Feeling or It Feels so Right, but then it's difficult to explain how less than two years away from the recording studio saw Elvis go from I Got Stung to It's Now or Never. But we know that he was singing at home a great deal during those years - and working on all kinds of things from a Doris Day hit through to gospel numbers and even showtunes. While he didn't have a vocal teacher, it's possible to at least put that period of change down to vocal training, which was essentially what he was doing for himself.

By 1961/2, Elvis seemed to be more interested in the sweeter sounds of his voice. We hear this in the Blue Hawaii soundtrack, and songs like the ballad side of Something for Everybody, and much of Pot Luck. This seems to have been through a change of style and repertoire towards that kind of material. But it's worth remembering that Anything That's Part of You was only three or four years after Trouble.

By 1964/5, we know that Elvis's voice was in quite a poor state. The big question is why. The sweetness had gone, and the control had gone. in 1960, he was singing It's Now or Never, and in 1965 he could barely control his vibrato through the much easier Mirage. Boredom? Possibly, but I don't think that accounts for it completely. Medication? Maybe. Maybe it was just not keeping his voice in shape generally, but we know it improved when he started singing at home again during that period - essentially retraining his voice, just as he did in the late 1950s while in the army. The sweetness still wasn't back, even in 1966 during the HGTA sessions, but it was better than the year before. But it's still easy to note the differences between Indescribably Blue and a song from Blue Hawaii.

1968/9 is the next stop. A time when, it seems to me, that the voice was changed forcibly rather than naturally. I don't buy that the 68 Comeback Special voice was an entirely natural development. It's almost as if Elvis is trying for something - trying to show his commitment - and intentionally producing a rawer sound because of that.

By 1970, we have the 70s voice. Everything that came after that were variations on a theme of what we hear in the June 1970 sessions. I don't think Elvis's voice went through a change after that point - not in the same way as the previous ones. But his voice was affected by his actions, and his life and his state of mind. The poorer voice of May 1971 is almost certainly the effects of a medication of some kind - and boredom, and maybe even stress in his private life. That thinner sound with more vibrato he has at this point is similar to that produced from taking codeine and its variants - and probably other medication/drugs too. It was certainly a temporary blip, as he's back to the 1970 voice in 1972. But the 1971 voice is back for much of 1973. So presumably there's something he's doing or taking that was affecting him. His 1976 voice is probably a reaction to his weight, his medication, and his general health.

But such were all of these changes that all of us here could identify a recording of Elvis in 1972 and 1975, even if they were the same song, with the same arrangement, and same recording conditions. Likewise 1958 and 1960, and 1968 and 1970. And so on. I can't think of another performer where that is the case.

Excellent outline - thankyou. Ref 64/ 65 - he sounded pretty good by Girl Happy? He even seems committed on Cross My Heart, Hope To Die

Yeah, I should have really said 1965.

[pmp]

When I first became a young fan in 73, I liked his 50’s and 70’s voice the best but found his early to mid 60’s voice too perfect. I’ve since matured and find his voice as appealing throughout all his career. I even like his more worn, tired voice of the last few years because it conveyed the world weariness for many of the songs he was recording.

Your experience pretty much echoes mine.

70's fan here. Discovering some of those earliest 1954 Elvis recordings (from SUN) (Harbor Lights, Blue Moon, etc.) was really surprising and mesmerizing for me.

I, too, thought his 60s voice was "perfect". This box set, . . .






Really cemented it for me (reminding me !) of that "perfect voice". (I had kind of started to lose sight of those gems from that time, mainly due to the movies output.)

But, have always loved and preferred (some portions of) the 70s Elvis.

I think it's less that the voice is too perfect, and more that the songs and arrangements are often rather "square" (as Record Collector called them when the box was released). Most of the material around the time of Pot Luck and the "lost album" was pure pop, rather than the usual country or blues or gospel influenced songs. The same was true of singles like Good Luck Charm and She's Not You. They are, of course, sung beautifully, but most of disc 2 of the 60s box, and the first eight or nine songs of disc 3 is hardly cutting edge - and compiled together on 75 minute discs makes them less palatable than on 30 minute albums, I think.

[ForeverElvis]

I think it's almost impossible to explain away the changes in Elvis's voice. All voices go through change, of course, but you might expect that change to occur every decade or so. For example, Sinatra's voice changed in the early 1950s, and then got a bit harsher in the early 1960s, before changing more drastically during the early 70s retirement. Some voices barely change at all - Neil Sedaka's voice was roughly the same when I saw him live in 2012 and 2017 as on his late 50s hits. Yes, there was some ageing (although not much), but that's not the same as voices changing how they sound beyond that.

With Elvis, there was a change every couple of years. The change between Sun and 1956 RCA Elvis can be mostly explained away by a voice maturing naturally, as well as the different repertoire. But even that 1956 voice was changing by 1958. Again, natural maturing? Possibly/probably. But in 1960, we hear a completely different sound. There are hints of the raw 1958 sound in something like Dirty Dirty Feeling or It Feels so Right, but then it's difficult to explain how less than two years away from the recording studio saw Elvis go from I Got Stung to It's Now or Never. But we know that he was singing at home a great deal during those years - and working on all kinds of things from a Doris Day hit through to gospel numbers and even showtunes. While he didn't have a vocal teacher, it's possible to at least put that period of change down to vocal training, which was essentially what he was doing for himself.

By 1961/2, Elvis seemed to be more interested in the sweeter sounds of his voice. We hear this in the Blue Hawaii soundtrack, and songs like the ballad side of Something for Everybody, and much of Pot Luck. This seems to have been through a change of style and repertoire towards that kind of material. But it's worth remembering that Anything That's Part of You was only three or four years after Trouble.

By 1964/5, we know that Elvis's voice was in quite a poor state. The big question is why. The sweetness had gone, and the control had gone. in 1960, he was singing It's Now or Never, and in 1965 he could barely control his vibrato through the much easier Mirage. Boredom? Possibly, but I don't think that accounts for it completely. Medication? Maybe. Maybe it was just not keeping his voice in shape generally, but we know it improved when he started singing at home again during that period - essentially retraining his voice, just as he did in the late 1950s while in the army. The sweetness still wasn't back, even in 1966 during the HGTA sessions, but it was better than the year before. But it's still easy to note the differences between Indescribably Blue and a song from Blue Hawaii.

1968/9 is the next stop. A time when, it seems to me, that the voice was changed forcibly rather than naturally. I don't buy that the 68 Comeback Special voice was an entirely natural development. It's almost as if Elvis is trying for something - trying to show his commitment - and intentionally producing a rawer sound because of that.

By 1970, we have the 70s voice. Everything that came after that were variations on a theme of what we hear in the June 1970 sessions. I don't think Elvis's voice went through a change after that point - not in the same way as the previous ones. But his voice was affected by his actions, and his life and his state of mind. The poorer voice of May 1971 is almost certainly the effects of a medication of some kind - and boredom, and maybe even stress in his private life. That thinner sound with more vibrato he has at this point is similar to that produced from taking codeine and its variants - and probably other medication/drugs too. It was certainly a temporary blip, as he's back to the 1970 voice in 1972. But the 1971 voice is back for much of 1973. So presumably there's something he's doing or taking that was affecting him. His 1976 voice is probably a reaction to his weight, his medication, and his general health.

But such were all of these changes that all of us here could identify a recording of Elvis in 1972 and 1975, even if they were the same song, with the same arrangement, and same recording conditions. Likewise 1958 and 1960, and 1968 and 1970. And so on. I can't think of another performer where that is the case.

Great post Shane, thank you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JohnnyByeBye]

I've always thought that a lot of the change was deliberate.
I'm glad he didn't always sound the same tbh. The voice he used in Paradise Hawaiin Style was a world away from how he used it in Memphis '69.

It's easy to track the reason for that change to body weight and motivation. You tend to try a bit harder when you are singing Suspicious Minds to tape instead of Dog's Life. Or singing You've Lost That Lovingä Feelin instead of Love Me,Love the Life I Lead.

I think the topic starter has been offered plenty of reasons why Elvis's voice changed, just pick the ones you like.

[Jokerlola]

When I first became a young fan in 73, I liked his 50’s and 70’s voice the best but found his early to mid 60’s voice too perfect. I’ve since matured and find his voice as appealing throughout all his career. I even like his more worn, tired voice of the last few years because it conveyed the world weariness for many of the songs he was recording.

Your experience pretty much echoes mine.

70's fan here. Discovering some of those earliest 1954 Elvis recordings (from SUN) (Harbor Lights, Blue Moon, etc.) was really surprising and mesmerizing for me.

I, too, thought his 60s voice was "perfect". This box set, . . .






Really cemented it for me (reminding me !) of that "perfect voice". (I had kind of started to lose sight of those gems from that time, mainly due to the movies output.)

But, have always loved and preferred (some portions of) the 70s Elvis.

I had the very same experience. That 60’s box set really made me reassess my thoughts on his 60’s recordings. It’s not that I didn’t like them but I just liked and listened to the 50’s and 70’s records more. When I became a fan in 73, I bought his 69 to 70’s and his 50’s records first and then started exploring and buying the 60’s records and soundtracks. I still listen to the 50’s and 70’s stuff the most but I don’t ignore the 60’s stuff like I used to.

[Igotstung]

I think it's almost impossible to explain away the changes in Elvis's voice. All voices go through change, of course, but you might expect that change to occur every decade or so. For example, Sinatra's voice changed in the early 1950s, and then got a bit harsher in the early 1960s, before changing more drastically during the early 70s retirement. Some voices barely change at all - Neil Sedaka's voice was roughly the same when I saw him live in 2012 and 2017 as on his late 50s hits. Yes, there was some ageing (although not much), but that's not the same as voices changing how they sound beyond that.

With Elvis, there was a change every couple of years. The change between Sun and 1956 RCA Elvis can be mostly explained away by a voice maturing naturally, as well as the different repertoire. But even that 1956 voice was changing by 1958. Again, natural maturing? Possibly/probably. But in 1960, we hear a completely different sound. There are hints of the raw 1958 sound in something like Dirty Dirty Feeling or It Feels so Right, but then it's difficult to explain how less than two years away from the recording studio saw Elvis go from I Got Stung to It's Now or Never. But we know that he was singing at home a great deal during those years - and working on all kinds of things from a Doris Day hit through to gospel numbers and even showtunes. While he didn't have a vocal teacher, it's possible to at least put that period of change down to vocal training, which was essentially what he was doing for himself.

By 1961/2, Elvis seemed to be more interested in the sweeter sounds of his voice. We hear this in the Blue Hawaii soundtrack, and songs like the ballad side of Something for Everybody, and much of Pot Luck. This seems to have been through a change of style and repertoire towards that kind of material. But it's worth remembering that Anything That's Part of You was only three or four years after Trouble.

By 1964/5, we know that Elvis's voice was in quite a poor state. The big question is why. The sweetness had gone, and the control had gone. in 1960, he was singing It's Now or Never, and in 1965 he could barely control his vibrato through the much easier Mirage. Boredom? Possibly, but I don't think that accounts for it completely. Medication? Maybe. Maybe it was just not keeping his voice in shape generally, but we know it improved when he started singing at home again during that period - essentially retraining his voice, just as he did in the late 1950s while in the army. The sweetness still wasn't back, even in 1966 during the HGTA sessions, but it was better than the year before. But it's still easy to note the differences between Indescribably Blue and a song from Blue Hawaii.

1968/9 is the next stop. A time when, it seems to me, that the voice was changed forcibly rather than naturally. I don't buy that the 68 Comeback Special voice was an entirely natural development. It's almost as if Elvis is trying for something - trying to show his commitment - and intentionally producing a rawer sound because of that.

By 1970, we have the 70s voice. Everything that came after that were variations on a theme of what we hear in the June 1970 sessions. I don't think Elvis's voice went through a change after that point - not in the same way as the previous ones. But his voice was affected by his actions, and his life and his state of mind. The poorer voice of May 1971 is almost certainly the effects of a medication of some kind - and boredom, and maybe even stress in his private life. That thinner sound with more vibrato he has at this point is similar to that produced from taking codeine and its variants - and probably other medication/drugs too. It was certainly a temporary blip, as he's back to the 1970 voice in 1972. But the 1971 voice is back for much of 1973. So presumably there's something he's doing or taking that was affecting him. His 1976 voice is probably a reaction to his weight, his medication, and his general health.

But such were all of these changes that all of us here could identify a recording of Elvis in 1972 and 1975, even if they were the same song, with the same arrangement, and same recording conditions. Likewise 1958 and 1960, and 1968 and 1970. And so on. I can't think of another performer where that is the case.

What a wonderfully detailed breakdown. Thank you.

I agree with most of it, except the 'forced' part w.r. t 68 special. He made a choice to go back to his Hound Dog/ Jailhouse Rock voice, only this time with a deeper register and it sounds perfectly natural for the kind of sound he is aiming for. In 69 American sessions, he chose that voice for Power Of My Love, as well as for the live concerts.

I also can't think of any other performer with such dramatic voice changes. While factors like aging/ drugs/ illness/ boredom/ technical improvement etc can explain parts of it, taken on a whole- the voice change is unique.

And that is why I believe that he 'chose' his various voices at various times. The fact that he was able to, and also that he made the active choice is of one of the key aspects of his artistry and creativity. As a singer he experimented not only with various genres / styles but also experimented with his voice - that is pure genius.

[Igotstung]

I think it's a combination of the aforementioned reasons. He just got older, and when one gets older the voice gets naturally deeper. Part of it was a choice, best heard on the Elvis is back album imo, where he can change his voice from raw (reconsider baby) to very soft (are you lonesome tonight) and full (it's now or never). Later in his life, his medicine use made his voice thinner. Also, like Colonel Snow mentioned, breathing is a big part of singing. A very big part. And when your colon is so extended, it pushes your diaphragm into your lungs, you cannot breath properly. Hence the out of breath sounding Elvis with no control over his vibrato in 1976 and 1977. Elvis' vibrato was one of the best in untrained singer world, but once you cannot control the air of your vibrato anymore, all your talents become obsolete.

Slightly off topic: I'm also a Queen fan and Elvis isn't the only person whose voice changed a lot during a small period of time: Freddie's voice also changed a lot. Just listen to nevermore (Queen II), Another one bites the dust (The Game), One year of Love (It's A Kind Of Magic) and These are the days of or lives (Innuendo). All could be sung by different people, but all are sung by Freddie, in only a 17 year time period.

It's been ages since I listened to Freddie, will do so now.
I agree that voice changes with aging / illness- but difference between 56 to 58, 58to 60, 60 to 63, 63- 66, 68 to 70 - we are looking at every couple of years with big change.

A 33 year old man is not going to sound like a totally different person from when he was 23.

[Igotstung]

I've always thought that a lot of the change was deliberate.
I'm glad he didn't always sound the same tbh. The voice he used in Paradise Hawaiin Style was a world away from how he used it in Memphis '69.

It's easy to track the reason for that change to body weight and motivation. You tend to try a bit harder when you are singing Suspicious Minds to tape instead of Dog's Life. Or singing You've Lost That Lovingä Feelin instead of Love Me,Love the Life I Lead.

I think the topic starter has been offered plenty of reasons why Elvis's voice changed, just pick the ones you like.

How would rhat explain changes when he was younger, healthier and motivated?

[Igotstung]

When I first became a young fan in 73, I liked his 50’s and 70’s voice the best but found his early to mid 60’s voice too perfect. I’ve since matured and find his voice as appealing throughout all his career. I even like his more worn, tired voice of the last few years because it conveyed the world weariness for many of the songs he was recording.

Your experience pretty much echoes mine.

70's fan here. Discovering some of those earliest 1954 Elvis recordings (from SUN) (Harbor Lights, Blue Moon, etc.) was really surprising and mesmerizing for me.

I, too, thought his 60s voice was "perfect". This box set, . . .

60s Front.jpg

60s Back.jpg


Really cemented it for me (reminding me !) of that "perfect voice". (I had kind of started to lose sight of those gems from that time, mainly due to the movies output.)

But, have always loved and preferred (some portions of) the 70s Elvis.

When I was a brand new fan, I listened to 50s obsessively and then the 68/ 69/ 70 because I watched the special & TTWII. I still recall the shock I had when I listened to Doin' The Best I can and groaning at that syrupy sweet " o o o my darlin". I disliked that voice for a long time, before I forced myself to listen again, and now I don't mind it on some of the superior songs. But I have to say, that sweetness sometimes sounds forced/ insincere to me. At least the weak whine as the 70s progressed could be explained by weak health. But after the glory that is Elvis is Back, listening to G. I. Blues is, well, disappointing, to put it kindly.

[Sillyme]

I love how muscle memory takes over when he sings That's Alright Mama during the first sit down show in 68. The words 'any way you do' sound just like the sun release

[vinelvis]

I love how muscle memory takes over when he sings That's Alright Mama during the first sit down show in 68. The words 'any way you do' sound just like the sun release

I love when that happens. Same thing with Big Hunk O' Love on opening night, 1972.

[LesterB]

I love how muscle memory takes over when he sings That's Alright Mama during the first sit down show in 68. The words 'any way you do' sound just like the sun release

I love when that happens. Same thing with Big Hunk O' Love on opening night, 1972.

I don’t hear that at all? I do like Elvis’ 70s versions of these songs though - especially Big Hunk

[FredAistair]

Apologies if this topic has been covered already. I have never seen a satisfactory answer to the question. Why and how did Elvis' voice change so much across 24 years of career?

Several artists who have had decades long careers, longer than Elvis in many cases, haven't had this kind of dramatic change. Technical improvement, ability to tackle diverse genres, aging, illness, changing musical styles can only explain some part of it. But he sounds like two different people if we take, for the sake of comparison, 1958 vs 1968. It is just 10 years. And someone who doesn't know his music would genuinely struggle to place these voices under just one person.

As one delves deeper in his discography, every 2- 3 years or so, there is significant change in the voice.

Dixie Locke is quoted as saying that he told her that he wanted to sing all parts of gospel quartets they listened to: tenor, baritone, bass. My half baked speculation is that he changed his voice because he wanted to sing all parts throughout different stages of his career. This does sound like a far fetched theory even to me btw. But the voice change has puzzled me from the beginning to no end.

Please enlighten me ye Elvis experts.

IMO=The boring answer from me is that drugs is part of the reason why Elvis`voice changed so much.
Its kinda shocking how much Elvis voice changed from june-september 1970 to march-june 1971….and its definately not for the better.
There Goes My Everything vs He Is My Everything is almost night&day regarding Elvis` voice…..and in just 1 year
Again IMO

this cannot be the only answer, Elvis was in great and if I may say brilliant voice for most periods of his career, but the voice was different from period to period, Aside from that it changed with some songs within the same period , compare one night or big hunk with more tender tracks.

[FredAistair]

I think it's almost impossible to explain away the changes in Elvis's voice. All voices go through change, of course, but you might expect that change to occur every decade or so. For example, Sinatra's voice changed in the early 1950s, and then got a bit harsher in the early 1960s, before changing more drastically during the early 70s retirement. Some voices barely change at all - Neil Sedaka's voice was roughly the same when I saw him live in 2012 and 2017 as on his late 50s hits. Yes, there was some ageing (although not much), but that's not the same as voices changing how they sound beyond that.

With Elvis, there was a change every couple of years. The change between Sun and 1956 RCA Elvis can be mostly explained away by a voice maturing naturally, as well as the different repertoire. But even that 1956 voice was changing by 1958. Again, natural maturing? Possibly/probably. But in 1960, we hear a completely different sound. There are hints of the raw 1958 sound in something like Dirty Dirty Feeling or It Feels so Right, but then it's difficult to explain how less than two years away from the recording studio saw Elvis go from I Got Stung to It's Now or Never. But we know that he was singing at home a great deal during those years - and working on all kinds of things from a Doris Day hit through to gospel numbers and even showtunes. While he didn't have a vocal teacher, it's possible to at least put that period of change down to vocal training, which was essentially what he was doing for himself.

By 1961/2, Elvis seemed to be more interested in the sweeter sounds of his voice. We hear this in the Blue Hawaii soundtrack, and songs like the ballad side of Something for Everybody, and much of Pot Luck. This seems to have been through a change of style and repertoire towards that kind of material. But it's worth remembering that Anything That's Part of You was only three or four years after Trouble.

By 1964/5, we know that Elvis's voice was in quite a poor state. The big question is why. The sweetness had gone, and the control had gone. in 1960, he was singing It's Now or Never, and in 1965 he could barely control his vibrato through the much easier Mirage. Boredom? Possibly, but I don't think that accounts for it completely. Medication? Maybe. Maybe it was just not keeping his voice in shape generally, but we know it improved when he started singing at home again during that period - essentially retraining his voice, just as he did in the late 1950s while in the army. The sweetness still wasn't back, even in 1966 during the HGTA sessions, but it was better than the year before. But it's still easy to note the differences between Indescribably Blue and a song from Blue Hawaii.

1968/9 is the next stop. A time when, it seems to me, that the voice was changed forcibly rather than naturally. I don't buy that the 68 Comeback Special voice was an entirely natural development. It's almost as if Elvis is trying for something - trying to show his commitment - and intentionally producing a rawer sound because of that.

By 1970, we have the 70s voice. Everything that came after that were variations on a theme of what we hear in the June 1970 sessions. I don't think Elvis's voice went through a change after that point - not in the same way as the previous ones. But his voice was affected by his actions, and his life and his state of mind. The poorer voice of May 1971 is almost certainly the effects of a medication of some kind - and boredom, and maybe even stress in his private life. That thinner sound with more vibrato he has at this point is similar to that produced from taking codeine and its variants - and probably other medication/drugs too. It was certainly a temporary blip, as he's back to the 1970 voice in 1972. But the 1971 voice is back for much of 1973. So presumably there's something he's doing or taking that was affecting him. His 1976 voice is probably a reaction to his weight, his medication, and his general health.

But such were all of these changes that all of us here could identify a recording of Elvis in 1972 and 1975, even if they were the same song, with the same arrangement, and same recording conditions. Likewise 1958 and 1960, and 1968 and 1970. And so on. I can't think of another performer where that is the case.

the best explanation so far, good read.

[pmp]

I love how muscle memory takes over when he sings That's Alright Mama during the first sit down show in 68. The words 'any way you do' sound just like the sun release

I love when that happens. Same thing with Big Hunk O' Love on opening night, 1972.

Perhaps most noticeable in I Just Can't Help Believin' in 76 or 77 (can't remember which).

[Sillyme]

Well, I admire a lot Roy Orbison because he had the same voice from the start of his career to finish.

Why would one admire someone for having the same voice all through his career more than admiring someone who experimented and found more colors and styles in his voice? What if Elvis would have sounded like the Sun days voice all through his career. Probably John Lennon would have liked that.

[Igotstung]

Apologies if this topic has been covered already. I have never seen a satisfactory answer to the question. Why and how did Elvis' voice change so much across 24 years of career?

Several artists who have had decades long careers, longer than Elvis in many cases, haven't had this kind of dramatic change. Technical improvement, ability to tackle diverse genres, aging, illness, changing musical styles can only explain some part of it. But he sounds like two different people if we take, for the sake of comparison, 1958 vs 1968. It is just 10 years. And someone who doesn't know his music would genuinely struggle to place these voices under just one person.

As one delves deeper in his discography, every 2- 3 years or so, there is significant change in the voice.

Dixie Locke is quoted as saying that he told her that he wanted to sing all parts of gospel quartets they listened to: tenor, baritone, bass. My half baked speculation is that he changed his voice because he wanted to sing all parts throughout different stages of his career. This does sound like a far fetched theory even to me btw. But the voice change has puzzled me from the beginning to no end.

Please enlighten me ye Elvis experts.

IMO=The boring answer from me is that drugs is part of the reason why Elvis`voice changed so much.
Its kinda shocking how much Elvis voice changed from june-september 1970 to march-june 1971….and its definately not for the better.
There Goes My Everything vs He Is My Everything is almost night&day regarding Elvis` voice…..and in just 1 year
Again IMO

this cannot be the only answer, Elvis was in great and if I may say brilliant voice for most periods of his career, but the voice was different from period to period, Aside from that it changed with some songs within the same period , compare one night or big hunk with more tender tracks.

Exactly. His voice change was a creative choice. Pivotal in his extraordinary vocal colour palette.

[vinelvis]

I love how muscle memory takes over when he sings That's Alright Mama during the first sit down show in 68. The words 'any way you do' sound just like the sun release

I love when that happens. Same thing with Big Hunk O' Love on opening night, 1972.

Perhaps most noticeable in I Just Can't Help Believin' in 76 or 77 (can't remember which).

1976. Yeah, I hear it too. It's also evident in some parts of Love Me in 1968, in Return To Sender in 1976 (I know he'd sung it before but it still sounds more like his 60s voice than other 60s songs) and some other songs which I can't remember right now.