Narvel Felts
b. Albert Narvel Felts, 11 November 1938, Keiser, Arkansas, USA. Felts got his first guitar when aged 13 and taught himself to play. In 1956, he won a talent contest, appeared on local radio and passed an audition as a rock ‘n’ roll singer for Sun Records in Memphis, although his sessions were not released at the time. In 1957, his first record for Mercury Records, Kiss-a-me Baby, sold 20,000 copies. He made the US charts in 1959 with 3,000 Miles and Honey Love, both for Pink Records. He had sporadic success for some years (I'm Movin' On, Rockin' Little Angel) and then, in 1973, he had a huge country hit for the Cinnamon label with Mentor Williams' Drift Away, which was followed by a string of country hits—When Your Good Love Was Mine, All In The Name Of Love, Raindrops. In 1975, moving to Dot Records, he had a number 2, US country hit, with Reconsider Me. He recorded the most successful version of Funny How Time Slips Away and mannered emotional revivals of Lonely Teardrops and My Prayer. In 1976, he had a US country hit with a song Conway Twitty had given him 16 years earlier, Lonely Kind Of Love. He continued into the '80s, to register minor country hits, the last currently being the 1987 recording of When A Man Loves A Woman. Looking like a haggard Omar Sharif, he tours with his band, the Driftaways, regularly visiting the UK and including songs from all periods of his career: his drummer is his son Narvel Felts Jnr.