His Hand in Mine

His Hand in Mine is the twelfth studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 2328, in November 1960. It was the first of three gospel music albums that Presley would issue during his lifetime. Recording sessions took place on October 30 and 31, 1960, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee. It peaked at #13 on the Top Pop Albums chart. It was certified Gold on April 9, 1969 and Platinum on March 27, 1992 by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Background
Presley had a lifelong, fundamental love of church music, and often used it to rehearse and loosen up before concerts and at the beginning of recording sessions. Presley had earlier devoted an extended play single, Peace in the Valley, to his love for gospel songs, and was eager to record a full album of this music. This fit well with the plans of Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, to steer his client into a family-friendly image as he switched Presley's career concentration toward movie stardom in Hollywood.

Content
All the selections for His Hand In Mine were completed in one fourteen-hour session. The songs "Surrender" and "Crying in the Chapel" were recorded during the session, but withheld for issue as singles. "Surrender" would be his first single of 1961 and top the chart, but "Crying in the Chapel" would wait until April 1965 to be issued, going to #3 on the chart. The song "In My Father's House" was arranged and adapted by Elvis Presley which was published by Elvis Presley Music.

Presley later re-recorded "Swing Down Sweet Chariot" (not to be confused with the popular "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot") for the soundtrack of his 1969 film, The Trouble with Girls.

Reissues
In 1976, RCA reissued the album in its "Pure Gold" series, with new cover art under a new catalogue number ANL1-1319. It contains the same tracks as the original release.

On March 11, 2008, RCA issued a remastered version of this album for compact disc, adding as bonus tracks the four songs which had originally appeared on that 1957 EP single Peace in the Valley, its contents later incorporated into Elvis' Christmas Album. The Presley fan-club label Follow That Dream issued an extended two-disc version the same year.

Personnel

 * Elvis Presley – vocals and acoustic guitar (on "Milky White Way")
 * The Jordanaires – backing vocals
 * Boots Randolph – saxophone
 * Scotty Moore – electric guitar
 * Hank Garland – acoustic guitar
 * Floyd Cramer – piano
 * Bob Moore – double bass
 * D.J. Fontana, Buddy Harman – drums