Who sang.....?

[Jon Light (deceased)]

Since I Fell For You

......"you....made me leave my happy home......"

There is a particular recording of this that I want to track down. All Music lists over 400 covers so I'm doing too well in narrowing it down. The one I've got in my head I'm remembering as an early/mid 60's girl singer ballad, very soulful---Etta James kinda comes to mind. I think it was a top 40 hit. I've previewed a couple of dozen versions and I'm not finding it. Any ideas?

[Theresa Galbraith]

I like Brent Mason's version with the Players.

Great song!

[Larry Miller]

Lenny Welch

[Jon Light (deceased)]

Wow Larry. Great call. Which raises all sorts of other problems. I was calling for a girl singer. I found the Lenny Welch version and I totally remember it. Now I just can't figure out if I've just made up the girl version I'm looking for. In my head it so totally sounds Etta James-ish but there doesn't seem to be any such thing. I may be creating my own version by cobbling together a number of covers I've heard over the years---this song's 429 listed covers doesn't rival "Crazy"'s 933 but it's still on a whole lot of singers must-do list.
But a lot of the phrasing in my head is spot-on Lenny Welch. Thanks for that.

[Stephan Miller]

I think "Since I Fell For You" would be pretty easy to mix up with Etta James' "At Last". If Etta never covered it, she should have. Same era ("At Last" was 1960, Chess Records)...same archetypal 50's ballad I-vi-ii-V changes on the verse (at least the way I remember 'em)...and both are examples of the perfect soulful-pop ballad.

Whatever they have, "Sleepwalk" and a handful of others have as well...those chords have a lot to do with it.

[Dave Mudgett]

Are you sure you're not thinking of Ella Johnson's version from the 40s? Story here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Since_I_Fell_for_You and here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ella_Johnson

Aside from that, I'm most familiar with Bonnie Raitt's version from her first album.

[Billy Wilson]

Ella Johnson worked for her brother Buddy Johnson who was a big band leader in the forties and beyond.

[Jon Light (deceased)]

As corruptible as the mind's ear is, I'll never know for sure but I do believe that I fabricated this version of the song that I was seeking and that it does not exist. The phrasing (in my head) is a hybrid of the Lenny Welch recording and the non-existent Etta James version as inspired by At Last. With some Bonnie thrown in for good measure.
I listened to an awful lot of covers of this last night and it was interesting----this seems to be on a list of required songs for jazz singers. And they all miss the mark (IMveryHO). There's this cabaret girl singer model ("live from the Algonquin Room!") that is wonderful, I guess, but after you listen to a dozen, they all sound so much alike. And seem to be trying to do so. Very cool cocktail dress stylings. Cigarettes and Manhattans. A tiny bit borrowed from Billie. Oh, there was some Dinah. Etc. Too studied, too schooled.
I needs me some more Etta J.

[Donny Hinson]

It wasn't a big seller for her, but Ella Jamerson did a version of it back in the late '60s. Maybe that's the one you heard?

Georgia Gibbs also sang a lighter sounding version back in the '50s.

[Dayna Wills]

Michael Bolton and Charlie Rich covered it too.

[Howard Tate]

And Johnnie Mathis.

[Jon Light (deceased)]

All Music lists over 400 covers

[Kent Thompson]

You should hear Glen Campbell's version on his live DVD.

[Jim Cohen]

You should hear me sing it in the shower; I do a great job.

[Mike Shefrin]

Have you got a recording of that, Jim?

[Jerry Erickson]

Be careful of what you ask for Mike! If you've got it Jim, I hope it's only audio:).