Narvel Felts Biography
Albert Narvel Felts (born November 11, 1938)[1] is an American country music and rockabilly[2] singer. Known for his soaring tenor and high falsetto, Felts enjoyed his greatest success during the 1970s, most famously 1975’s “Reconsider Me“.
He was born in Keiser, Arkansas, United States,[1] and raised in Bernie, Missouri, where he attended Bernie High School, Felts was discovered during a talent show at the school.[3] He had been encouraged to participate in the show by some of his classmates, and a talent agent happened to be attending the performance at the time.
Felts recorded his first single, “Kiss-a Me Baby”, at the age of 18,[1] and his career skyrocketed with the help of Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash. Felts enjoyed modest pop success in 1960 with a remake of the Drifters’ “Honey Love”,[1] which earned a low position on the Billboard Hot 100. He went on to release such songs as “Lonely Teardrops” and “Pink And Black Days”, but he did not begin enjoying success on a national level as a country singer until the 1970s.[1] His first major hit came in 1973, with a cover of Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away“.[1] Felts’ version – number eight on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in September 1973 – was midtempo country compared to Gray’s blues version. The follow-up single, “All in the Name of Love”, just missed hitting the top 10 in December 1973.[1]
Felts continued to enjoy modest success during the next year and a half, when he signed with ABC-Dot Records in 1975.[1] That year, he enjoyed his biggest hit, a cover of Johnny Adams‘ soul classic “Reconsider Me”,[1] which showcased his falsetto and high tenor. The song reached number two that August, and was 1975’s second-biggest country hit of the year.[4]
Felts, who became known to fans as “Narvel the Marvel”, continued to enjoy success throughout the 1970s. Included in his streak of hits was a remake of “Lonely Teardrops“, which became his last top-10 hit in the summer of 1976, and a cover of Willie Nelson‘s “Funny How Time Slips Away“.[1] He also had a number-14 country hit with “Everlasting Love” in 1979.
Narvel Felts’ pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
