23rd February 1973, Friday

[Graeme]

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[Graeme]

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L-R: Terry Blackwood, Sherman Andrus, Jim Murray, Cass Elliot (The Mamas & the Papas), Joe Moscheo, Armond Morales, Marty Allen, Elvis, Linda Thompson, Red West, Lorraine Allen, February 23, 1973.

At one point in the night, Mama Cass asked Elvis (in a rather derisive way) ‘Why do you do this? Why do you sing these same gospel songs over and over like this?’ Instead of being offended, Elvis asked her if she had ever tried it…ever tried singing a song with a gospel quartet backing her up. She laughed and said that she had not. He challenged her to try it just once.

After some hesitation and cajoling, she finally decided she knew the words to Amazing Grace and would sing it. She did and The Imperials fell in and provided back up harmonies. They sang it all the way through and when she finished, she turned to Elvis and told him that having those voices surround hers as she sang was the most indescribable feeling she had ever experienced. She said ‘Now I get it. Now I understand why this means so much to you’.