Sherrill nielsen biography of donald

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Interview with Shaun 'Sherrill' Nielsen

'Elvis had the ability to make everyone in the Audience think that he was singing directly to them'.

Sherrill (Shaun) Nielsen

It's not a secret that Elvis loved the voice of tenor Shaun 'Sherrill' Nielsen. During a 1970 Las Vegas show, Presley introduced him as: 'The greatest tenor in Gospel music'. In Elvis' sista years, Shaun became an integral part of Elvis' music, both on stage and in the studio. You can hear Shaun sing harmony with him on 'Spanish Eyes' and 'Help Me', and it's Shaun who sings the high falsetto ending on 'Unchained Melody'. But he's probably best known for singing 'O Solo Mio' as an intro to 'It's Now Or Never' during concerts in 1976 and 1977, and for the unusual 'Softly, As I Leave You', where Shaun sings and Elvis recites the words.

Gospel music plays an important role in Shaun's career, and he has sung tenor for influential vocal groups like The Speer Family, The Statesmen and The Imperials. He was recently in

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Softly, As I Leave You (Singer Sherrill Nielsen, 1942-2010)

Sherrill (Shaun) Nielsenhas passed away. He died at about 11:00 A.M. Friday after he was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. Sherrill was born on September 10th, 1942.

It's not a secret that Elvis loved the voice of tenor Shaun 'Sherrill' Nielsen. During a 1970 Las Vegas show, Presley introduced him as: 'The greatest tenor in Gospel music'. In Elvis' final years, Shaun became an integral part of Elvis' music, both on stage and in the studio. You can hear Shaun sing harmony with him on 'Spanish Eyes' and 'Help Me', and it's Shaun who sings the high falsetto ending on 'Unchained Melody'. But he's probably best known for singing 'O Solo Mio' as an intro to 'It's Now Or Never' during concerts in 1976 and 1977, and for the unusual 'Softly, As I Leave You', where Shaun sings and Elvis recites the words.

Gospel music plays an important role in Shaun's career, and he has sung tenor for influential vocal groups like The Speer

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a history compiled by

Ernie Couch & Jason Couch

Ernie Couch • Jason Couch

You may learn more about Ernie and Jason at... www.erniecouchandrevival.comu

XXXXMusic history, like all history, becomes lost history unless chronicled and preserved in some manner. Having both been a part of the Plainsmen, Jason and I determined a need to create an in-depth look at one of the great gospel quartets of the twentieth century. This telling is sprinkled with our personal reminiscing, anecdotes, and observations, along with materials gleaned from numerous interviews with former group members, their families, friends and fans. The visual elements contain herein have been drawn from a wealth of sources, with much having come from Jason’s own extensive collection of gospel music memorabilia. All such elements are prese