NOTE: This was updated July, 2020, to reflect that when I did the original post I did not know about his other two albums. I began to do a litte research on this native of Pittsburgh and session musician in Nashville, and some in Muscle Shoals as well. Since I wrote the original column, I launched an unsuccessful search for a friend or relative. He died too early in his 1950s (It appears that he also had a Birmingham link in that he did some recording here as well.) I’ve not found family or friends but I quit pursuing because I felt like I would leave them alone and if they wanted to talk, they would contact me). Any way bottom line. I liked the other two albums better than One More Hallelujah. I have upgraded Hallelujah from 3.5 to 4.0; and the other two I’m grading to 4.5’s each. He was not only a great songwriter but also a great country-blues singer. I mean great.
ALBUM: John Hurley Delivers One More Hallelujah (1971)
MVC Rating: 3.5/$$
Not exactly a household name, John Hurley finishes up my “H’s” as I countdown my collection of 678 records.’
This gospel-soul singer is probably best known for co-writing the classic ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ with the famous line: ‘The only man who could ever reach me was the son of a preacher man.’
The song was originally written for Aretha Franklin but when there were some delays in getting the Aretha version done and published, Wikipedia says the song was considered too gospel for the particular album Aretha was working on.
Dusty Springfield recorded it, and it became a massive hit.
Hurley was a fine singer as well as a songwriter but he only put out three albums. He died at 45 from liver failure and cerebral hemorrhage, according to his Wikipedia page.
He wrote songs with Ronnie Wilkins, for a while in Nashville. Some who have covered his songs include The Everly Brothers, Waylon Jennings and Wayne Newton.
The much-covered “Song of the Common People” was written by the two (see video below, a poignant tribute put together by his family).
The title song on the album I have is a full-throated gospel number that almost crosses over the gospel- secular divide with its chorus-backed soul belting of Hurley.
If you like soul or gospel, this is a strong consistent album, top to bottom by an artist who deserves a little more recognition. As oneYouTuber put it: “Another buried treasure. What an amazing, unjustly forgotten career.”
Footnote: I picked this from a used record bin thinking I was buying something from Michael Hurley and the Holy Modal Rounders which I had read about and was looking for the name ‘Hurley’ and just snagged it without remembering that it was the wrong first name. Glad I did snag it.
But still looking for that Michael Hurley record.
PPS: Larry Carlton plays guitar on this Hurley record.
A tidbit came to me before I could close out: In the 90’s, the reggae-American group Cypress Hill, sampled “Son of a Preacher Man,’ put it in a song called “Hits from the Bong.”
That added even more to a growing audience for that song, contributing royalties for the songwriters.
Click for story I did about Love of the Common People.