Gordon Stoker, Jordanaires Tenor, Remembered on March 27

Gordon Stoker, the tenor singer best known as a member of the Jordanaires who performed with Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves, died on March 27, 2013. He was 88.

Early life and military service

Hugh Gordon Stoker was born in Gleason, Tennessee, on Aug. 3, 1924. He was active on the local music scene by age 12, playing piano in church and performing on WTJS with the Clement Trio. At 15 he sang at the Grand Ole Opry with Nashville’s John Daniel Quartet.

In 1943 Stoker began a three‑year stint with the U.S. Air Force, serving as a teletype operator in Australia and the Philippines during World War II. After his discharge he returned to pursue music in Nashville.

Career with the Jordanaires and work with Elvis

Stoker joined the Jordanaires in 1950, initially in a piano role, and became the group’s first tenor in late 1951. The Jordanaires rose to prominence as one of Nashville’s premier background vocal groups and were named by the Country Music Hall of Fame as a major contributor to the famous Nashville Sound.

The quartet began recording for Capitol Records in the early 1950s and provided background vocals for numerous solo performers. By 1955 they had met Elvis Presley backstage at a concert; Stoker and his bandmates later sang background on more than 200 of Presley’s recordings.

Remembrances and legacy

Stoker was the last surviving member of the Jordanaires. In interviews he recalled Presley’s warm, down‑to‑earth manner in the studio, saying the singer would shake each person’s hand and share a light remark. The Jordanaires’ work with Presley and other major artists helped shape popular music in Nashville and beyond.

Stoker’s contributions are documented in oral histories and obituaries that note his long career in Gospel and country music and his role in the development of the Nashville Sound.

Stoker died on March 27, 2013, at age 88.