1. Jake Hess was an American Grammy Award-winning southern gospel singer.
14 Facts About Jake Hess
1. 2.
The son of "a sharecropper who was a shape-note singing-school teacher," Hess was born in Mt.
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Jake Hess' career started at the age of 16, when he joined the popular John Daniel Quartet in 1943, making his recorded debut on "Just a Prayer Away".
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Jake Hess sang with the Sunny South Quartet and their rival, the Melody Masters Quartet.
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Jake Hess sang lead with the Statesmen Quartet from 1948 until 1963.
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Jake Hess left the Imperials in 1967 due to health problems.
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Jake Hess was an idol of Presley, and had a major influence on Presley's career.
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Jake Hess sang backup on several albums recorded by Presley, and sang at Presley's funeral in 1977.
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Jake Hess had won several Grammy Awards on RCA Victor as a solo artist.
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Hess had The Jake Hess Show on WLAC in Nashville, Tennessee and performed in the Old Time Singing Convention.
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Jake Hess accompanied them to the studio and liked what he heard.
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In 1995, Hess's autobiography, Nothin' but Fine: The Music and the Gospel According to Jake Hess, was published by Buckland Press.
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Jake Hess died January 4,2004, in Opelika, Alabama after suffering a heart attack December 14,2003, just days after a performance in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Jake Hess was survived by a daughter, two sons, 10 grandchildren, one great-grandchild and a sister.