True Love Travels on a Gravel Road

In the database Percy Sledge's 1969 release of True Love Travels on a Gravel Road is listed as being the original (True Love Travels on a Gravel Road

I was under the impression that the original version was Duane Dee's 1968 recording on Capitol 2332, which reached #58 on Billboard's country chart.

I've been told that Sledge recorded his version in September of 1969 after hearing Elvis Presley's version (recorded on February 17) on his From Elvis In Memphis album, which was released in May that year.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

This was the first original song I created, I'm not surprised I missed the real original I guess I read somewhere that the Afghan Whigs version was a cover of Percy Sledge's, so I inferred that Sledge was the original performer.

I see Duane Dee released his version in 1968 and that Presley recorded his in February 1969. If you can confirm Dee's version is the original and Sledge recorded True Love in September 1969, I'm going to change the hierarchy.

I've surfed a bit and according to this index of Capitol masters http://bellsouthpwp.net/i/u/iucounu/discography/007776/master50000.html Dee's recording was released in 1968.

In the Atlantic Records Discography Project on Jazzdisco.com http://www.jazzdisco.org/atlantic-records/discography-1969/ Sledge's version was recorded in September 1969 (possibly on the 19th). According to Duane Allman he played guitar on Sledge's session and his site confirms a September 1969 recording date http://www.allmanbrothers.info/chronology.htm .

I've e-mailed Duane Dee to try and get his version of the story. He's still active, but his back catalogue doesn't seem very big, so maybe he'll remember - although it's 40 years ago...

Meanwhile, I have corrected it. Many thanks! Note that I didn't add the recording date of Sledge's version (not officially...) for two reasons:

1) the question mark in the jazzdisco discography...

2) it is not essential for the database: it is always nice to add recording, first performance, composition and/or publishing dates, but if the song it's not an original those dates are not strictly necessary.

Thanks for changing it.

Yes, I agree on the Sledge recording date. I've had no response from Duane Dee yet. I'll let you know if I hear from him.