“The Wonder of You” is a song written by Baker Knight. Baker was a Birmingham native and had a band called Baker Knight and the Knightmares. It was originally recorded by Vince Edwards in 1958, but this recording has never been released. In an interview with a DJ from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Ray Peterson told the story of how Baker Knight confided that “The Wonder of You” was originally written as a gospel song. Elvis Presley had a no. 1 hit in the UK and a Top 10 hit in the U.S. with his 1970 live version of “The Wonder of You” recorded in Las Vegas, Nevada in February 1970. The song was released as a single on April 20, 1970, backed by the song “Mama Liked the Roses”. In the United States, both songs charted at #9 together during 27 June – 11 July 1970. “The Wonder of You” was one of his most successful records in the UK ever, topping the UK Singles Chart for six weeks in the summer of that year. It has sold over 400,000 equivalent units in the UK, qualifying the single for a gold sales certification in 2022. It also stayed at number one in the Irish Charts for three weeks that same year. This was the 59th Top 40 hit of his career. Presley’s version also reached number 37 on the US Country Singles chart, and number one on the easy listening chart. “The Wonder of You” was one of about thirty-five songs Presley would regularly perform at concerts. According to Peterson, “He [Elvis] asked me if I would mind if he recorded ‘The Wonder of You.’ I said, ‘You don’t have to ask permission; you’re Elvis Presley.’ He said, ‘Yes, I do. You’re Ray Peterson.'” In 2016, a version of the song featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was released together with other orchestral versions of Elvis songs in the album The Wonder of You.
Thomas Baker Knight Jr. (July 4, 1933 – October 12, 2005) was an American songwriter and musician. His best known compositions were “Lonesome Town”, “The Wonder of You”, and “Don’t the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time”. His songs have been recorded by Ricky Nelson, Paul McCartney, Dean Martin, The Cramps, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Mickey Gilley, Sammy Davis Jr. and Jerry Lee Lewis. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, to Thomas Baker Knight Sr. and his wife Mary (Obear) Knight. His father died in 1939 at the age of 32, and because of his mother’s poor health Knight was raised mainly by relatives. He learned to play guitar while serving in the Air Force, and after his discharge entered the University of Alabama, where he wrote music in his spare time. In 1956 he founded a rockabilly group, Baker Knight and the Knightmares, with Shuler Brown (bass), A.D. Derby (keyboards), Bill Weinstein (drums), Glenn Lane (sax), and Nat Tortorici (sax).[1] Their debut single, “Bop Boogie to the Blues”, was released on Kit Records that year. The next release, “Bring My Cadillac Back”, was a local hit and was picked up for national distribution by Decca Records, but radio stations refused to play it as it served as unpaid advertising for Cadillac cars. Decca held on to Knight and had him release three solo records featuring arrangements by Ray Ellis: “Reelin’ and Rockin’ (Bippin’ and Boppin’ Over You)”, “Just a Little Bit More”, and “Love-A Love-A Love-A”. None sold well, and Decca dropped his contract soon afterwards. Knight moved to Hollywood in 1958 in hopes of pursuing a career in acting, but was unsuccessful. He became friends with Eddie Cochran and Cochran’s girlfriend, songwriter Sharon Sheeley, who had written “Poor Little Fool” for Ricky Nelson, and they helped him find work as a songwriter. Knight wrote “Lonesome Town”, which became a hit for Nelson in 1958, as did the B-side, Knight’s “I Got a Feeling”. Nelson continued to record Knight’s songs, many of which became hits, including “Never Be Anyone Else But You”, “Sweeter Than You”, and “I Wanna Be Loved”. However, he refused to let Nelson record his tune “Just Relax”, which he instead released himself as a solo single in 1959, with Cochran on guitar, for Coral Records. Neither this nor the next, “Pretty Little Girl”, sold well and Coral dropped his contract. Knight then wrote “The Wonder of You” for Perry Como, but Ray Peterson recorded it instead at the behest of Como’s arranger Dick Pierce, and the song became a hit in both the U.S. and UK. Elvis Presley later recorded it with even greater success.[1] Knight continued to record solo with RCA, Chess, Reprise, and Challenge, but never with much luck. He pursued his movie career, but he only appeared on screen once, in the 1966 B-movie, Swamp Country. He had a small part as a strolling minstrel and sang several of his own songs. In 1966, Dean Martin picked up “Somewhere There’s a Someone”, the first of eleven of Knight’s songs he would cover. Frank Sinatra recorded a handful of Knight tunes, including “Anytime at All”. Knight also wrote psychedelic music for the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band in the late 1960s. In 1971, he teamed with producer Jimmy Bowen and singers Kim Carnes and Mike Settle to create the bubblegum pop studio group The Sugar Bears. An album, Presenting the Sugar Bears, and three singles were released with one song, Knight’s “You Are The One”, reaching #51 on the Billboard charts. Knight turned to country music in the 1970s, writing songs for Ernest Ashworth, Hank Williams, Jr., Jerry Lee Lewis, Dave & Sugar, and Mickey Gilley, whose No. 1 hit “Don’t the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time” won Knight the Academy of Country Music’s Song of the Year in 1976. In 1985, Knight returned to Birmingham, suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome and agoraphobia, and his output decreased considerably. In the 1990s, he set up his own home studio and self-released several solo albums through his website, including The Way I Hear It, Music Is My Woman, and Music for Romantic Dreamers, the last one all instrumental. Knight published a memoir entitled A Piece of the Big-Time (my songs – my success – my struggle for survival)in 2005 just before his death. Thomas Baker Knight Jr. died in Birmingham, Alabama, in 2005 at the age of 72.[1] He was survived by his daughter, singer-actress Tuesday Knight, and his son, Dr. Thomas Baker Knight III.