You Don't Know Me - Eddy Arnold

I had always though the original version of this song was Ray Charles, who had a hit with it in 1962 but actually it was written by Cindy Walker and Eddie Arnold and sang by him in 1956..

Eddie Arnold - You Don't Know Me

It was first recorded by Eddie Arnold in 1955 and released as a single on April 21, 1956 on RCA Victor.

"The first version of the song to make the Billboard charts was by Jerry Vale in 1956, peaking at #14 on the pop chart. Arnold's version charted two months later, released as an RCA Victor single, 47-6502, backed with "The Rockin' Mockin' Bird", which reached #10 on the Billboard country chart. Cash Box magazine, which combined all best-selling versions at one position, included a version by Carmen McRae that never appeared in the Billboard Top 100 Sides listing." Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Don't_Know_Me_(Eddy_Arnold_song)

You Don't Know Me - Jerry Vale (1st version to make Billboard chart)

Jerry Vale (born Gennaro Luigi Vitaliano; July 8, 1932, The Bronx, New York) "is an American singer.

In high school, to earn money, Vale took a job shining shoes in a barbershop in New York City. He sang while he shined shoes, and his boss liked the sound so well that he paid for music lessons for the boy. Enjoying the lessons, Vale started singing in high school musicals and at a local nightclub. This led to additional club dates, including one that lasted for three years at a club in the suburb of Yonkers, New York, just north of the city. When Paul Insetta, (who was a road manager for Guy Mitchell and a hit songwriter) heard him there, he signed him to a management contract, changed his name, and further coached him. He then arranged for Vale to record some demonstration records of songs he'd written, and brought the demos to Columbia Records. Vale then signed a recording contract with Columbia, and Insetta managed him for many years. His version of "The Star-Spangled Banner", recorded in the late 1960s, was a fixture at many sporting events for years." Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Vale

In 1962 Ray Charles had a hit with You Don't Know Me

Elvis recorded You Don't Know me in 1967 for disc and an orchestrated version for inclusion in Clambake.

The Songwriters

Cindy Walker (July 20, 1918 – March 23, 2006) "was a prolific American songwriter, as well as a country music singer and dancer. As a songwriter Walker was responsible for a large number of popular and enduring songs recorded by many different artists. She adopted a craftsman-like approach to her songwriting, often tailoring particular songs to specific recording artists. She produced a large body of songs that have been described as “direct, honest and unpretentious”. She had Top 10 hits spread over five decades. Walker was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997 and inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame in March 2011." Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cindy_Walker

Eddie Arnold Richard Edward "Eddy" Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008) "was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called Nashville sound (country/popular music) innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more than 85 million records. A member of the Grand Ole Opry (beginning 1943) and the Country Music Hall of Fame (beginning 1966), Arnold ranked 22nd on Country Music Television's 2003 list of "The 40 Greatest Men of Country Music." He co-wrote the country and pop standard "You Don't Know Me".

In 1944, Arnold signed a contract with RCA Victor, with manager Colonel Tom Parker, who later managed Elvis Presley. Arnold's first single was little noticed, but the next, "Each Minute Seems a Million Years", scored No. 5 on the country charts during 1945. Its success began a decade of unprecedented chart performance; Arnold's next 57 singles all scored the Top Ten, including 19 number one scoring successes."

Read more here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddy_Arnold