CMT News

Bill Porter, the sound engineer whose credits include Elvis Presley's early RCA sessions and a role in the lush "Nashville Sound" of the 1960s, died on Wednesday (July 7). He was 79. Porter also worked as the chief engineer for Chet Atkins, and both men are often cited for their contributions to the Nashville Sound that started in the late 1950s. Porter's engineering credits include the Everly Brothers' "Cathy's Clown," the Browns' "The Three Bells," Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman" and "Only the Lonely" and Presley's "Stuck on You," "It's Now or Never," "Are You Lonesome Tonight," "Surrender," "Good Luck Charm" and "Suspicious Minds." In the 1970s, Porter served as sound engineer for Presley's concerts, with several of them later released as live albums. He spent his later career teaching audio engineering courses at Webster University in St. Louis.