Faith's Alright, Mama

tephen L. Betts   Faith Hill, who continues to recover from recent knee surgery, is set to premiere her performance of Elvis Presley’s classic “That’s Alright Mama,” on Wednesday (1/30) at her official website. After originally recording both “Mama” and “Peace in the Valley” for Viva Las Vegas, the two-hour ABC-TV special honoring The King, CMT began airing “Peace in the Valley.” With fans clamoring for “Mama,” the video gets its online premiere as of 11:00 a.m. (ET) only at Faith’s official website. “We recorded ‘Mama’ and ‘Peace in the Valley,’ last year in a completely empty arena, in the round and stripped down,” says Faith. “It was a blast. We channeled Elvis by setting the stage as if we were back in 1968 (the year of Elvis’ legendary comeback special). These songs and being a part of the special reminded me of who he was [and] what he stood for. He defined what it was and is to be an entertainer.” Viva Las Vegas, produced in cooperation with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc, originally aired Sept. 18, 2007. The special honored Elvis Presley’s legacy and contribution to contemporary music, and featured some of music’s most influential and talented artists, including Celine Dion, Aerosmith, and Paul McCartney. The complete two-hour special, which includes Faith’s covers of “That’s Alright Mama” and “Peace in the Valley,” is set for a DVD release in the spring.