If you grew up in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, you’re probably very familiar with the gospel song “He Touched Me.” The video we’re discussing here is a performance by the Asidor family. The Asidors are a singing family who performs at religious gatherings, in churches, and in other activities. They are immensely popular, with more than 265K subscribers on their YouTube channel.
Now, I’m not a religious person (I’m a spiritual person), but I love old hymns. They’re so heartfelt, well-written, and they just stir a part of my soul that is touched by passionate music.
Growing up as a child of the 1970s and 1980s, I did attend church (hey, I’m from the South, and everyone attended church!). I have fond memories of all of the hymns that we sang in our old churches.
During that time, there were a few contemporary songs that became hugely popular, and “He Touched Me” was one of those songs. Written in 1963 by the songwriter Bill Gaither, “He Touched Me” was written when a preacher named Dr. Dale Oldham suggested to Gaither that the word “touch” was a word that was used a lot in the Bible. At that time, Gaither was traveling with Oldham for some crusades, or what we called “revivals” when I was growing up in an Assembly of God church in Arkansas.
This comment by the preacher inspired Gaither to write “He Touched Me.” The song was first recorded by the son of the preacher who suggested that Gaither write the song, Doug Oldham.
The first group to record the song was the Bill Gaither Trio. However, in 1965, the Christian singing group The Imperials recorded “He Touched Me” for their “The Happy Sounds of Jake Hess and the Imperials” album. The group later re-recorded the song for their “Love Is the Thing” album.
It was that second version that Elvis Presley first heard on the radio, and of course, when Elvis recorded the song in 1971, it was a huge hit. In fact, “He Touched Me” as performed by Elvis Presley was the title track on the album that won Elvis the Grammy Award for Best Album in 1972. The “He Touched Me” album by Elvis Presley was certified Gold in 1992 and later, the “He Touched Me” album was certified Platinum in 1999. At the bottom of the article, we’ve added the video of Elvis singing this beautiful song.
The “He Touched Me” song was further popularized in 1973 when it was performed by a young woman named Terry Meeuwsen in the Miss America competition. Meeuwsen won the title that year and became Miss America. Scroll to the bottom of this article to see Terry singing the song live in the Miss America competition.
Lots of other recording artists have recorded “He Touched Me,” including Tennessee Ernie Ford and Lawrence Welk. Below, you can watch the talented Asidor family performing this touching gospel hit that has so much rich history.
A gorgeous performance!
Here is Miss America Terry Meeuwsen singing “He Touched Me.” This is a very different version, and not my favorite, but historically, it’s nice to see it.
Beautiful. And here is Elvis Presley singing “He Touched Me.”
The King. That is all.
