Since I Fell for You is a blues ballad written by Buddy Johnson in 1945 and first popularized by Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra with Ella Johnson on vocals. It was recorded in New York in 1945 and released as a single in 1947, helping establish it as a jazz and pop standard; a 1947 version by Annie Laurie with Paul Gayten and His Trio also boosted its popularity. The tune gained its widest fame with Lenny Welch’s 1963 Cadence recording, after Archie Bleyer bought the sheet music and urged a remake. Welch’s version, recorded on August 13, 1963 at Bell Sound Studios, features a distinctive intro and was released in October 1963 as the title track of the album Since I Fell for You. It reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 3 on the Easy Listening chart, with a Canadian peak around 19. Since then it has been covered by many artists across genres, including Laura Lee, Charlie Rich, Hodges, James & Smith, Con Hunley and Al Jarreau.
