I certainly do not wish to tread on anyone's toes as far as copyright is concerned. As far as I am aware, nothing below is copyrighted any more, but if I am mistaken, then please contact me.
I include here soundclips of just a few of the many version of Are You Lonesome Tonight? that have been recorded. Each clip is about a minute long, which is sufficient time to get over the original introduction and to get an idea of the general sound.
1927 saw a host of recordings, almost all of which included the introductory verse, beginning, "Tonight I'm downhearted." Later recordings of Are You Lonesome Tonight? dropped the introduction.
The first recording to use the narrative was that of Blue Barron and His Orchestra in 1950 on MGM 10628, with vocals by Bobby Beers and the Blue Notes, narration by John McCormick.
