They backed Elvis Presley from 1966 to 1971. Elvis has been quoted as noting Hess as his favorite singer. Hess left the Imperials in 1967 due to health problems. The Jake Hess Sound Hess also sang with his children, Becky and Chris, in a group he named "The Jake Hess Sound". In the late 1970s, Hess and his son Chris were featured singers on the television broadcasts of evangelist Dr. Gene Scott. With Elvis Presley Jake Hess was an idol of Elvis Presley, and had a major influence on Presley's career. As a teenager, Presley would attend gospel sings and Hess's style so impressed Elvis, that Presley would emulate it for the remainder of his life. Hess sang backup on several albums recorded by Elvis, and also sang at Presley's funeral in 1977. Solo career Jake Hess was a noted soloist in his own right. He had won several Grammy Awards on RCA Victor as a solo artist. His last 12 years, he appeared on the Gaither Homecoming concerts and videos. These videos featured Hess from noted concerts in the U.S. at the Kennedy Center, the Ryman Auditorium, and Hawaiian islands and Europe. Television Hess had The Jake Hess Show on WLAC in Nashville, Tennessee and performed in the Old Time Singing Convention. Family Hess and Joyce McWaters were married on October 5, 1952. They had three children. Jake Hess, Jr. has become a well-known southern gospel songwriter, in addition to being married to Judy Martin of The Martins. In 1989 Jake's nephew Steve Hess & Eugene Baker (Hess & Baker, Skylite/Sing) were in Nashville to record several segments on Bobby Jones Gospel (BET Network). Jake accompanied them to the studio and liked what he heard. While they were visiting with Jake in Brentwood, he asked whether they would be interested in forming with him a new version of Jake Hess & Friends. The group would ultimately consist of Jake, Steve, Eugene & Chris, Jake's son. They started rehearsals in Jake's family room and started touring later in the year. There were several dates in Missouri and Florida, but Jake determined that the traveling was going to be more demanding than he anticipated, so by 1990 the tours were put on hold with the possibility of doing something with television. Jake Hess III continues the family's musical heritage by singing in the highly acclaimed The Voices of Lee, part of