First recorded (as “Lover”) by Tommy Hunt (unreleased 1961).
Hit versions by (as “Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)”) by Chuck Jackson (US #23/R&B #2 1962), Elvis Presley (B-side US #3 1969), Ronnie Milsap (US #14/C&W #1/CAN #1 1982), Luther Vandross (2001).
Also recorded by Alan Price Set (1965), Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels (1966).
From the wiki: “‘Any Day Now’ was written by Burt Bacharach and Bob Hilliard in 1961. Co-writer Bacharach (‘Alfie‘,’Make It Easy On Yourself‘,’Message to Michael‘) had orchestrated and recorded the song’s backing track a year before presenting it to Chuck Jackson, formerly of the Del Vikings (‘Come Go With Me‘).
“In the interim, producer Luther Dixon made use of the same backing track to record the arrangement of the song with former Flamingos singer Tommy Hunt (‘I Only Have Eyes For You’, The Flamingos; ‘I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself‘), titled ‘Lover’, using a set of completely different, and uncredited, lyrics. Hunt’s 1961 recording, believed to have been recorded within days of his leaving the Flamingos, went unreleased by Stardust Records (backed with another unreleased track, Big Maybelle’s ‘How Do You Feel Now’).
“When it came time to record Jackson, parts of Hunt’s original singing were still audible at the end of Jackson’s hit version.
“Alan Price formed The Animals in 1962 but left the band in 1965 to form the Alan Price Set. The group’s first release, in 1965, was ‘Any Day Now/Never Be Sick On Sunday’. It went uncharted. In 1966, Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels included a version of the song on their breakthrough album, Breakout!.
“Elvis Presley recorded a cover version of ‘Any Day Now’ in 1969 that appeared on his acclaimed album of that year, From Elvis in Memphis. Although not released as a single in its own right, the song did appear as the B-side to Presley’s #3 US pop hit, ‘In the Ghetto’.
“Ronnie Milsap, a popular Country singer, recorded the most widely known version of the song. It was the lead single from his 1982 album, Inside, and it peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, spending nine weeks in the Top 40. In addition, this version went to #1 on both the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
“In 2001, Luther Vandross recorded ‘Any Day Now’ for his album Luther Vandross. Vandross’ version was nominated for a 2003 Grammy award in the category of Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.”
Chuck Jackson, “Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)” (1962):
Alan Price Set, “Any Day Now” (1965):
Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, “Any Day Now” (1966):
Elvis Presley, “Any Day Now” (1969):
Ronnie Milsap, “Any Day Now” (1982):
Luther Vandross, “Any Day Now” (2001):