Arthur William "Big Boy" Crudup (August 24, 1905 – March 28, 1974)
was an American
Delta blues
Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of the s ...
singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known, outside blues circles, for his songs "
That's All Right
"That's All Right" is a song written and originally performed by blues singer Arthur Crudup and recorded in 1946. The song was rereleased in early March 1949 under the title "That's All Right, Mama", which was issued as RCA's first rhythm and bl ...
" (1946), "
My Baby Left Me
"My Baby Left Me" is a rhythm and blues song written by blues singer Arthur Crudup.
Original recording
It was first recorded by Crudup in Chicago on November 8, 1950, with Ransom Knowling on bass and Judge Riley on drums, and was released as a ...
" and "So Glad You're Mine", later recorded by
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
and other artists.
Early life
Crudup was born on August 24, 1905, in Union Grove,
Forest, Mississippi
Forest is a city and the county seat of Scott County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,684 at the 2010 census and the population is a minority-majority.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total a ...
, to a family of migrant workers traveling through the South and Midwest. The family returned to Mississippi in 1926, where he sang
gospel music
Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...
. He had lessons with a local bluesman, whose name was Papa Harvey, and later he was able to play in dance halls and cafes around Forest. Around 1940 he went to Chicago.
[Arthur Crudup]
, ''Biography.com''. Retrieved 29 January 2018
Musical career
He began his career as a blues singer around
Clarksdale, Mississippi
Clarksdale is a city in and the county seat of Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. It is located along the Sunflower River. Clarksdale is named after John Clark, a settler who founded the city in the mid-19th century when he establishe ...
. As a member of the
Harmonizing Four, he visited
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
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, subdivision_name ...
in 1939. He stayed in Chicago to work as a solo musician but barely made a living as a street singer. The record producer
Lester Melrose
Lester Franklin Melrose (December 14, 1891 – April 12, 1968) was a talent scout who was one of the first American producers of Chicago blues records.
Career
Lester Franklin Melrose was born in Sumner, Illinois, the second of six children ...
allegedly found him while Crudup was living in a packing crate, introduced him to Hudson Whittaker, better known as
Tampa Red
Hudson Whittaker (born Hudson Woodbridge; January 8, 1903March 19, 1981), known as Tampa Red, was a Chicago blues musician.
His distinctive single-string slide guitar style, songwriting and bottleneck technique influenced other Chicago blues gui ...
, and signed him to a recording contract with
RCA Victor
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...
's
Bluebird
The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas.
...
label.
[
]
Recordings
He recorded with RCA in the late 1940s and with Ace Records, Checker Records
Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary of Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran the label until they sold it to General Recorded ...
and Trumpet Records
Trumpet Records was an American record company founded by Lillian McMurry in Jackson, Mississippi in 1951. Although it existed for only four years, it was influential.
History
The goal of Trumpet Records was to record musicians from the Mississip ...
in the early 1950s. He toured black clubs in the South, sometimes playing with Sonny Boy Williamson II
Alex or Aleck Miller (originally Ford, possibly December 5, 1912 – May 24, 1965), known later in his career as Sonny Boy Williamson, was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He was an early and influential blues harp st ...
and Elmore James
Elmore James ( Brooks; January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fam ...
.[Groom, Bob (1993). Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, ''Complete Recorded Works'', vol. 3 (11 March 1949 to 15 January 1952). Document Records DOCD-5203.] He also recorded under the names ''Elmer James'' and ''Percy Lee Crudup''. His songs "Mean Old 'Frisco Blues", "Who's Been Foolin' You" and "That's All Right" were popular in the South. These and his other songs "Rock Me Mama", "So Glad You're Mine", and "My Baby Left Me" have been recorded by many artists, including Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
, Slade
Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The ''British Hit Singles ...
, Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
and Rod Stewart
Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...
.[Szatmary, David (2013). ''Rockin' in Time.'' ]Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
Upper Saddle River is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 8,208,[royalties
A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset o ...]
. He said, "I realised I was making everybody rich, and here I was poor". His last Chicago session was in 1951. His 1952–54 recording sessions for Victor were held at radio station WGST, in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
. He returned to recording, for Fire Records
Fire Records was an American independent record label, set up in 1959 by Bobby Robinson. Amongst others, it released records by Lightnin' Hopkins, Elmore James, Buster Brown and Arthur Crudup. At one point it was thought Fire had issued the la ...
and Delmark Records
Delmark Records is an American jazz and blues independent record label. It was founded in 1958 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. The label originated in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1953 when then owner, and founder, Bob Koester released a record ...
, and touring in 1965. Sometimes labeled "The Father of Rock and Roll", he accepted this title with some bemusement.
Later years
In 1968, the blues promoter Dick Waterman
Dick Waterman (born July 14, 1935) is an American writer, promoter and photographer who has been influential in the development and recording of the blues since the 1960s.
Life and career
Waterman was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, United Stat ...
began fighting for Crudup's royalties and reached an agreement in which Crudup would be paid $60,000.[Gray, Michael (2006), ''The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia'' p. 165.] However, Hill and Range Songs
Hill & Range (originally "Hill and Range Songs, Inc.") is a music publishing company which was particularly responsible for much of the country music produced in the 1950s and 1960s, and had control over the material recorded by Elvis Presley over ...
, from which he was supposed to get the royalties, refused to sign the legal papers at the last minute, because the company thought it could not lose more money in legal action. In the early 1970s, two Virginia activists, Celia Santiago and Margaret Carter, assisted Crudup in an attempt to gain royalties he felt he were due, with little success. By 1971, he had collected over $10,000 in overdue royalties through the intervention of the Songwriters Guild of America The Songwriters Guild of America (SGA) is an organization founded in 1931, to help "advance, promote, and benefit" the profession of songwriters. It was founded as the Songwriters Protective Association by Billy Rose, George W. Meyer and Edgar Le ...
(then called the American Guild Of Authors And Composers).
On a 1970 trip to the United Kingdom, Crudup recorded "Roebuck Man" with local musicians. His last professional engagements were with Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...
. Recognizing his fortunes would not change, Crudup said in 1970, "I was born poor, I live poor, and I am going to die poor."
Death
Crudup died of complications of heart disease and diabetes in the Nassawadox hospital in Northampton County, Virginia
Northampton County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,282. Its county seat is Eastville. Northampton and Accomack Counties are a part of the larger Eastern Shore of Virginia.
The ...
, in March 1974. on March 28, 1974, four years after the failed royalty settlement.
There was some confusion about the date of death because of his use of several names, including those of his siblings.
Legacy
Crudup has been honored with a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail
The Mississippi Blues Trail was created by the Mississippi Blues Commission in 2006 to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the birth, growth, and influence of the blues throughout (and in some cases beyond) t ...
, placed at Forest. Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
acknowledged Crudup's importance to rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
when he said, "If I had any ambition, it was to be as good as Arthur Crudup".
One of the experts who consider Crudup's "That's All Right
"That's All Right" is a song written and originally performed by blues singer Arthur Crudup and recorded in 1946. The song was rereleased in early March 1949 under the title "That's All Right, Mama", which was issued as RCA's first rhythm and bl ...
" to be the "first rock and roll song" is Southeastern Louisiana University rock historian Joseph Burns. He adds that "this song could contain the first ever guitar solo break". Another source is equally definitive, stating that the recording "stands as a convincing front-runner for rock ‘n’ roll’s ground zero".
An 2004 article in ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' argues that rather than Presley's version being one of the first records of rock and roll, it was simply one of "the first white artists' interpretations of a sound already well-established by black musicians almost a decade before ..a raucous, driving, unnamed variant of rhythm and blues".
The Blues Hall of Fame
The Blues Hall of Fame is a music museum located at 421 S. Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Initially, the "Blues Hall of Fame" was not a physical building, but a listing of people who have significantly contributed to blues music. Started in 1 ...
stated that Crudup "became known as 'The Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll' after Elvis Presley recorded three of his songs" but adds that "Crudup was a classic victim of music industry exploitation, and despite the commercial success of his music, was never able to even support his family from his music". The Hall quotes Presley as having said, "Down in Tupelo, Mississippi, I used to hear old Arthur Crudup bang his box the way I do now, and I said if I ever got to the place I could feel all old Arthur felt, I’d be a music man like nobody ever saw".
Discography
Solo albums
*''Mean Ol' Frisco'' (Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...
, 1962)
*''Crudup's Mood'' ( Delmark, 1969)
*''Look on Yonder's Wall'' (Delmark, 1969)
*''Roebuck Man'' (United Artists Records
United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B.
History Genres
In 1959, ...
, 1970)
Collaborative albums
*''Sunny Road'', with Jimmy Dawkins
James Henry “Jimmy” Dawkins (October 24, 1936 – April 10, 2013) was an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist and singer. He is generally considered to have been a practitioner of the "West Side sound" of Chicago blues.
Career ...
and Willie Smith (Delmark, 1969)
*''Arthur "BigBoy" Crudup Meets the Master Blues Bassists'', with Willie Dixon
William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...
and Ransom Knowling Ransom Knowling (24 June 1912 – 22 October 1967) was an American rhythm and blues musician, best known for playing bass on many blues recordings made in Chicago between the 1930s and 1950s, including those of Arthur Crudup and Little Brothe ...
(Delmark, 1994)
Compilation albums
*''The Father of Rock and Roll'' (RCA, 1971)
*''Give Me a 32-30'' (Crown Prince, 1982)
*''Star Bootlegger'' (Krazy Kat, 1982)
*''I'm in the Mood'' (Krazy Kat, 1983)
*''Crudup's Rockin' Blues'' (RCA, 1985)
*''Shout Sister Shout!'' (Bullwhip, 1987)
*''That's All Right Mama'' (Matchbox, 1989)
*''The Father of Rock and Roll'' (Blues Encore, 1992)
*''That's All Right Mama'' (BMG, 1992)
*''Complete Recorded Works'', vols. 1–4 (Document, 1993)
*''Rock Me Mama'' (Orbis, 1993)
*''That's Alright Mama'' (Laserlight, 1995)
*''Crudup's After Hours'' (History, 1996)
*''The Complete Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup'', vols. 1 and 2 (Jazz Tribune, 1997)
*''After Hours'' (Camden, 1997)
*''Cool Disposition'' (Catfish, 1999)
*''Dirt Road Blues'' (Past Perfect Silver Line, 2000)
*''The Essential Arthur Crudup'' (Document, 2001)
*''Blues Legends'' (Rainbow, 2002)
*''Everything's Alright'' (Our World, 2002)
*''Crudup's After Hours'' (Past Perfect Silver Line, 2002)
*''Rock Me Mama'' (Tomato
The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...
, 2003)
*''The Father of Rock 'n' Roll'' (Wolf, 2003)
*''Rock Me Mamma: When the Sun Goes Down'', vol. 7 (RCA, 2003)
*''The Story of the Blues'' (Archive Blues, 2004)
*''Too Much Competition'' (Passport, 2006)
*''Gonna Be Some Change'' (Rev-Ola, 2008)
*''My Baby Left Me: The Definitive Collection'' (Fantastic Voyage, 2011)
*''The Blues'' (Fuel, 2012)
*''Sunny Road'' (Delmar, 2013)
See also
*Checker Records
Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary of Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran the label until they sold it to General Recorded ...
*Fire Records
Fire Records was an American independent record label, set up in 1959 by Bobby Robinson. Amongst others, it released records by Lightnin' Hopkins, Elmore James, Buster Brown and Arthur Crudup. At one point it was thought Fire had issued the la ...
*First rock and roll record
The origins of rock and roll are complex. Rock and roll emerged as a defined musical style in the United States in the early to mid-1950s. It derived most directly from the rhythm and blues music of the 1940s, which itself developed from earlie ...
*Origins of rock and roll
The origins of rock and roll are complex. Rock and roll emerged as a defined musical style in the United States in the early to mid-1950s. It derived most directly from the rhythm and blues music of the 1940s, which itself developed from earlie ...
References
External links
Biography of Arthur Crudup
*
*
Biography, links and song extracts
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crudup, Arthur
1905 births
1974 deaths
Delta blues musicians
Chicago blues musicians
Electric blues musicians
American blues guitarists
American male guitarists
American blues singers
Blues musicians from Mississippi
People from Forest, Mississippi
Trumpet Records artists
Groove Records artists
RCA Victor artists
Delmark Records artists
Bluebird Records artists
Ace Records (United States) artists
Fire Records artists
Mississippi Blues Trail
Burials in Virginia
People from Northampton County, Virginia
20th-century American guitarists
Guitarists from Illinois
Guitarists from Mississippi
Deaths from diabetes
African-American guitarists
20th-century African-American male singers