Arthur Alexander (May 10, 1940 – June 9, 1993) was an American

country soul ''Country Soul'' contains recordings of a prestardom Glen Campbell, which were made around 1960-1961. This album, just like the other Starday album '' Country Music Star No. 1'', was released after Glen Campbell rose to international fame with hit ...

songwriter and singer. Jason Ankeny, music critic for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, said Alexander was a "country-soul pioneer" and that, though largely unknown, "his music is the stuff of genius, a poignant and deeply intimate body of work on par with the best of his contemporaries." Alexander's songs were covered by such stars as

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

Gerry and the Pacemakers Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat group prominent in the 1960s Merseybeat scene. In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin. Their early successes alongsid ...

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

, Pearl Jam, and

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis ma ...

Life

Alexander was born in

Sheffield, Alabama Sheffield is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Shoals metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 9,039. Sheffield is the birthplace of "country-soul pioneer" and songwriter Arth ...

, United States. Working with Spar Music in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

, Alabama, Alexander recorded his first single, "Sally Sue Brown", under the name of June Alexander (short for Junior), which was released in 1960 on Jud Phillips'

Judd Records Judd Records was started by Jud Phillips (died 1992), brother of Sun Records co-founder Sam Phillips. Early releases were mostly recorded in Nashville or Memphis, but carried an address of Memphis, New York City, and Florence, Alabama (Phillips' ...

. (Phillips is the brother of music pioneer

Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, ...

). A year later, Alexander cut " You Better Move On", at the fledgling FAME Studios, which at that point was located above the City Drug Store in Florence, Alabama. (The studio would shortly move to its more famous location in nearby Muscle Shoals, Alabama.) Released on Nashville's

Dot Records Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved ...

, the song became a soul/R&B chart hit, and laid the foundation for the modern recording studio FAME. "You Better Move On" is perhaps Alexander's best-known song,

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

the Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the band ...

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song " He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

Johnny Paycheck Johnny Paycheck (born Donald Eugene Lytle; May 31, 1938 – February 19, 2003) was an American country music singer and Grand Ole Opry member notable for recording the David Allan Coe song " Take This Job and Shove It". He achieved his greate ...

, Gene Clark (from

the Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

) and

Mink DeVille Mink DeVille was a rock band founded in 1974, known for its association with early punk rock bands at New York's CBGB nightclub and for being a showcase for the music of Willy DeVille. The band recorded six albums in the years 1977 to 1985, afte ...

. "

Anna (Go to Him) "Anna (Go to Him)", or simply "Anna", is a song written and originally recorded by Arthur Alexander. His version was released as a single by Dot Records on September 17, 1962. A cover version was performed by the Beatles and included on their 196 ...

", a U.S. R&B Top Ten Hit, was covered by

Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn (born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician. He is best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with the Byrds. As a ...

(from

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

) and Humble Pie.

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

did live recordings of " Soldier of Love" (also performed by

Marshall Crenshaw Marshall Howard Crenshaw (born November 11, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for hit songs such as " Someday, Someway," a US top 40 hit in 1982, " Cynical Girl," and " Whenever You're on My Mind." He ...

and Pearl Jam), "

A Shot of Rhythm and Blues "A Shot of Rhythm and Blues" is a song written by Terry Thompson and first recorded by US soul singer Arthur Alexander. It was originally released in the United States in 1961 and in the United Kingdom the following year, as the B-side of " You B ...

", and "

Where Have You Been "Where Have You Been" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna, from her sixth studio album, ''Talk That Talk'' (2011) serving as the fifth single. The song was written by Ester Dean, Geoff Mack, Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, Henry "Cirkut" Walt ...

" at the

Star-Club The Star-Club was a music club in Hamburg, Germany, that opened on Friday 13 April 1962, and was initially operated by Manfred Weissleder and Horst Fascher. In the 1960s, many of the giants of rock music played at the club. The club closed on 3 ...

in Hamburg in 1962. In 1962,

Steve Alaimo Charles Stephen Alaimo ( born December 6, 1939) is an American singer who was a teen idol in the early 1960s. He later became record producer and label owner, but he is perhaps best known for hosting and co-producing Dick Clark's ''Where the Acti ...

was the first to record Alexander's " Every Day I Have to Cry", which reached No.46 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart.

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dram ...

also recorded the song for her first UK solo EP, "I Only Want to Be With You", released in 1964. In the mid-1960s, Alexander switched to another label, Sound Stage 7, but failed to find commercial success. Although a 1972 album for

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

was promising, the singer's potential seemed to wither. He secured a pop hit with "Every Day I Have to Cry Some" on

Buddah Records Buddah Records (later known as Buddha Records) was an American record label founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's foun ...

in 1975, but the success remained short-lived. The song was also covered by

Ike and Tina Turner Ike or IKE may refer to: People * Ike (given name), a list of people with the name or nickname * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and President of the United States Surname ...

(produced by

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

the McCoys The McCoys were a rock group formed in Union City, Indiana, United States, in 1962. They are best known for their 1965 hit single " Hang On Sloopy". Their name was changed from Rick and the Raiders to The McCoys, taken from the B-side of The ...

Joe Stampley Joe Stampley (born June 6, 1943) is an American country music singer. He had success as the lead singer of a rock group, in a country duo with Moe Bandy and as a solo performer. Stampley has released over 20 albums and more than 60 singles in ...

C.J. Chenier C. J. Chenier (born Clayton Joseph Thompson, September 28, 1957 in Port Arthur, Texas, Port Arthur, Texas) is the Louisiana Creole people, Creole son of the Grammy Award-winning "King of Zydeco", Louisiana musician, Clifton Chenier. In 1987, Ch ...

the Gentrys The Gentrys were an American band of the 1960s and early 1970s, best known for their 1965 hit " Keep on Dancing". A cover by the Bay City Rollers charted No. 9 in the UK in 1971. Follow-up singles charted outside of the Top 40: " Every Day ...

and others. The follow-up single "Sharing The Night Together" (written by Muscle Shoals songwriters Ava Aldridge and Eddie Struzick) reached No. 92 on the R&B charts, but earned Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show a Top 10 hit in 1978; the Dr. Hook version was used in the 2012 '' Family Guy'' episode "

Mr. and Mrs. Stewie "Mr. and Mrs. Stewie" is the nineteenth episode of the tenth season of the animated television series '' Family Guy''. The episode originally aired on FOX in the United States on April 29, 2012. In this episode, Stewie finds his perfect match, ...

". For many years, Alexander was out of the music business; he was a bus driver for much of this time. In 1990, he was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. He began to perform again in 1993 as renewed interest was shown in his back catalogue. His last album '' Lonely Just Like Me'' was his first in 21 years. He signed a new recording/publishing contract in May 1993 but suffered a fatal heart attack on 9 June 1993 in Nashville, three days after performing there with his new band. He is buried in Florence City Cemetery in Florence, Alabama.

Legacy

Alexander is the only songwriter whose songs have been covered on studio albums by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and

(who recorded "Sally Sue Brown" on his 1988 LP ''

Down in the Groove ''Down in the Groove'' is the 25th studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on May 30, 1988 by Columbia Records. A highly collaborative effort, it was Dylan's second consecutive album to receive almost unanimously negative r ...

''). In 1987,

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

claimed that "If the Beatles wanted a sound, it was R&B. That's what we used to listen to and what we wanted to be like. Black, that was basically it. Arthur Alexander."

Discography

(''USA issues except where noted'')

Singles

EPs

* ''Arthur Alexander'', Dot 655 (Sweden) (1962) * ''Alexander The Great!'', London 1364 (UK) (1963) * ''Arthur Alexander'', London 1401 (UK) (1963) * ''A Shot of Rhythm and Blues'', El Toro 15.086 (Spain) (2017)

Studio albums

* ''You Better Move On'', Dot & London (UK) (1962) * ''

Arthur Alexander Arthur Alexander (May 10, 1940 – June 9, 1993) was an American country soul songwriter and singer. Jason Ankeny, music critic for AllMusic, said Alexander was a "country-soul pioneer" and that, though largely unknown, "his music is the stuff ...

'', Warner Brothers (1972) * '' Lonely Just Like Me'', Nonesuch/Elektra (1993)

Album reissues

* ''Story Of Rock 'N' Roll'' (LP, 1977) Ariola (Germany) (Reissue of ''You Better Move On'') * ''Arthur Alexander'' (LP, 1989) Ace (UK) * ''You Better Move On'' (CD, 1993) MCA (UK) (Reissue of LP with 8 bonus tracks) * ''You Better Move On'' (CD, 2014) Hoodoo Records (EU) (Reissue of LP with 14 bonus tracks) * ''Rainbow Road: The Warner Bros. Recordings'' (CD, 1994) Warner Archives (Reissue of self-titled Warner LP above with bonus tracks) * ''Lonely Just Like Me: The Final Chapter'' (CD, 2007) Hacktone (Reissue of CD with bonus tracks) * ''Arthur Alexander: Expanded Edition'' (CD, 2017) Omnivore

Compilation albums

* ''Various Artists – Greatest Rhythm And Blues Stars'' (1965) Guest Star (two tracks by Alexander) * ''Carl Perkins – Sing A Song With Me'' (1979) Koala (four demos by Alexander) * ''A Shot Of Rhythm And Soul'' (1982) Ace (UK) * ''Soldier Of Love'' (1987) Ace (UK) * ''The Greatest'' (1989 & 2006) Ace (UK) * ''The Ultimate Arthur Alexander'' (1993) Razor & Tie * ''Jon Tiven's Ego Trip – Blue Guru'' (1996) Fountainbleu (one over-dubbed demo by Alexander) * ''Various Artists – Bill Haney's Atlanta Soul Brotherhood'' (1998) Kent (UK) (one track by Alexander) * ''Various Artists – Bill Haney's Atlanta Soul Brotherhood Vol 2'' (1998) Kent (UK) (one track by Alexander) * ''The Monument Years'' (2001) Ace (UK)

Tribute albums

* Various Artists: ''Adios Amigo: A Tribute To Arthur Alexander'' (1994) Razor And Tie (17 tracks by artists including Elvis Costello,

;

Graham Parker Graham Thomas Parker (born 18 November 1950) is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the British band Graham Parker & the Rumour. Life and career Early career (1960s–1976) Parker was born in Hackney, East L ...

;

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...

;

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and New wave music, new wave,Marshall Crenshaw Marshall Howard Crenshaw (born November 11, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for hit songs such as " Someday, Someway," a US top 40 hit in 1982, " Cynical Girl," and " Whenever You're on My Mind." He ...

and

Zucchero Adelmo Fornaciari (; born 25 September 1955), more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero (), is an Italian singer, musician and songwriter. His stage name is the Italian word for "sugar", as his elementary teach ...

.) *

Donnie Fritts Donald Ray Fritts (November 8, 1942 – August 27, 2019) was an American session musician and songwriter. A recording artist in his own right, he was Kris Kristofferson's keyboardist for over forty years. In 2008, he was inducted into the Alab ...

: ''June – A Tribute To Arthur Alexander'' (2018) ;Discography notes

Songs written by Alexander

* "Sally Sue Brown" (co-writer), recorded 1960, covered by

, Elvis Costello * " You Better Move On", recorded 1961, covered by

Tommy Roe Thomas David "Tommy" Roe (born May 9, 1942) is a retired American rock and pop singer-songwriter. Best-remembered for his hits "Sheila" (1962) and " Dizzy" (1969), Roe was "widely perceived as one of the archetypal bubblegum artists of the late ...

Billy "Crash" Craddock Billy Wayne "Crash" Craddock (born June 16, 1939) is an American country and rockabilly singer. He first gained popularity in Australia in the 1950s with a string of rockabilly hits, including the Australian number one hits " Boom Boom Baby" an ...

* "

Anna (Go To Him) "Anna (Go to Him)", or simply "Anna", is a song written and originally recorded by Arthur Alexander. His version was released as a single by Dot Records on September 17, 1962. A cover version was performed by the Beatles and included on their 196 ...

", recorded 1962, covered by

, Humble Pie * "

Every Day I Have to Cry Some "Every Day I Have to Cry", also known as "Every Day I Have to Cry Some", is a song written by Arthur Alexander and first recorded by Steve Alaimo in 1962. Although the song has been recorded by many musicians over the years, Alexander did not ...

", written 1962, recorded 1975, produced by

, covered by

, Bee Gees,

Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...

Debby Boone Deborah Anne Boone (born September 22, 1956) is an American singer, author, and actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, " You Light Up My Life", which spent ten weeks at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the ...

* " Go Home Girl", recorded 1962, covered by

, Ry Cooder, Gary U.S. Bonds,

Frank Black Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. F ...

* "In the Middle of it All", recorded 1987

References

Bibliography

* Richard Younger; ''Get a Shot of Rhythm and Blues: The Arthur Alexander Story'' The University of Alabama Press (2000)

External links

* *
Arthur Alexander
''Secondhandsongs.com''

Interview With Richard Younger, "Get A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues: The Arthur Alexander Story"

"Arthur Alexander" by Richard Younger

"The Country Soul of Arthur Alexander" by Tim Quine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Arthur 1940 births 1993 deaths People from Sheffield, Alabama American country singer-songwriters American soul musicians African-American male singer-songwriters Dot Records artists Monument Records artists African-American country musicians Omnivore Recordings artists Country musicians from Alabama Country musicians from Tennessee 20th-century African-American male singers Singer-songwriters from Alabama Singer-songwriters from Tennessee