Emry Paul Arthur (September 17, 1902 – August 22, 1967) was an American
Old-time musician. Arthur played an early version of the song
Man of Constant Sorrow
"Man of Constant Sorrow" (also known as "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow") is a traditional American folk song first published by Dick Burnett, a partially blind fiddler from Kentucky. The song was originally titled "Farewell Song" in a songbook ...
in 1928.
![Emry Arthur in 1929](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Emry_Arthur_in_1929.jpg)
Childhood and youth
Emry Arthur was born around the turn of the century in the
Elk Spring Valley in
Wayne County, Kentucky
Wayne County is a county in the U.S. state of Kentucky along the southern border with Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,555. Its county seat is Monticello. The county, on the south-central border with Tennessee, was name ...
. His father collected old traditional songs from Kentucky and the entire family was known for their music in the area. Young Arthur and learned to play instruments like his brothers Henry and Sam, but after a hunting accident he was restricted to playing harmonica and strumming simply on the guitar. As a singer he built up a repertoire from different eras: the archaic local tradition; nineteenth century popular song and more contemporary gospel. One influence was probably the Wayne County singer and musician
Dick Burnett, who claimed to have taught young Emry
I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow
"Man of Constant Sorrow" (also known as "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow") is a traditional American folk song first published by Dick Burnett, a partially blind fiddler from Kentucky. The song was originally titled "Farewell Song" in a songbook ...
. Arthur was unable to earn a living from music, and work in general was hard to find, so in the mid 1920s he migrated to
Indianapolis.
Recording career
After a few years in Indianapolis, Arthur auditioned successfully for
Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records is an American record company and label.
History
The label was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Company, a maker of pianos and organs, as Aeolian-Vocalion; the company also sold phonographs under the Vocalion name. "Aeolian" was ...
. For his first sessions he summoned his brother Henry from Kentucky. With unidentified guitarists and with Henry on banjo, the brothers recorded vocal duets and solos by Emry, on some playing harmonica. One of Emry's solos was the first recording of "
I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow
"Man of Constant Sorrow" (also known as "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow") is a traditional American folk song first published by Dick Burnett, a partially blind fiddler from Kentucky. The song was originally titled "Farewell Song" in a songbook ...
," which was released on 78-rpm record in 1928. Vocalion was impressed by good sales, particularly of the religious sides, and by the fact that Emry was Southern singer living conveniently in the North, so he was invited back to record frequently through 1928 and 1929. As with his first sessions, he recorded a mixture of solo songs and vocal duets, employing first Frank Owens then William Rexroat in place of Henry Arthur. In addition, he recorded with a succession of choirs led by Arthur and one led by Rexroat, as well as with a group singing in a non-Southern idiom led by Floyd Thomson.
[Russell (2007)][Russell, Tony (2004), ''Country Music record, a Discography, 1921-1945'', ]Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
.
In 1929, Emry's marriage broke up. Abandoning everything, he moved to
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, where he secured contacts with
Paramount Records as a singer, and with their parent Wisconsin Chair Company as a factory hand. As before, he recorded a mixture of solos (including a second version of I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow) and vocal duets. But now his singing partner was Della Hatfield, who became his second wife. They continued to record for Paramount until the near collapse of the recording industry in 1931.
[Russell (2007)]
Also in 1929, Arthur was involved with William Myers, a songwriter in
Richlands, Virginia
Richlands is a town in Tazewell County, Virginia, United States. The population was 5,823 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bluefield, WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,578.
History
Located along the banks of the Clinch R ...
. Previously, Myers had posted his songs to singers he admired, including
Mississippi John Hurt
John Smith Hurt (March 8, 1893 – November 2, 1966), better known as Mississippi John Hurt, was an American country blues singer and guitarist.
Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself to play the guitar around the age of nine. He w ...
and
Dock Boggs
Moran Lee "Dock" Boggs (February 7, 1898 – February 7, 1971) was an American old-time singer, songwriter and banjo player. His style of banjo playing, as well as his singing, is considered a unique combination of Appalachian folk music and Af ...
. Now he decided to start a record label, named Lonesome Ace. This folded after three recordings: one by Arthur and two by Boggs with Arthur accompanying.
[Russell (2007)]
In 1935, the recording industry had recovered somewhat, and Emry recorded a final session with
Decca Records.
At some point, Emry and Della moved back to Indianapolis, where they lived for the rest of their lives, about which nothing is known. Emry Arthur died in 1967, survived by Della for almost four decades.
[Russell (2007)]
Old Homestead Records
Old Homestead Records was a record label based in Michigan specializing in preserving and reissuing recordings of traditional country and bluegrass artists.
History
John W. Morris launched Old Homestead Record company in 1971 to release new and ...
collected some of Arthur's recordings on ''I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow'' in 1987.
References
Further reading
*Charles K. Wolfe: ''Kentucky Country: Folk and Country Music of Kentucky'' (2000), S. 35-37; University Press of Kentucky,
* William Lynwood Montell: ''Grassroots Music in the Upper Cumberland'' (2006), S. 131-132; University of Tennessee Press,
* Ross Laird: ''Brunswick Records: A Discography of Recordings, 1916-1931'' (2001); Greenwood Publishing Group,
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur, Emry
1902 births
1966 deaths
Old-time musicians
People from Wayne County, Kentucky
People from Indianapolis