Elmer James

Born in Forest, Mississippi on August 24, 1905, Arthur Crudup was a Delta blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter best known for writing songs that inspired the birth or rock and roll including “That’s All Right” and “My Baby Left Me.” Born into a family of migrant workers, he began his musical journey by singing gospel music while local musician Papa Harvey taught him to sing and play blues music. He joined gospel quartet the Harmonizing Four and began touring with them. The group visited Chicago in 1939 and Arthur Crudup decided to stay there and focus on a career as a blues musician. After a period where he struggled to make a living, he was discovered by producer Lester Melrose who introduced him to fellow blues musician Tampa Red, who signed him to Bluebird/RCA Victor Records. His recordings for RCA in the late 1940s gave way to more recordings for labels such as Ace Records, Trumpet Records, and Checker Records in the early 1950s. Some of his most popular songs included “That’s All Right” (later made famous by Elvis Presley), “Mean Old ‘Frisco Blues,” “Who’s Been Foolin’ You,” “My Baby Left Me” (another song recorded by Elvis), “Rock Me Mama,” and “So Glad You’re Mine.” In the early 1950s, he began having disputes over royalties owed to him by labels and publishers and stopped recording altogether in 1954. His older recordings were compiled on albums such as Mean Ol’ Frisco (1962), reminding fans of his influence on rock music. While he eventually returned to recording in 1965, he spent the rest of his life fighting for past unpaid royalties that were due to him. He soldiered on and released two albums on the Delmark label in 1969 – Crudup’s Mood and Look on Yonder’s Wall. Arthur Crudup moved to Virginia to be with his family and worked as a field laborer and made and sold ‘moonshine’ (illegally made alcohol). Although several promoters and activists helped him fight for royalties, they were ultimately unsuccessful. Arthur Crudup – nicknamed the ‘father of rock and roll’ – died on March 28, 1974. Since his death, his career and influence have been reevaluated and his music lives on with the release of numerous compilations issued since his death.