Arthur ''Big Boy Crudup'' • Rock Me Mama

 

Biography
by Bill Dahl
Arthur Crudup may well have been Elvis Presley's favorite bluesman. The swivel-hipped rock god recorded no less than three of "Big Boy's" Victor classics during his seminal rockabilly heyday: "That's All Right Mama" (Elvis' Sun debut in 1954), "So Glad You're Mine," and "My Baby Left Me." Often lost in all the hubbub surrounding Presley's classic covers are Crudup's own contributions to the blues lexicon. He didn't sound much like anyone else, and that makes him an innovator, albeit a rather rudimentary guitarist (he didn't even pick up the instrument until he was 30 years old).

Around 1940, Crudup migrated to Chicago from Mississippi. Times were tough at first; he was playing for spare change on the streets and living in a packing crate underneath an elevated train track when powerful RCA/Bluebird producer Lester Melrose dropped a few coins in Crudup's hat. Melrose hired Crudup to play a party that 1941 night at Tampa Red's house attended by the cream of Melrose's stable: Big Bill Broonzy, Lonnie Johnson, Lil Green. A decidedly tough crowd to impress -- but Crudup overcame his nervousness with flying colors. By September of 1941, he was himself an RCA artist.

Crudup pierced the uppermost reaches of the R&B lists during the mid-'40s with "Rock Me Mama," "Who's Been Foolin' You," "Keep Your Arms Around Me," "So Glad You're Mine," and "Ethel Mae." He cut the original "That's All Right" in 1946 backed by his usual rhythm section of bassist Ransom Knowling and drummer Judge Riley, but it wasn't a national hit at the time. Crudup remained a loyal and prolific employee of Victor until 1954, when a lack of tangible rewards for his efforts soured Crudup on Nipper (he had already cut singles in 1952 for Trumpet disguised as Elmer James and for Checker as Percy Lee Crudup).

In 1961, Crudup surfaced after a long layoff with an album for Bobby Robinson's Harlem-based Fire logo dominated by remakes of his Bluebird hits. Another lengthy hiatus preceded Delmark boss Bob Koester's following the tip of Big Joe Williams to track down the elusive legend (Crudup had drifted into contract farm labor work in the interim). Happily, the guitarist's sound hadn't been dimmed by Father Time: his late-'60s work for Delmark rang true as he was reunited with Knowling (Willie Dixon also handled bass duties on some of his sides). Finally, Crudup began to make some decent money, playing various blues and folk festivals for appreciative crowds for a few years prior to his 1974 death.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/arthur-big-boy-crudup-mn0000603680/biography

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Biografía
por Bill Dahl
Arthur Crudup podría haber sido el bluesman favorito de Elvis Presley. El dios del rock con caderas giratorias grabó nada menos que tres de los clásicos de Victor de "Big Boy" durante su apogeo seminal del rockabilly: "That's All Right Mama" (el debut de Elvis en Sun en 1954), "So Glad You're Mine" y "My Baby Left Me". A menudo se pierden en todo el alboroto que rodea a las versiones clásicas de Presley las propias contribuciones de Crudup al léxico del blues. No sonaba como los demás, y eso le convierte en un innovador, aunque fuera un guitarrista bastante rudimentario (no cogió el instrumento hasta los 30 años).

Hacia 1940, Crudup emigró a Chicago desde Mississippi. Los tiempos eran duros al principio; tocaba por monedas en las calles y vivía en un cajón de embalaje debajo de una vía de tren elevada cuando el poderoso productor de RCA/Bluebird Lester Melrose dejó caer unas cuantas monedas en el sombrero de Crudup. Melrose contrató a Crudup para que tocara en una fiesta esa noche de 1941 en la casa de Tampa Red a la que asistió la flor y nata del establo de Melrose: Big Bill Broonzy, Lonnie Johnson, Lil Green. Un público muy difícil de impresionar, pero Crudup superó su nerviosismo con éxito. En septiembre de 1941, ya era un artista de la RCA.

Crudup llegó a lo más alto de las listas de R&B a mediados de los años 40 con "Rock Me Mama", "Who's Been Foolin' You", "Keep Your Arms Around Me", "So Glad You're Mine" y "Ethel Mae". Grabó el original "That's All Right" en 1946, respaldado por su sección rítmica habitual, el bajista Ransom Knowling y el batería Judge Riley, pero no fue un éxito nacional en aquel momento. Crudup siguió siendo un empleado leal y prolífico de Victor hasta 1954, cuando la falta de recompensas tangibles por sus esfuerzos hizo que Crudup se desvinculara de Nipper (ya había grabado singles en 1952 para Trumpet disfrazado de Elmer James y para Checker como Percy Lee Crudup).

En 1961, Crudup salió a la superficie tras un largo parón con un álbum para el sello Fire de Bobby Robinson, con sede en Harlem, dominado por versiones de sus éxitos de Bluebird. Otro largo paréntesis precedió a que el jefe de Delmark, Bob Koester, siguiera el consejo de Big Joe Williams para localizar a la escurridiza leyenda (Crudup se había desviado hacia el trabajo agrícola contratado en el ínterin). Afortunadamente, el sonido del guitarrista no se había visto mermado por el paso del tiempo: su trabajo de finales de los 60 para Delmark se mantuvo vigente cuando se reunió con Knowling (Willie Dixon también se encargó del bajo en algunos de sus temas). Finalmente, Crudup comenzó a ganar algo de dinero, tocando en varios festivales de blues y folk para multitudes apreciativas durante algunos años antes de su muerte en 1974.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/arthur-big-boy-crudup-mn0000603680/biography

Tracklist
1 - Black Pony Blues - 3:22
2 - Death Valley Blues - 3:14
3 - Kind Lover Blues - 3:06
4 - If I Get Lucky - 3:04
5 - Give Me A 32-20 - 2:52
6 - Mean Old Frisco Blues - 2:36
7 - Raised To My Hand - 3:07
8 - Cool Disposition - 3:08
9 - Who's Been Fooling You - 3:16
10 - Rock Me Mama - 2:57
11 - That's Your Red Wagon - 3:12
12 - So Glad You're Mine - 2:46
13 - Boy Friend Blues - 2:59
14 - Crudup's After Hours - 2:55
15 - I Don't Know It - 2:48
16 - Chicago Blues - 3:12


Credits:
    Bass – Joe McCoy (tracks: 1 to 4), Ransom Knowling (tracks: 5 to 7, 14 to 16)
    Drums – Jamp Jackson* (tracks: 12, 13), Charles Saunders* (tracks: 11), Judge Riley* (tracks: 14 to 16), Melvin Draper (tracks: 8 to 10)
    Vocals, Electric Guitar – Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup (tracks: 5 to 16)
    Vocals, Guitar – Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup (tracks: 1 to 4)
    Written-By – Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup

Notes:
Recorded 1941-1946
#1-4 Chicago, September 11, 1941
#5-7 Chicago, April 15, 1942
#8-10 Chicago, December 15, 1944
#11 Chicago, October 22, 1945
#12,13 Chicago, February 22, 1946
#14-16 September 6, 1946

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