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Complete Recorded 1

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When the fusion between traditional country and blues, labelled "rockabilly", erupted in the mid-Fifties, most proponents - including Elvis and Carl Perkins - could name Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup as being among their primary influences.

Born on August 24, 1905 in Forest, Mississipp, he was among a small number of blues musicians to get a recording contract with a major label, in his case Bluebird, and in 1945 he put out a double-sided hit. Rock Me Mamma b/w Who's Been Foolin' You. The A-side peaked at # 3 on what was then known as the Most-Played Juke Box Race Records charts (later the R&B charts), while the flipside topped out at # 5.

Before the year was out he had Keep Your Arms Around Me b/w Cool Disposition climbing the charts, with the A-side reaching # 3 early in 1946 b/w Cool Disposition. Later that year he scored again, this time on the RCA Victor label, with another twin hit as So Glad You're Mine reached # 3 and Ethel Mae settled in one knotch lower. The A-side would later be recorded by Elvis in 1956 (two years after he recorded another Crudup single, That's All Right (Mama), which itself failed to chart for Big Boy).

All of the foregoing are in this, the first of four volumes, which were billed to Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup. The one missing hit here, 1951's I'm Gonna Dig Myself A Hole which, b/w Too Much Competition, reached # 9 on what had become, by then, the Most-Played Juke Box Rhythm And Blues Records charts, can be found on Volume 3. It was billed to Arthur Crudup.

In this wonderful 4-volume set of all his recorded works the selections are all re-mastered originals, something which cannot be said of some other Crudup albums since, having been "re-discovered" in the Sixties, he put out several albums where he re-did most of his early hits.

Arthur passed away on March 28, 1974 following a stroke. Obviously an important influence on some of the greatest R&R stars to emerge in the Fifties, this and other Crudup volumes would be welcome additions to any musical library. Inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame in 1994, why he has never been honoured by the Early Influence portion of the R&R Hall Of Fame is beyond me.