Customer Reviews

That's All Right Mama

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No "leavening sense of swing"? The only thing "preening" around these parts is Frank John Hadley's prose. But don't you keep your head where his is at. Instead take a listen to this crucial moment when the blues morph into somethin' rockin' in the hands of a guy just sittin' around strummin' his guitar with its amp cranked way past what its manufacturer intended while his buddy slaps his drums with a shufflin' beat that defies your toes to start tappin' and done caused one skinny white boy to start his pelvis to twitchin' so that none of us were ever the same again.

Listen, first, to "Shout, Sister, Shout." (Or maybe that should have been "Swing, Sister, Swing.") And think about how accelerated cultural evolution was becoming with the "information technology" of records and juke boxes. Why, in these very same years, Count Basie's sides were extending jazz's New Orleans/Chicago/New York journey to Kansas City where it got back a dose of the heartland and started boppin'. And while part of that was becoming the Bird/Dizzy/Miles/Trane lineage, other parts were becoming Louis Jordan ("Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens")...and Johnny Otis ("Willie and the Hand Jive")...and Winonie Harris ("Lovin' Machine")...why, even Nat Cole ("Route 66"). All of these stalwarts were consummate performers.

Not so Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup. Just a guy playin' for himself. But so kinetic. So much channeling through nervy rhythm of what cannot be said through words that don't exist. You can just imagine how intoxicating this music must have been to teens, whether through jukeboxes or heard in the dark late at night over some 50,000 watt AM station booming out from big cities to small towns (Elvis) or indeed broadcast (in the Elvis rendition) from some ship off the eastern coast of England (John, Paul, George and Ringo).

So, check it out. Never mind the sniffing half-praise of Mr. Hadley. Your hips will be glad you did.

Worth buying if it was just "So Glad You're Mine" 22 times. As it is, the other 21 cuts are the icing on this cake, including the remarkable "I'm Gonna Dig Myself A Hole," the original version of the famous "That's All Right, Mama," and the first popular recording of the standard "Mean Old Frisco." Although occasionally briefly profound, as in "Cool Disposition," Crudup's music is mainly rockin' fun with a beat that will make you bounce and bop, as it did for the people who made these records juke box hits in their day. The tone of his groundbreaking electric guitar achieves what for many is the ideal blues sound, especially effective when accompanied by just drums. Although not considered essential in blues history terms, Arthur Crudup could easily become any blues fan's favorite singer.

Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup is probably best known today as the writer and original singer of Elvis Presley's first record, "That's All Right". But during his heyday, Crudup was a fairly popular blues singer in his own right. He rarely performed live, because he suffered from stage fright, but he did make a lot of records that sold pretty well. He played the country blues in a hard-driving style that was quite appealing. Most of his best known songs are included here. I would recommend this CD to all fans of old time blues.

Indeed, forget Hadley's sniveling condescension. Ripped off mightily by life and the music industry suits who stole almost every blues artist's work, dignity and money, Arthur Crudup came to my attention 45 years ago on John Hammond's first Vanguard Album. Jeep reminded me of its full lyrics a few weeks ago, and I went to seek Big Boy's original.

Those who understand and "get" the blues would do well to listen, and learn. We are the inheritors of an irreplaceable piece of cultural heritage. Support the new generation of young blues artist who are working today to keep this music alive.

If there is a better anti-war song than Give me a 32-20, let me know. It still raises the hairs on the back of my neck.

Give Me a 32-20
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup

I've got my questionaire-ee, and they needs me in the war
I've got my questionaire-ee, and they needs me in the war
Now if I be a murderer
Don't have to break the county law

All I want is a 32-20 made on a 45 frame
I want a 32-20 made on a 45 frame
Yes and a red white and blue flag
Wave that in my right hand

Then you can tell my baby Oh, lord I say wait for me
Then you can tell my baby Oh, lord I say wait for me
Tell her I meet her one morning
Down by that old red sea

Now if I go down with a red white and blue flag in my hand
Now if I go down with a red white and blue flag in my hand
Then you can bet your life
Ol' Cru sent up many a man

Hmmmm... Hero is all I crave
Hmmmm... Hero is all I crave
Now when I'm dead and gone
Cry Hero on my grave

If this is Hadley's style and vibes, how he got a "Keeping The Blues Alive" award is yet another SAD indication of how talking heads (or would that be "writing heads") with salaried privileged mainstream product review forums then actually push aside reality for their own sake and then get praised by others who were not there but just wish-they-were types for some odd and simplistic unfeeling take on things, all for business as usual... jeez.

How is Hadley's arbitrary and subjective review keeping blues alive? It should not be so hard-wired associated with the CD for truth's sake much less if they wish sales of it.

Frankly, you have to have some sense of soul (your own) to really best hear what Arthur Crudup is saying in some of his songs. Good thing Elvis did, it saved his ass that day he went to Sun Studios and made his career. His first three songs were Crudup covers.

I used to play drums with Arthur when he was out west, and though I'm perhaps best known for my very special connection to legendary blues giant Howlin' Wolf and those iconic (and much-infringed) portraits we made (the infringed aspect to be dealt with soon, to be sure, on a broad front) I also knew Arthur Crudup and even if I had not met and worked with him at times, believe Arthur Crudup (that's Crew'-duhp, NOT crud-up)who altered shuffle beat to 2/4 first and most) was indeed the father of Rock and Roll (form) and was as good as new in his late 60's when I knew him, and corresponded with him.

I'm am saddened and pissed that not only is he often NOT credited for classic BLUES songs he wrote that one can hear on blues radio venues, but also for various covers of his Rock & Roll songs or some heavily influenced by his work. Artists should be credited, not lost in non-validating avoidance. Gee, am I also talking about myself? Hmmmmm another matter for another place.

To add insult to injury, he's not inducted into the Rock Hall in the Influences Section even though some he influenced are inductees. How wrong is that?

The guy was/is good! cool, sweet, and I never saw or heard him "preen" once. He was a solid performer, into his art, creative and irreplaceable. I regret my little B of A AV Dept borrowed mini tape recorder messed up that night I recorded (or thought I was) the two sets we did, just he and I on drums. He had a (relatively) softer sound in that small club (OLD Freight and Salvage, Berkeley) which was the appropriate level for his material for that venue. I used brushes sometimes, as drums only + melody instrument is an art in itself. Would it be "preening" to play some songs tastefully and musically on percussion with brushes? Even proto-rockers? I don't think my drum teacher Joe Morello would say so.

Arthur Crudup's nephew Little Jr. Crudup is now doing blues, a more Chicago style sound, but I plan to let him do one I had written for Arthur that I didn't get it to him in those rather turbulent times. Let'see where that goes :)

I took some portraits of him, but only a handful, which eventually I will post to my site. You can see them at Getty Images if you're in a rush or contact me.

This may sound more like a rant than a review. But, if so, it's an anti-negative review review-related review. to hopefully counter or balance out the somewhat toxic opinion attached to the CD.s main page.