Born in Forest, Mississippi and living and working in throughout the South and Midwest as a migrant worker for a time, he and his family returned to Mississippi in 1926. He sang gospel, then began his career as a blues singer around Clarksdale, Mississippi. He visited Chicago as member of the Harmonizing Four in 1939 and stayed there to work as a solo musician, but barely made a living as a street singer. Record producer Lester Melrose allegedly found him while he was living in a packing crate, introduced him to Tampa Red and signed him to a contract with RCA Victor's Bluebird label.
He recorded with RCA in the late 1940s and with Ace Records, Checker Records and Trumpet Records in the early 1950s and toured throughout the country, specifically Black establishments in the South, with Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James. He also recorded under the names Elmer James and Percy Lee Crudup.
Crudup stopped recording in the 1950s, however, after further battles over royalties. He returned to recording with Fire Records and Delmark Records and touring in the 1960s, sometimes labeled "The Father of Rock and Roll", a title which he accepted with some bemusement. Throughout this time Crudup worked as a laborer to augment the small wages he received as a singer and non-existent royalties. Crudup returned to Mississippi after a dispute with Melrose over royalties, then went into bootlegging, and later moved to Virginia where he had lived and worked as a musician and laborer. In the early 1970's, two local Virginia activists, Celia Santiago and Margaret Carter, both assisted him in attempting to gain Royalties he felt he were due, to little gain.
From the mid 60's Crudup returned to bootlegging and working as an agricultural laborer, chiefly in Virginia, where he lived with his family including three sons and several of his own siblings. On the Eastern Shore of Virginia, while he lived in relative poverty as a field laborer, he occasionally sang and supplied moonshine to a number of drinking establishments, including one called the Dew Drop Inn, in Accomack County for some time prior to his eventual death, due to complications from heart disease and diabetes. (There was some confusion as to his actual date of death because of his use of several names, including those of his siblings.) He passed away in the Nassawadox hospital in Northampton County, Virginia, also on the Eastern Shore in 1976.
Death Valley Blues
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Among the tombstones and dry bones
That's where poor me will be
Lord when I'm dead and gone
Now if I should die
I should die before my time
I want you to bury my body
Down by that Frisco line
Low down in the sand
Now bury me mama
Where I won't bother your next old man
Oh bye bye baby
I said goodbye
Death Valley is my home
Mama I want to die
Tell all the women
Please come dressed in red
They going down Sixty‑One Highway
That's where the poor boy he fell dead
Wear your patent leather slippers
Mama put out your morning gown
You going to follow poor Crudup
Down to his burying ground
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's song "Death Valley Blues" is a haunting and sad portrayal of a man who knows that his life is coming to an end. The lyrics describe the desolate and harsh landscape of Death Valley, where the singer has come to accept that he will eventually end up among the tombstones and dry bones, left to be forgotten by the world. The tone of the song is contemplative and resigned, with the singer expressing a desire to be buried by the Frisco line and to not bother anyone after his death.
The song is also marked by a sense of resignation and acceptance of one's place in life. The singer seems to have come to terms with his death and is almost relieved that he will no longer have to struggle through the difficulties of life. The lyrics are also deeply personal, with the singer asking his mother to bury him low down in the sand and to allow him to go peacefully into the afterlife.
In addition to its haunting and introspective lyrics, "Death Valley Blues" is notable for its use of blues and rockabilly musical styles. The song features a slow, lilting melody that is punctuated by powerful guitar riffs and percussion beats. This combination of musical elements gives the song a unique and memorable sound that is both soulful and powerful.
Overall, "Death Valley Blues" is a moving and powerful song that speaks to the human experience of facing one's own mortality. Through its haunting lyrics and emotional musical style, the song provides a glimpse into the complex emotions that can arise when we contemplate our own mortality.
Line by Line Meaning
I went down in Death Valley
I traveled to Death Valley
Among the tombstones and dry bones
In the midst of graves and remains
That's where poor me will be
That's where I'll end up when I die
Lord when I'm dead and gone
When I die
Now if I should die
Assuming I die
I should die before my time
If I die prematurely
I want you to bury my body
I request for my body to be buried
Down by that Frisco line
Next to the Frisco train tracks
Now bury me mama
Please bury me
Low down in the sand
Deep in the sand
Where I won't bother your next old man
So I won't disturb your next partner
Oh bye bye baby
Goodbye
I said goodbye
Farewell
Death Valley is my home
Death Valley is where I belong
Mama I want to die
I desire to die
Tell all the women
Inform all the ladies
Please come dressed in red
Wear red attire
They going down Sixty‑One Highway
They'll travel along Highway 61
That's where the poor boy he fell dead
Where the unfortunate guy passed away
Wear your patent leather slippers
Put on your shiny dress shoes
Mama put out your morning gown
Put on a fancy dress
You going to follow poor Crudup
You'll accompany me, Crudup, in death
Down to his burying ground
To the place where I'll be buried
Contributed by Amelia C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
manoel teixeira
Um dos pioneiros do verdadeiro Blues, inimitável. maneco - Brasil.
steinsteel
Every old blues singer i met from the old days talk very highly of Crudup. One of the Greatest and Important.
Nelson Michel
uno de los màs grandes
maestros del blues.
gracias a él,
elvis presley se hizo
famoso y conocido
al usar su cancion!!!
Felix Reis
Demais essa tonalidade,.raro nos dias de hoje.
a century of black music
another gem
Pongu Fogu
Thank you uploader, a serious and sincere sign of gratitude we all owe to you man.
SimonThe1st
So did all the women turn up wearing red ? Makes you wonder. This genius was as the last poster said : "Important". And one of the greatest. Very under-rated.
JamaicanTeeth
Thanks for uploading :)
mick james
it's a shame he didn't make the money he deserved. great blues writer & performer.
Angel Dust
Today's plastic culture makes people think that some stuff are more underrated than they should be. But in reality these blues guys didn't care if their songs would become hits and they didn't do it for the money. They did it because they just wanted to do it.