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.
That's Alright Mama
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Miscellaneous
That's All Right (mama)(crudup)
Well that's all right mama,
That's all right for you.
Yeh that's all right mama,
Just anyway you do.
That's all right,
That's all right my mama,
Anyway you do.
Well mama she done told me,
Papa done told me too.
Son that gal you're fooling with,
She ain't no girl for you.
That's all right,
That's all right,
That's all right my mama,
Anyway you do.
I'm leaving town baby,
I'm leaving town for sure,
Then you won't be bothered
With me hanging round your door.
That's all right,
That's all right.
Yeh that's all right my mama,
Anyway you do.
Well that's all right mama,
Yeah that's all right for you.
That's all right mama,
Just anyway you do.
That's all right,
That's all right,
That's all right my mama,
Anyway you do.
Dee dee dee dee dee dee,
Da da dee dee dee,
Da da dee dee dee,
I need your loving.
That's all right.
Well that's all right my mama,
Anyway you do.
Yeh that's all right my mama,
Anyway you do.
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's song "That's Alright Mama" is a classic blues track that has been covered numerous times by many famous artists, including Elvis Presley, who made it his first hit single. The lyrics of the song tell the tale of a man who is leaving town because the woman he's been fooling with is not the right fit for him, as he has been warned by his parents. However, he still expresses his need for her love before he walks away.
The singer is in a complicated situation where he seems to be trying to justify leaving the woman he loves. He acknowledges that it's all right for her to do whatever pleases her, but ultimately he has to move on. He's torn between his love for her and the pressure from his family to leave her.
The repetitive chorus of "That's all right" throughout the song indicates the singer's acceptance of his decision to leave and that he's doing it for his own well-being. The song's upbeat tempo and rhythm accompany the lyrics, creating a bittersweet mood.
Overall, "That's Alright Mama" portrays the universal themes of love and heartbreak while captivating listeners with its bluesy melodies and lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Well that's all right mama,
It's okay with me, Mama
That's all right for you.
If it's okay with you, Mama
Yeh that's all right mama,
It's okay with me, Mama
Just anyway you do.
However you want it, Mama
That's all right,
It's okay
That's all right,
It's okay
That's all right my mama,
I'm okay with you, Mama
Anyway you do.
However you want it
Well mama she done told me,
Mama told me
Papa done told me too.
Daddy told me as well
Son that gal you're fooling with,
Son, that girl you're involved with
She ain't no girl for you.
She's not the right girl for you
I'm leaving town baby,
I'm leaving town, sweetheart
I'm leaving town for sure,
I'm definitely leaving town
Then you won't be bothered
So you won't be disturbed
With me hanging round your door.
With me lingering by your door
Yeh that's all right my mama,
It's okay with me, Mama
Well that's all right mama,
It's okay with me, Mama
That's all right for you.
If it's okay with you, Mama
That's all right mama,
It's okay with me, Mama
Just anyway you do.
However you want it
Dee dee dee dee dee dee,
Instrumental
Da da dee dee dee,
Instrumental
Da da dee dee dee,
Instrumental
I need your loving.
I need your love
That's all right.
It's okay
Well that's all right my mama,
It's okay with me, Mama
Anyway you do.
However you want it
Yeh that's all right my mama,
It's okay with me, Mama
Anyway you do.
However you want it
Writer(s): ARTHUR CRUDUP
Contributed by Lincoln Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@kelliintexas3575
That's between Sun & Arthur. Elvis has stated NUMEROUS TIMES IN INTERVIEWS Marty Robbins version was the only version he had heard on the Grand Old Opry that inspired him to record it. Same with Hound Dog WASN'T inspired by Thorpe.
THIS is NOT the song Elvis heard. This is a MYTH that started in the 1970's after all the race & Civil rights drama. They tried the same crap with Hound Dog and several others. Elvis after recording would go on to purchase Arthur's version & Thortons 'Hound Dog'.. Elvis was JUST LIKE the youth today and listened to the current songs on the Radio. Right before he recorded ' That's all Right' Marty Robbins had recorded it and had it as a top hit in 1954-55. Elvis would go on to re-record current hits for the rest of his life. He did it with ALL HIS FAVORITE ARTISTS up until his death. Neil Diamond, Mac Davis, Kris KRISTOPHERSON, Willie Nelson, Tom Jones, Olivia Newton John, HUNDREDS of top performing artists. Some within weeks of the artists release dates. He always asked first or was requested by the Artists or writer. Dolly has a story about begging Elvis to release hers.
Hound Dog he heard in Las Vegas in 1956 when he was performing in the same casino as Freddie Bell and the Bellboys. Their manager tells the story about how Elvis went to meet them to ask for permission to record and release it. This is why Elvis' version AGAIN sounds NOTHING like Thorps. Elvis would go on to get her record for his collection because he appreciated the original but the lyrics and Arrangement he recorded was Freddie Bells EXACTLY.
I could point you to 90MILLION times people have done this saying he "stole Black music" and he just recorded what he heard ON THE GRAND OLD OPRY, GOSPEL CHURCH & Memphis Blues .
He took a little music from church, a little bit from his neighborhood, and a little bit from his family. The rest is history. HIM AND BAZ NEVER SAY THE CORRECT COMBINATION OF ROCK AND ROLL. IT IS BLUES, GOSPEL AND COUNTRYYYYYYY.
HE LISTENED TO THE GRAND OL' Opry EVERY WEEKEND AND LISTENED TO COUNTRY MUSIC ALL DAY EVERY DAY.
ELVIS SAYS IT A MILLION TIMES IN ALL HIS RECORDED INTERVIEWS. WITHOUT COUNTRY YOU DO NOT HAVE ROCK AND ROLL. THATS WHY HIS SONG WRITERS/ FREINDS ARE MAC DAVIS, DOLLY PARDON, KRIS KRISTOPHERSON, WILLIE NELSON, GLEN CAMBELL, RED FOLEY, CHET ADKINS, ERNEST TUBB, TEX RITTER, MISSISSIPPI SLIM, SLIM, MOTHER MAYBELL, JUNE CARTER & THE CARTER FAMILY/SISTERS, Webb Pierce, Wanda Jackson, Johnny Cash and Charlie Feathers, Hank Snow! LOOK AT HIS RECORD COLLECTION!! HE HAD BLACK GOSPEL & COUNTRY BY THE MILLIONS. ITS WHY HE CHOSE NASHVILLE & RCA.
It was also country music that he saw as his way to fulfilling his dreams. Let’s not forget that in the exact moment before Elvis popularised rock’n’roll, he was singing a country song (Leon Payne’s ‘I Love You Because’), and that the song that he turned to after the seismic shift of ‘That’s All Right’ was Bill Monroe’s classic ‘Blue Moon Of Kentucky’, albeit taken at a breakneck speed.
That move from a sentimental country ballad to hopped-up country blues sprang from Elvis’ life at the time- upwardly mobile and finding freedom in music that he’d never experienced before.
The old life was the fatalistic Saturday night / Sunday morning dichotomy embedded in the country music of the time: you could have a good time, but you would have to pay for it. Elvis at his best said that maybe you didn’t have to do that anymore – as Greil Marcus points out in his masterful book Mystery Train, he took the guilt out of it.
Country music had shaped him and he changed it; it was his home but he left. As he told the first person who ever asked him who he sounded like: “I don’t sound like nobody”.
@kelliintexas3575
THIS is NOT the song Elvis heard that inspired his. Marty Robbins version from 1954-1955 is the version he first heard. This is a MYTH that started in the 1970's after all the race & Civil rights drama. They tried the same crap with Hound Dog and several others. Elvis after recording would go on to purchase Arthur's version & Thortons 'Hound Dog'.. Elvis was JUST LIKE the youth today and listened to the current songs on the Radio. Right before he recorded ' That's all Right' Marty Robbins had recorded it and had it as a top hit in 1954-55. Elvis would go on to re-record current hits for the rest of his life. He did it with ALL HIS FAVORITE ARTISTS up until his death. Neil Diamond, Mac Davis, Kris KRISTOPHERSON, Willie Nelson, Tom Jones, Olivia Newton John, HUNDREDS of top performing artists. Some within weeks of the artists release dates. He always asked first or was requested by the Artists or writer. Dolly has a story about begging Elvis to release hers.
Hound Dog he heard in Las Vegas in 1956 when he was performing in the same casino as Freddie Bell and the Bellboys. Their manager tells the story about how Elvis went to meet them to ask for permission to record and release it. This is why Elvis' version AGAIN sounds NOTHING like Thorps. Elvis would go on to get her record for his collection because he appreciated the original but the lyrics and Arrangement he recorded was Freddie Bells EXACTLY.
I could point you to 90MILLION times people have done this saying he "stole Black music" and he just recorded what he heard ON THE GRAND OLD OPRY, GOSPEL CHURCH & Memphis Blues .
He took a little music from church, a little bit from his neighborhood, and a little bit from his family. The rest is history. HIM AND BAZ NEVER SAY THE CORRECT COMBINATION OF ROCK AND ROLL. IT IS BLUES, GOSPEL AND COUNTRYYYYYYY.
HE LISTENED TO THE GRAND OL' Opry EVERY WEEKEND AND LISTENED TO COUNTRY MUSIC ALL DAY EVERY DAY.
ELVIS SAYS IT A MILLION TIMES IN ALL HIS RECORDED INTERVIEWS. WITHOUT COUNTRY YOU DO NOT HAVE ROCK AND ROLL. THATS WHY HIS SONG WRITERS/ FREINDS ARE MAC DAVIS, DOLLY PARDON, KRIS KRISTOPHERSON, WILLIE NELSON, GLEN CAMBELL, RED FOLEY, CHET ADKINS, ERNEST TUBB, TEX RITTER, MISSISSIPPI SLIM, SLIM, MOTHER MAYBELL, JUNE CARTER & THE CARTER FAMILY/SISTERS, Webb Pierce, Wanda Jackson, Johnny Cash and Charlie Feathers, Hank Snow! LOOK AT HIS RECORD COLLECTION!! HE HAD BLACK GOSPEL & COUNTRY BY THE MILLIONS. ITS WHY HE CHOSE NASHVILLE & RCA.
It was also country music that he saw as his way to fulfilling his dreams. Let’s not forget that in the exact moment before Elvis popularised rock’n’roll, he was singing a country song (Leon Payne’s ‘I Love You Because’), and that the song that he turned to after the seismic shift of ‘That’s All Right’ was Bill Monroe’s classic ‘Blue Moon Of Kentucky’, albeit taken at a breakneck speed.
That move from a sentimental country ballad to hopped-up country blues sprang from Elvis’ life at the time- upwardly mobile and finding freedom in music that he’d never experienced before.
The old life was the fatalistic Saturday night / Sunday morning dichotomy embedded in the country music of the time: you could have a good time, but you would have to pay for it. Elvis at his best said that maybe you didn’t have to do that anymore – as Greil Marcus points out in his masterful book Mystery Train, he took the guilt out of it.
Country music had shaped him and he changed it; it was his home but he left. As he told the first person who ever asked him who he sounded like: “I don’t sound like nobody”.
@williamjackson6705
No wonder Elvis fell in love with this tune. Recorded in 1946 but still sounds fresh & energetic. You can hear the roots of Rock in this.
@cockrellm1969
This is blues not rock
@williamjackson6705
@Cockrell M Rock is rooted in the Blues. Which is why Rock guitarists study the Blues masters that came before them. I never said they were the same.
@olivetyeet7110
@William Jackson u got him, hes quiet.
@steverichardson8080
@Cockrell M Rock comes from blues. This song was waaay ahead of its time, an obvious precursor of what was to come.
@AQuinn0630
@Cockrell M Rock music is derived from blues
@77JMW
Someone needs to do a movie on all these blues founding fathers. Their place in history is often lost or ignored. Incredible music.
@bgaineshunter
Can you really tell the difference between that song and rock and roll?
@FrustratedBaboon
@@bgaineshunter This is better than rock. These are original sole blues music doesn't matter what you call it. The minor pentatonic scale at its best.
@impacc4182
@@FrustratedBaboonthank you