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 establshments in the South, with Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James (around 1948)[1]. He also recorded under the names Elmer James and Percy Lee Crudup.
Crudup stopped recording in the 1950s, however, after further battles over royalties. His last Chicago session was in 1951, his 1952-54 recording sessions for Victor were held at radio station WGST in Atlanta[1]. 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.
So Glad You're Mine
Arthur Big Boy Crudup Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's like a cannonball.
Say, everytime she loves me,
Lordly, you can hear me squall.
She cried, Ooo-wee.
I believe I'll change my mind.
She said, "I'm so glad I'm living".
I cried, "I'm so glad you're mine".
My baby knows just how
To treat me right.
Gives me plenty loving
Morning, noon, and night.
She cried, Ooo-wee.
I believe I'll change my mind.
She said, "I'm so glad I'm living".
I cried, "I'm so glad you're mine".
When my baby does what she does to me,
I climb the highest mountain,
Dive in the deepest sea.
She cried, Ooo-wee.
I believe I'll change my mind.
She said, "I'm so glad I'm living".
I cried, "I'm so glad you're mine".
My baby's lips are red
And sweet like wine,
And when she kisses me,
I get high every time.
She cried, Oo-wee.
I believe I'll change my mind.
She said, "I'm so glad I'm living".
I cried, "I'm so glad you're mine".
The lyrics of Arthur Big Boy Crudup's song "So Glad You're Mine" are about his intense love for his tall and beautiful woman. He compares her to a cannonball, indicating her strength and impact on his life. The singer expresses how every time she loves him, he can't help but cry out in happiness. The woman feels the same way and seems grateful for the life she is living because of their love.
The singer emphasizes that his woman knows how to treat him right and gives him love abundantly throughout the day. He describes how her love takes him to a higher level, enabling him to overcome any obstacle in his life. The woman's lips are compared to sweet red wine, and when he kisses her, it sends him to a state of ecstasy every time. The lyrics paint a picture of a passionate and loving relationship where both parties are impressed and happy with one another.
Line by Line Meaning
My baby's long and tall,
She's like a cannonball.
My partner is physically attractive and energetic.
Say, everytime she loves me,
Lordly, you can hear me squall.
When my partner expresses love for me, I am overcome with joy and happiness.
She cried, Ooo-wee.
I believe I'll change my mind.
She said, "I'm so glad I'm living".
I cried, "I'm so glad you're mine".
Both my partner and I are grateful to be alive and have each other in our lives.
My baby knows just how
To treat me right.
Gives me plenty loving
Morning, noon, and night.
My partner treats me well and shows me affection throughout the day and night.
When my baby does what she does to me,
I climb the highest mountain,
Dive in the deepest sea.
My partner's actions towards me make me feel like I can conquer anything, even the greatest heights and depths.
My baby's lips are red
And sweet like wine,
And when she kisses me,
I get high every time.
My partner's kisses are intoxicating and make me feel euphoric.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: SIDNEY BARNES, JEROME LOUIS JACKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Scouser on the Wirral
Written By Arthur Crudup, and recorded on 22 February 1946.
Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup was a huge influence on Elvis Presley who was 11 when Arthur released this song and who was a huge admirer and recorded “So Glad You’re Mine” on 30 January 1956 and was released as an album track on his second LP “Elvis” Released in 19 October 1956. It wasn’t released as a single.
Raoni Drummond
Thanks from Brazil!!!