Arthur Alexander

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Arthur Alexander, Jr. (born May 10, 1940 in Florence , Alabama , † June 9, 1993 in Nashville , Tennessee ) was an American soul singer , songwriter and pioneer of Southern soul . He is the only artist whose compositions were immortalized during his lifetime on studio albums by the Beatles , Rolling Stones , Otis Redding and Bob Dylan . His title Anna (Go to Him) is the first cover version on a Beatles album.

Career

Childhood & adolescence

Arthur Alexander Junior was born in 1940 to the construction worker and casual guitarist Arthur Alexander Senior. In order to distinguish father and son in the form of address, family and friends called the junior June for short . June was home to Alabama, one of the racist southern states . The kid grew up listening to blues and country music on the radio. His mother, Fannie Scott Springer, died when June was three years old. When June was five or six years old, his father gave up the blues guitar and finally gave up his unsuccessful musical existence. The senior hadn't made any money with music and therefore didn't want his son to embark on a music career as well. Nonetheless, at the age of 13, Arthur Alexander joined a local gospel group called The Heartstrings . With them he gained his first performance experience, especially in church. The group was a pure vocal formation and had no instruments. The Heartstrings even appeared at times on a local television show on Saturdays.

SPAR & FAME (1960–1962)

Tom Stafford ran a recording studio above his parents' drugstore: Stafford Publishing and Recording (short: SPAR Music). Stafford produced Arthur Alexander's debut single, then still under his stage name "June Alexander". The A-side contained the song Sally Sue Brown , the B-side the title The Girl That Radiates That Charm . The single was released on Judd Records , the short-lived label of Jud Phillips (brother of music pioneer and Elvis explorer Sam Phillips ). The big success did not materialize, but the title developed into a local hit.

When Tom Stafford fell out with his partner Rick Hall , Hall founded his own studio, Florence Alabama Music Enterprises - FAME Studios for short . As a first record, Rick Hall produced a composition for FAME by and with Arthur Alexander. It was his second single, You Better Move On . The type of production and instrumentation of the song was deliberately based on the soul hit Stand by Me by Ben E. King . In addition to David Briggs on piano, Norbert Putnam on bass and Jerry Carrigan on drums, the two guitarists Earl “Peanut” Montgomery and Terry Thompson, who also contributed the B-side with his composition Get a Shot of Rhythm and Blues , were involved in the recording .

After several attempts, both songs were recorded live in the studio, with Arthur Alexander as the singer and the guitarist Peanut Montgomery having to share a Telefunken microphone. You Better Move On became the first commercial hit of the burgeoning Muscle Shoals music scene, advancing to # 22 on the national charts. The single was successively covered by Doris Day , The Hollies and The Rolling Stones , who placed You Better Move On on their self-titled debut EP (UK 1964). However, this version was only available in the USA in 1965 with the album December's Children (And Everybody's) .

On March 14, 1962, Arthur Alexander was allowed to present his hit to an audience of millions on the national program American Bandstand .

Dot Records (1962-1965)

You Better Move On could be sold to Dot Records , based in Nashville , the "capital of country music", thus bringing the newly founded FAME Studios the necessary start-up capital. You Better Move On became the title of Arthur Alexander's debut album, which was released on Dot Records. For legal reasons, the title song for the album was re-recorded and topped up with already established third-party compositions in order to turn the long-playing record into a guaranteed 'hit album '. Noel Ball from Dot Records did not trust his artist's songwriting skills, and through his selection of songs he pushed Alexander from black soul to white country music . In addition to two original compositions, the LP contained the cover versions Funny How Time Slips Away by Willie Nelson , Love Me Warm and Tender by Paul Anka , The Wanderer by Ernie Maresca , Hey! Baby from Bruce Channel and the Connie Francis hit Don't Break the Heart That Loves You . Alexander's own composition Anna (Go To Him) , in which Kenny Buttrey played drums, attracted more attention . Anna (Go To Him) was taken over by the Beatles and used on their debut LP Please Please Me . Every Day I Have To Cry , another recording with Kenny Buttrey on drums, remained unpublished, but shortly afterwards developed into Alexander's mostly covered composition. Artists like Steve Alaimo , Dusty Springfield , The Bee Gees and Ike & Tina Turner reinterpreted them.

Arthur Alexander soon joined the Nashville club scene. After working in the studio, he went to the multiracial club The Club Baron , or he went to the New Era for a drink . There was a special encounter in 1963 at the New Era Club . Arthur was accompanied on stage by bassist Billy Cox , who performed there with a "loud" guitarist named Jimmy Marbles, a friend from army days. The "loud guitarist" even took the title You Better Move On into his Nashville repertoire before he left town and made a career in London as Jimi Hendrix .

In addition, Arthur Alexander became friends with Otis Redding during his 1962 tour , who even recorded Alexander's composition Johnny Heartbreak in November 1967 and made it famous. Claims that they wrote the song together were always denied by Arthur Alexander, pointing out that it was already finished when he sang it to Otis Redding. Otis had only the possessive "s" added and Johnny Heartbreak to Johnny's Heartbreak made. Alexander was dissatisfied with Redding's version and described it as a failure.

The mono EP Alexander The Great was produced especially for the British and European markets. It contains the four tracks You Better Move On , Where Have You Been? , Anna (Go To Him) and Go Home Girl .

Monument Records (1965-1969)

Arthur Alexander recorded eight singles for Dot Records (produced by radio DJ Noel Ball) before moving to Monument Records in November 1965 . Fred Foster's record company had grown up with Roy Orbison's successes, but had to reorient itself after his departure. Alexander's singles for Monument were again very country-heavy and flopped throughout, but some potent recordings remained unreleased until 2001, for example Stay By Me , Me and Mine and You Don't Love Me (You Don't Care) . However, there was no recording of a long-playing record.

The seventies

It wasn't until 1972 that after ten years Alexander was finally able to record a full album for Warner Brothers , which he named after himself. Despite the popularity with fellow musicians, it was not successful with the audience. Others had chart successes with his titles, and others made the money. Alexander had given the rights to his titles to others in dubious contracts. The descent was slow but steady. Elvis Presley covered the song Burning Love in 1972 shortly after Arthur Alexander first recorded the song . Alexander's original version flopped and the King had his last top 10 hit in the USA. In 1976, Alexander was placed in the American R&B charts for the first time since 1962: Sharing the Night Together , three years later a top 10 hit for Dr. Hook , made it to number 92. When Elvis died in the summer of 1977, Arthur Alexander retired from the music business and moved from Alabama to Cleveland , Ohio. There he began his new life as a bus driver and caretaker in a communal facility. He was also involved with the born again Christians .

Comeback and death

In the summer of 1988, Bob Dylan covered June's debut single Sally Sue Brown and turned the R&B number into a rocking blues. In July 1990, Alexander was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame . As a result, new interest in his songs arose. After a break of more than 20 years, the comeback album Lonely Just Like Me was released in 1993 , recorded with musical companions Dan Penn , Donnie Fritts and Spooner Oldham of yore. On June 6, 1993 Arthur Alexander performed a highly acclaimed performance in Nashville at the Summer Lights Music Festival . Just a few minutes after signing the contracts that were supposed to secure his rights to his earlier compositions, Arthur Alexander suffered a heart attack. He died of heart failure in the hospital three days later.

Musical performance

Arthur Alexander was a pioneer of country soul, a variety of southern soul with country elements. He was way ahead of his time, because he combined two genuinely American styles of music that were played separately on black and white radio stations. Thus he addressed a mixed audience. The team with whom he recorded his records also consisted of white musicians, at a time when black and white lived in separate worlds in Alabama and the other southern states. Blacks had to sit in the back of the bus, use separate washrooms and live in separate neighborhoods. White musicians who translated his sung or hummed melodies into backing music (Arthur Alexander couldn't read sheet music) included Donnie Fritts, Dan Penn, and Spooner Oldham.

Especially across the Atlantic, a young, white audience felt drawn to Arthur Alexander's catchy music. Thanks to the sailors, the kids in the port city of Liverpool heard the latest records from the USA earlier than the youth in the rest of Europe. When Arthur Alexander released his debut album You Better Move On in 1962 , he quickly gained important fans with the Beatles and Gerry & the Pacemakers . The Beatles adopted the songs Soldier of Love and A Shot of Rhythm and Blues in their live repertoire. The title Anna (Go To Him) even made it onto the debut album Please Please Me - in a prominent third place and as the first foreign composition on a Beatles album. Gerry and the Pacemakers even included three of his songs on their debut album.

"We were very lucky coming from Liverpool because it was a port and it seemed that half of Liverpool was in the Merchant Navy and all these records were coming from America, so you could find out about Arthur Alexander and people like that."

“There were many advantages to being from Liverpool because it was a port city. Half of Liverpool seemed to be working in the Merchant Navy, and that's how all these records came here from America. That's how we discovered Arthur Alexander and things like that. "

- Ringo Starr , Rory Storm & the Hurricanes

Graham Nash claims to have given John Lennon the text of Anna the day before the recording, as he knew it by heart. Both bands, The Hollies and The Beatles, met after independent appearances in Manchester in a pub. Lennon is said to have been in a bad mood: “I want to record Anna , this song by Arthur Alexander. But I can't remember the damned lyrics. ”Graham Nash cheered him up by writing the lyrics for him on a piece of paper.

The Hollies and shortly afterwards the Rolling Stones took over You Better Move On for their own singles in 1964, making the title Arthur Alexander's most famous hit. His composition Every Day I Have To Cry (Some) was even covered by Dusty Springfield, the Bee Gees and Ike & Tina Turner (produced by Phil Spector ) before Arthur Alexander recorded the title himself and released it as a single in 1975.

Honors

Since 1985 he has received the Arthur Alexander Songwriter's Award in honor of successful songwriters from Alabama. Country producer Billy Sherrill ( Stand by Your Man ) won the first prize . It was followed by the musicians Dan Penn , Spooner Oldham , Earl "Peanut" Montgomery , Beth Nielsen Chapman and Gary Baker . From his home state, Arthur Alexander was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

Popular culture

In the American early evening series A Terribly Nice Family , a song from Alexander's pen becomes a running gag for an entire episode. In Oldies But Young 'Us - It's On My Tongue (Season 5, Episode 17, 1991) Al Bundy listens to a song from his youth on the car radio on the way home. Afterwards he tries desperately to remember the title, but only ever comes up with the fragment "Hmm hmm HIMMM". Bundy annoys his family, the neighbor couple, Kelly's new boyfriend and his father. When the song is on the radio again, he pricks up his ears, but the presenter does not mention the title. In a record store he finally hears his song accidentally echoing from a historical jukebox. The oldie is Anna (Go to Him) , in the original version by Arthur Alexander.

Colleagues about Arthur Alexander

We were trying to get that bass sound Arthur Alexander was getting in Muscle Shoals, we love his records.

“We tried to get that bass heavy sound, like Arthur Alexander in Muscle Shoals; we love his records. "

- John Lennon , The Beatles

If the Beatles ever wanted a sound it was R&B. That's what we used to listen to, what we used to like, and what we wanted to be like. Black, that was basically it. Arthur Alexander.

“The Beatles always wanted to sound like rhythm and blues. That was what we heard, what we liked and how we wanted to be. We wanted to sound "black", like Arthur Alexander. "

- Paul McCartney , The Beatles

“Anna by Arthur Alexander was on the album ( Please Please Me ), too. I remember having several records by him, and John sang three or four of his songs. Soldier of Love was one; it appears on the BBC recordings. ”

“ Anna von Arthur Alexander was also on the album ( Please Please Me ). I remember having several of his records and John sang three or four of his songs. Soldier of Love was one of them; it appeared with the BBC recordings. "

- George Harrison , The Beatles ( Anthology )

When the Beatles and the Rolling Stones got their first chance to record, one did Anna and the other did You Better Move On . That should tell you enough.

“When the Beatles and the Rolling Stones got their first opportunity to record, some played Anna and others played You Better Move On . That actually says enough. "

- Keith Richards , The Rolling Stones

I first heard Arthur when we were kids, fifteen or sixteen, just playing in the clubs around Liverpool. I think maybe the records got here via somebody on a ship from New York. I loved his music, and I loved his style and his vocals.

“I first heard Arthur's music when I was fifteen or sixteen when we were playing in Liverpool clubs. I think his records came to us through one of the New York sailors. I liked his music, I liked his style and his voice. "

- Gerry Marsden , Gerry and the Pacemakers

“Arthur Alexander is really one of my all-time favorites. His singing has such a beautiful, sad quality which builds as he goes along. It's a lovely voice that's country sounding, stately and wonderful. As a writer, Arthur has a reflective style of love song that's deeply moving. "

“Arthur Alexander is one of my long-time favorites. His singing has a sad, beautiful quality that he gradually increases. A pleasant voice that suited the country, leisurely and beautifully. As a songwriter he created profound love songs that get under your skin. "

- John Hiatt

"Arthur Alexander was always a inspiration to me as a person and songwriter."

"Arthur Alexander was always an inspiration for me as a person and as a songwriter."

- Donnie Fritts

Discography

Singles (selection)

  • 1960: Sally Sue Brown / The Girl That Radiates That Charm (as "June Alexander"; Judd 1020)
  • 1961: You Better Move On / A Shot of Rhythm and Blues (Dot 16309)
  • 1962: Where Have You Been (All My Life) / Soldier of Love (Dot 16386)
  • 1962: Anna (Go to Him) / I Hang My Head and Cry (Dot 16387)
  • 1963: Go Home Girl / You're The Reason (Dot 16425)
  • 1963: Keep Her Guessing / Where Did Sally Go (Dot 16554)
  • 1964: Black Night / Old John Amos , sometimes also: Black K night / Ol e John Amos (Dot 16616)
  • 1972: Mr. John / You've Got Me Knockin ' (Warner Bros. 7571)
  • 1972: Burning Love / It Hurts to Want It So Bad (Warner Bros. 7658)
  • 1975: Every Day I Have to Cry Some / Everybody Needs Someone to Love (Buddha 492)
  • 1977: Sharin 'the Night Together / She'll Throw Stones at You (Buddha 602)

EP

  • 1963: Alexander The Great (London Records; RE-D 1364)
  • 1963: Arthur Alexander (London Records)

Albums

  • 1962: You Better Move On (Dot LP 3434)
  • 1972: Arthur Alexander (Warner Bros. LP 2592)
  • 1982: A Shot of Rhythm and Soul (Ace CH 66)
  • 1989: Arthur Alexander The Greatest (Ace CHD 922)
  • 1993: Lonely Just Like Me (Elektra Nonesuch)
  • 1993: The Ultimate Arthur Alexander (Razor & Tie 2014)
  • 1994: Adios Amigo: A Tribute to Arthur Alexander (Razor & Tie 2814), with Frank Black , Elvis Costello and Robert Plant
  • 2001: The Monument Years (Ace CDCHD 805)
  • 2007: Lonely Just Like Me: The Final Chapter , reissue with bonus material (Hacktone Records)
  • 2014: You Better Move On (debut album plus 14 bonus tracks) (Hoodoo Records)

Prominent cover versions

Arthur Alexander's own compositions and original versions [*] were covered in his style from the very beginning and even sampled during his lifetime. In 2018, his musical companion Donnie Fritts recorded a tribute album with compositions by Arthur Alexander. Fritts, who had been friends with Alexander since 1958, nicknamed the album Arthur's "June": "His name was Arthur Alexander Jr. That's why we called him June."

literature

  • Richard Younger: Get A Shot of Rhythm & Blues - The Arthur Alexander Story , University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 2000, ISBN 0-8173-1024-X . (English)
  • Richard Younger: The Monument Years , Liner Notes for Arthur Alexander - The Monument Years (CD), Ace Records, 2001. (English)
  • The Final Chapter by Ben Vaughn & Original Album Notes by Ben Sandmel: Lonely Just Like Me: The Final Chapter (CD), 2007. (English)
  • Alexander Fromm: Alexicon. A hodgepodge for everyone who is called Alex , Geschichtesverlag, 2014, pp. 25-27, ISBN 978-3-86408-170-5 . (German)
  • Rick Hall: The Man from Muscle Shoals. My Journey from Shame to Fame , Monterey 2015, pp. 185–192. ISBN 978-1-941437-52-0 (English)

documentary

Web links

obituary
  • Obituary: Arthur Alexander , in: The Independent, obituary by Geoff Brown, drummer on Alexander's only tour of England, June 19, 1993 (English)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Richard Younger: Get a Shot of Rhythm and Blues - The Arthur Alexander Story , p. 6.
  2. ↑ Jon Pareles: Arthur Alexander, Singer, Dies at 53 in The New York Times , June 11, 1993 (obituary).
  3. ↑ Arthur Alexander: Lonely Just Like Me: The Final Chapter , Original Album Notes by Ben Sandmel, 2007, p. 2.
  4. ^ SPAR Recording Studio - Florence, Alabama .
  5. ↑ Rick Hall: The Man from Muscle Shoals , pp. 185-192.
  6. ↑ Arthur Alexander: Lonely Just Like Me: The Final Chapter , Original Album Notes by Ben Sandmel, 2007, p. 4.
  7. ↑ American Bandstand, Season 5 Episode 138 (S5E138), AB-1203: Arthur Alexander ( Memento of the original from May 18, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ovguide.com
  8. ↑ Kenny Buttrey Billboard Biography
  9. ^ Richard Younger: Get a Shot of Rhythm and Blues , p. 76 and www.richardyounger.com .
  10. ↑ Richard Younger: Get a Shot of Rhythm and Blues , p. 77 u. 118.
  11. ↑ Arthur Alexander - Alexander The Great on Discogs .
  12. ↑ Richard Younger: Arthur Alexander - The Monument Years , Liner Notes for Arthur Alexander - The Monument Years , Ace Records, 2001.
  13. ^ Joel Whitburn: Top R&B Singles 1942-1995, 1996 ISBN 0-89820-115-2
  14. ↑ Tony Rounce: Alexander The Greatest , Ace Records.
  15. ↑ Ben Vaughn: The Final Chapter , Liner Notes for the album Lonely Just Like Me: The Final Chapter , 2007.
  16. ↑ https://alexikon.wordpress.com/2013/09/15/the-beatles-sing-arthur-alexander/ .
  17. ↑ Graham Nash: Wild Tales. A Rock'n'Roll-Leben , Hamburg 2014, item 978, eISBN 9-783-8419-0282-5.
  18. ↑ Alabama Music Hall of Fame: Arthur Alexander Songwriter's Award ( Memento of the original from October 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.alamhof.org
  19. ↑ Alabama Music Hall of Fame ( Memento of the original from May 11, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.alamhof.org
  20. ↑ https://alexikon.wordpress.com/2013/09/22/al-bundy-anna-arthur-alexander/ .
  21. ↑ FAME - Recording Studios ( Memento of the original from March 19, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. FAME - The Heartbeat of the Muscle Shoals Sound. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.fame2.com
  22. ^ Richard Younger: Get a Shot of Rhythm and Blues , p. 67.
  23. ↑ The Beatles Bible July 2, 1963: Soldier of Love .
  24. ^ Richard Younger: Get a Shot of Rhythm and Blues
  25. ^ Richard Younger: Get a Shot of Rhythm and Blues , p. 67.
  26. ↑ Arthur Alexander: Lonely Just Like Me: The Final Chapter , Original Album Notes by Ben Sandmel, HackTone Records LLC, 2007.
  27. ^ Who sampled Arthur Alexander .
  28. ^ Bitter Southerner First Listen: June: A Tribute to Arthur Alexander .
  29. ↑ Muscle Shoals (2013) .
personal data
SURNAME Alexander, Arthur
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Alexander, Arthur junior (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American soul singer, songwriter and pioneer of country soul
DATE OF BIRTH May 10, 1940
PLACE OF BIRTH Florence , Alabama
DATE OF DEATH June 9, 1993
Place of death Nashville , Tennessee