Arthur Alexander Totally Explained

Everything about Arthur Alexander totally explained

Arthur Alexander (May 10, 1940 – June 9, 1993), born in Sheffield, Alabama, was perhaps one of the biggest stars to arise out of the American country soul scene. Jason Ankeny, music critic for All Music Guide, said Alexander was a "country-soul pioneer" and though largely unknown, "his music is the stuff of genius, a poignant and deeply intimate body of work on par with the best of his contemporaries."

Career

Working with Spar Music in Florence, Alabama, Alexander recorded his first single; "Sally Sue Brown" which was released in 1960 on Jud Phillips' Judd Records. (Phillips is the brother of music pioneer Sam Phillips). A year later, Alexander cut "You Better Move On" at a former Tobacco Warehouse-turned-Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals. Released on Nashville's Dot Records, the song became a Soul/R&B chart hit, and laid the foundation for the modern recording studio FAME. "You Better Move On" is perhaps Alexander's best-known song, covered by The Rolling Stones, George Jones & Johnny Paycheck and Mink DeVille. "Anna (Go to Him)", a U.S. R&B Top Ten Hit, was covered by The Beatles and Humble Pie. Another song covered by the Beatles was "Soldier of Love", which was also performed by Marshall Crenshaw and Pearl Jam. "Set Me Free" (covered by Esther Phillips and Joe Tex) were also major hits and established Alexander as a pioneering arranger of others' tunes, as well as an established songwriter in his own right. He switched to another label, Sound Stage 7 founded by Fred Foster, and although a 1972 album for Warner Brothers was promising, the singer's potential seemed to wither. He secured a pop hit with "Every Day I've to Cry" on Buddah Records 1975, but the success remained shortlived.
For many years, Alexander was out of the music business; he was a bus driver for much of this time. He began to perform again in 1993 as renewed interest was shown in his small but important catalogue. His last album Lonely Just Like Me was his first in 21 years. He signed a new recording/publishing contract in May 1993 but suffered a fatal heart attack the following month, three days after performing in Nashville with his new band.

Legacy

Alexander deserves a special mention in pop and rock history for his particular influence, as indicated, on the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. It is believed that John Lennon, in particular, was heavily influenced in Alexander's singing style. The above-mentioned tracks such as "Anna", "You Better Move On" and "Soldier of Love", in particular, but maybe also "Go Home Girl" might confirm this artist's influence on the Beatles and his influence, if the listener needs further convincing after hearing "You Better Move On", recorded by the Rolling Stones. As further evidence of his influence, "Go Home Girl" was also recorded by the eclectic master Ry Cooder on his groundbreaking 1979 album Bop Till You Drop.

Discography

Singles

"Sally Sue Brown"
"The Girl that Radiates that Charm"
"You Better Move On"
"A Shot of Rhythm and Blues"
"Soldier of Love (Lay Down Your Arms)"
"Where Have You Been All My Life"
"Go Home Girl"
"You're the Reason"
"You Better Move On"
"Funny How Time Slips Away"
"Young World"
"Thousand Stars"
"Anna"
"I Hang My Head and Cry"
"I Wonder Where You Are Tonight"

Albums

You Better Move On (1962) Label: Dot Records

Arthur Alexander (1972) Label: Warner Brothers

Soldier of Love (1987) Label: Ace Records

Lonely Just Like Me (1993) Label: Elektra

(2007) Label: Hacktone

Compilation albums

Greatest Hits (1989) Label: Ace Records

The Ultimate Alexander (1993) Label: Razor & Tie

(1994) Label: Warner Archives

The Monument Years (2001) Label: Ace Records

Further Information

Get more info on 'Arthur Alexander'.

External Link Exchanges

Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:

<a href="http://arthur_alexander.totallyexplained.com">Arthur Alexander Totally Explained</a>

Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned.