Arthur Alexander

ARTHUR ALEXANDER

Arthur Alexander (May 10, 1940 – June 9, 1993), born in Sheffield, Alabama, was one of the primary architects of the Muscle Shoals Sound. He remains the only songwriter whose songs were covered by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley. One of the greatest soul singers of all time, if not the best known, he penned "Anna," "Sally Sue Brown" and "You Better Move On" among many other Southern Soul classics. The Beatles modeled their early sound after him. Yet by 1980 - a young man, just 40 - Alexander had left the music industry and was driving a bus and working at a center for disadvantaged kids in Cleveland.   Jason Ankeny, music critic for All Music Guide, wrote that Alexander was a "country-soul pioneer" and though largely unknown outside of the American deep South, "his music is the stuff of genius, a poignant and deeply intimate body of work on par with the best of his contemporaries."

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 and Muscle Shoals landmark, FAME Studios.

"You Better Move On" is perhaps Alexander's best-known song, covered by The Rolling Stones. "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) was also a hit 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 have to Cry" on Buddah Records 1975, but the success remained short-lived.

For many years, Arthur was out of the music business; he was a bus driver for much of this time. He began to perform again in 1992 as renewed interest was shown in his small but important catalogue. His last album Lonely Just Like Me was his first in 21 years and won some of the highest accolades of any album released in 1993. The project was instigated by Elektra A&R executive Danny Kahn, who spotted Alexander in a rare performance in 1992. Kahn signed him to Nonesuch, which had launched the American Explorer series. He called upon artist/producer Ben Vaughn to convince Alexander to record. Vaughn boarded a plane to Cleveland and the two formed a fast bond. The contract was signed and the album recorded in Nashville. Sessions featured a number of Alexander's accompanists from the '60s - Dan Penn, Donnie Fritts, Reggie Young, Thomas Cain and Mike Leech - along with Alexander newbies Gary Nicholson, Tommy Spurlock, Ashley Cleveland and Jim Spake. Reaction to the comeback recording was palpable, with positive reaction from the music press and such artists as Elvis Costello, Robert Plant, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Kris Kristofferson. Alexander told Vaughn, "It looks like those seeds I planted a long time ago were good seeds."

The album's warm reception energized Alexander, who obliged his many interview requests, played the South by Southwest music conference and performed on a special live broadcast of NPR's "Fresh Air." The excitement culminated with a concert in Nashville. Sadly the show did him in. Alexander was checked into the ER at the city's Baptist Hospital. Within days he had passed on to the next life. His final recording was still a new release with reviews breaking daily. A major comeback and rediscovery was tragically cut short.

Alexander deserves a special mention in pop and rock history for his particular influence, as indicated, on the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. John Lennon, in particular, was heavily influenced by Alexander's singing style. The above-mentioned tracks such as "Anna", "You Better Move On" and "Soldier of Love" confirm this artist's influence on the Beatles and Lennon himself.

In Muscle Shoals, Arthur Alexander remains one of our most revered citizens.  His work is the stuff of legend in the Shoals and his memory is held dear.

MUSCLE SHOALS MADE & PLAYED MUSIC

A Hundred Pounds of Clay     
A Shot of Rhythm & Blues     
A Thousand Stars
After You
All I Need Is You
All the Time
Anna (Go to Him)
Another Place, Another Time
Baby I Love You
Baby This, Baby That
Baby, For You
Black Night
Burning Love
Bye Bye Love
Call Me Honey
Call Me in Tahiti
Call Me Lonesome
Come Along with Me     
Concrete Jungle
Cry Like a Baby
Detroit City
Don't Break the Heart That Loves You
Don't You Know It
Down the Back Roads
Dream Girl
Every Day I Have to Cry Some
Funny How Time Slips Away
Genie in the Jug
Girl That Radiates That Charm
Glory Road
Go Home Girl
Hey! Baby
I Believe in Miracles
I Hang My Head and Cry
I Need You Baby
I Want to Marry You
I Wonder Where You Are Tonight
I'm Comin' Home     
If It's Really Got to Be This Way
In My Baby's Eyes
In My Sorrow
In the Middle of It All
It Hurts to Want It So Bad
Johnny Heartbreak
Keep Her Guessing    
Lonely Just Like Me
Love Letters
Love Me Warm and Tender
Love's Where Life Begins
Lover, Please Come Back    
Me and Mine
Miles and Miles from Nowhere
Mr. John
Old John Amos
Pretty Girls Everywhere
Rainbow Road
Sally Sue Brown
Set Me Free
Show Me the Road
Soldier of Love (Lay Down Your Arms)
Solitary Man
Spanish Harlem
Stay by Me
Taking Care of a Woman
Thank God He Came
The Migrant
The Other Woman In My Life
The Wanderer
There Is a Road
They'll Do It Everytime
Turn Around: And Try Me
We're Gonna Hate Ourselves in the Morning
Where Have You Been All My Life
Whole Lot of Trouble
Without a Song
You Better Move On
You Don't Care     
You Don't Love Me, You Don't Care
You Got Me Knockin'
You're the Reason
Young World