10 Essential Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup Songs

Feature Photo: Eatonland, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Arthur William “Big Boy” Crudup was born on August 24, 1905, in Forest, Mississippi. After growing up singing spirituals, he took up guitar as an adult and eventually made his way to Chicago, where producer Lester Melrose heard him performing on the streets and helped bring him to RCA Victor’s Bluebird label in 1941.

Crudup became one of the important blues recording artists of the 1940s, cutting songs including “Rock Me Mama,” “So Glad You’re Mine,” “My Baby Left Me,” and “That’s All Right.” Elvis Presley later recorded three of Crudup’s songs, helping connect Crudup’s blues recordings to the rise of rock and roll. Despite that influence, Crudup spent much of his life fighting for royalties he believed he was owed. He returned to recording in the 1960s, recorded Roebuck Man in London in 1970, and continued performing into the early 1970s. Crudup died on March 28, 1974, in Nassawadox, Virginia, from complications of heart disease and diabetes.

# 10 – Mean Old ‘Frisco Blues

We open our Crudup list with “Mean Old ‘Frisco Blues” because it became the title track and opening song on his first full-length album, Mean Ol’ Frisco, released by Fire Records in 1962. That album featured new recordings of songs associated with Crudup’s earlier career rather than simply compiling his original 1940s masters.

The song itself dates back much further. Crudup first recorded “Mean Old ‘Frisco Blues” in Chicago on April 15, 1942. Eric Clapton later recorded the song for his 1977 album Slowhand, while Derek and the Dominos had also recorded it during sessions in 1971.

Read More: Top 10 Eric Clapton Songs

# 9 – Rock Me Mama

“Rock Me Mama” was recorded on December 15, 1944, and became one of Crudup’s breakthrough records when it was released in 1945. The song reached number three on Billboard’s race-record chart and helped establish Crudup as one of the era’s most successful blues recording artists.

Big Bill Broonzy was among the artists who later recorded the song. Decades later, the phrase “Rock Me Mama” also became part of the history behind Bob Dylan’s unfinished “Rock Me Mama” sketch and, eventually, “Wagon Wheel,” although Dylan’s fragment was not a cover of Crudup’s composition.

# 8 – Death Valley Blues

Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup recorded “Death Valley Blues” in Chicago on September 11, 1941, during his first RCA Victor/Bluebird recording session. It was issued on Bluebird B-8858 with “If I Get Lucky,” another song from that same session.

The recording captures Crudup at the very beginning of his commercial career, with his voice and guitar supported by Big Joe McCoy on improvised string bass. “Death Valley Blues” later became part of the broader blues repertoire and has been revisited by a number of blues performers.

# 7 – Ethel Mae

Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup recorded “Ethel Mae” on February 22, 1946, in Chicago. The session featured Crudup on vocals and guitar with drummer Armand “Jump” Jackson. The song was released later that year as the B-side of “So Glad You’re Mine” on RCA Victor 20-1949.

“Ethel Mae” became a hit in its own right, reaching number four on Billboard’s race-record chart. The success of both sides of the single showed just how strong Crudup’s commercial standing had become by the middle of the 1940s.

# 6 – If I Get Lucky

“If I Get Lucky” was recorded on September 11, 1941, in Chicago during Crudup’s first commercial recording session. Lester Melrose arranged the session, with Crudup on vocals and guitar and Big Joe McCoy accompanying him on improvised string bass.

The same session also produced “Death Valley Blues,” “Black Pony Blues,” and “Kind Lover Blues.” “If I Get Lucky” was paired with “Death Valley Blues” on Bluebird B-8858, making the two songs central documents from the beginning of Crudup’s recording career.

# 5 – I’m Gonna Dig Myself a Hole

Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup recorded “I’m Gonna Dig Myself a Hole” on April 24, 1951, in Chicago with bassist Ransom Knowling and drummer Judge Riley. RCA Victor released it on 22-0141 with “Too Much Competition.”

The song became one of Crudup’s final national R&B hits, reaching the top ten on Billboard’s rhythm-and-blues charts in 1951. It has since been recorded by a wide range of blues and roots artists, including Downchild Blues Band and Colin James.

# 4 – Who’s Been Foolin’ You

“Who’s Been Foolin’ You” was recorded on December 15, 1944, and released as the B-side of “Rock Me Mamma” in 1945. Like the A-side, it became a chart hit, reaching number five on Billboard’s race-record chart.

The song remained part of the blues repertoire long after Crudup’s original recording. Buddy Guy recorded a particularly prominent version for his 2001 album Sweet Tea, bringing the song to another generation of blues listeners.

# 3 – So Glad You’re Mine

Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup recorded “So Glad You’re Mine” on February 22, 1946, in Chicago, with drummer Jump Jackson. Released later that year on RCA Victor 20-1949, the song reached number three on Billboard’s race-record chart.

Elvis Presley recorded “So Glad You’re Mine” on January 30, 1956, in New York. His version appeared on his second studio album, Elvis, later that year, making it one of three Crudup songs Presley recorded during the 1950s.

# 2 – My Baby Left Me

Crudup recorded “My Baby Left Me” on November 8, 1950, in Chicago with bassist Ransom Knowling and drummer Judge Riley. RCA Victor released it in 1951 as the B-side of “Anytime Is the Right Time.”

Elvis Presley brought the song to a much wider audience in 1956 when his version appeared as the B-side of “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You.” Creedence Clearwater Revival later recorded “My Baby Left Me” for their 1970 album Cosmo’s Factory, while John Lennon also recorded the song during his 1970s rock-and-roll sessions.

# 1 – That’s All Right

Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup recorded “That’s All Right” in Chicago on September 6, 1946, with bassist Ransom Knowling and drummer Judge Riley. RCA Victor released the song in 1947 as the B-side of “Crudup’s After Hours.” Although it was not one of Crudup’s major chart hits at the time, it became the recording most closely associated with his place in rock and roll history.

Elvis Presley recorded “That’s All Right” on July 5, 1954, at Sun Records in Memphis with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black. Sun released it on July 19 as Presley’s first commercial single, backed with “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” That recording became a crucial early moment in Presley’s career and introduced millions of listeners to a song Crudup had recorded eight years earlier.

The song’s influence continued through later versions by artists including Marty Robbins, Rod Stewart, and others. Crudup, however, spent much of his life fighting for compensation from songs that had become far more lucrative for other performers. Near the end of his life, a proposed $60,000 royalty settlement collapsed, and significant payments to his estate did not arrive until after his death.