Arthur Alexander: Biography

• Overview
• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

• Videos
• Photos
• Groups/Boards
• Fan Sites

• Solomon Burke
• Otis Redding
• Ted Taylor
• McKinley Mitchell
• Z.Z. Hill
• Tyrone Davis
• Clarence Carter

• Sam Cooke
• Ray Charles
• Ivory Joe Hunter
• Country
• Chuck Willis
• Bobby "Blue" Bland
• Elvis Presley

• John Lennon
• The Beatles
• Jimmy Hughes
• Tad Robinson
• Steve Alaimo
• C.C. Adcock
• The Rolling Stones

• Alan Merrill

Born:

May 10, 1940 in Florence, AL

Died:

Jun 13, 1993 in Nashville, TN

Genres:

60s Music, R&B and Soul Music, Rock Music, Soul Music, Folk & Country Rock Music

Decades Active:

1960's|1970's|1990's

Artistic Quality

High

Cultural Impact

High

Popularity

Medium

Ratings Guide

Arthur Alexander was one of the first true singing, songwriting stars of country-soul, a genre that wed Southern black RB singers to songs written in a country format and played basically by white musicians. Alexander's "You Better Move On" (number 24, 1962) was the first hit to come out of Rick Hall's fledgling Muscle Shoals studio. Alexander's work was immediately appreciated by his peers in the business; those who have covered his tunes (self-penned or otherwise) read like a who's who from both sides of the Atlantic: "Anna" (the Beatles); "Soldiers of Love" (the Beatles and Marshall Crenshaw); "Burning Love" (Elvis Presley); and "Set Me Free" (Joe Tex, Esther Phillips, Percy Sledge). The Rolling Stones' cover of "You Better Move On" led to valuable contacts for Rick Hall, and the resulting business enabled him to build the new FAME studio. It was the start of the whole Muscle Shoals sound, and Alexander's career was one of its cornerstones. He went on, after a brief retirement, to record for both Warner Bros. and Buddah.

"Anna (Go to Him)," one of Alexander's best-known tunes, epitomizes the anguished, haunting tone of his music. From the onset, the heavily echoed piano and tortured vocal set a mood that is soulful, mysterious, a little spooky, and totally mesmerizing. His work is essential to any country-soul collection.

As Alexander began a comeback in 1993, he died of a heart attack. However, the album he completed before his death, Lonely Just Like Me, is a gentle record that is a fine way to end his career. Warner Bros. issued an Arthur Alexander retrospective anthology in 1994, featuring the early-'70s LP he recorded for them plus some unissued tracks.

- Christine Ohlman, All Music Guide