That's All Right Mama _ + My Baby Left Me + So Glad You're Mine _Arthur Crudup

[Steve Grayson '67]

https://youtu.be/uxHQUvCkV20
Arthur Crudup Sings Thats All Right Mama
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https://youtu.be/2Q2enkV1hus
Arthur Crudup Sings My Baby Left Me
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https://youtu.be/9LkxeXGZMSU
Arthur Crudup Sings So Glad You're Mine
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[b]One of the early electric guitarists, Arthur Crudup composed blues standards "That's All Right," "Mean Old Frisco," "Rock Me Mama" and "So Glad You're Mine."
Although Elvis Presley's recordings of his songs sold millions of copies, Crudup was not paid royalties. Disgusted with and exploited by the recording business, he largely abandoned it in the mid-1950s. After making a living from manual labor for several years, Crudup found new interest in his music in the 1960s and toured on and off until his death in 1974.[/b
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[luckyjaxon]

Millions? Imagine how Elvis must feel, not getting credit in the recordbooks for those million sellers.

[Colin B]

Millions? Imagine how Elvis must feel, not getting credit in the recordbooks for those million sellers.

The original releases didn't sell 'millions', but the inclusion of these songs on albums over the years must have totted up significantly.

There are quite a few live versions of That's All Right on albums.

[luckyjaxon]

Yep, I know, IVe pretty much got them all. And I'm pretty sure that you know what I mean. Did Arthur get a piece of the action every time one of his songs appeared on an Elvis album?

[Colin B]

Yep, I know, IVe pretty much got them all. And I'm pretty sure that you know what I mean. Did Arthur get a piece of the action every time one of his songs appeared on an Elvis album?

Well, he should have !

RCA was a pretty reputable label, but it's true to say that Crudup only received a fraction of the royalties owed to him during his career.

[Luuk]

Yep, I know, IVe pretty much got them all. And I'm pretty sure that you know what I mean. Did Arthur get a piece of the action every time one of his songs appeared on an Elvis album?

Well, he should have !

RCA was a pretty reputable label, but it's true to say that Crudup only received a fraction of the royalties owed to him during his career.

The rights of composers are taken care of by the publishing company to which they belong.
RCA-Victor, or any record company, pays the composers' fee to this publishing company whenever they release a song by a composer. This company then should pay the composer.

For radio play a composer gets a very small amount each time his composition is played, no matter by which artist it is sung.

[Colin B]

The rights of composers are taken care of by the publishing company to which they belong.
RCA-Victor, or any record company, pays the composers' fee to this publishing company whenever they release a song by a composer.
This company then should pay the composer....

Thanks, Luuk !

Whoever was responsible, they didn't do right by Arthur !

This cheating of composers out of their rightful royalties was rife at that time, unfortunately.

[Graeme]

Well he shouldn't have gotten a single cent from royalties - if he didn't own the song irrespective of whether he wrote it or not.

Many of theses artists got a flat up front fee for the song, sometimes just a few bucks, with that fee buying the rights to the song outright by the publishing company. Sometimes the songs died a death and never did anything, other times they take off - that's the gamble the publishing company took.

So, with it being stated he didn't get paid royalties, do we know if that was because he wasn't due any as he didn't own the song - or - was it because he was swindled ?

[Colin B]

...So, with it being stated he didn't get paid royalties, do we know if that was because he wasn't due any as he didn't own the song - or - was it because he was swindled ?

He was swindled.

There were attempts to get him his dues.

He went to a publishers once, with someone who was helping him, when there had been an agreement that he'd get paid some thousands of dollars that he was owed.

At the last minute, the publisher welched on the arrangement saying he could sue them.

They knew he didn't have the means to do that.

[Graeme]

That's only one version of events, there are others.

a) Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. is listed as the publisher of the song.
b) Arthur was paid a one-off settlement of $60,000 in the 1960's for sales of Elvis' version of the song
c) In the early 1970s, two local Virginia activists, Celia Santiago and Margaret Carter, assisted him in an attempt to gain royalties he felt he was due, with little success.

When it comes to Elvis people think things are worth millions of dollars, I think Arthur did okay if he got the $60000, if he'd spent it by the time the 70's got here and "felt he was duped", well I'm not surprised they said "Sue us". Problem being when it comes to suing is that it's cheaper to pay than to successfully defend, but in this instance they may have thought he might keep coming back wanting more and more every so often and so took a stance.

The lyrics were mostly ripped from another song from 1926 anyway.

[Luuk]

Chuck Berry, after being ripped off by not being paid after a performance, got wise.
Right before the show he demanded a suitcase with the money, walked on stage with it, placed it in front of him so he could keep an eye on it and right after the performance walked way with it.
He also never rehearsed with whoever accompanied him during a show.
You learn a lot from reading biographies by all sorts of artists.....