ARTHUR ALEXANDER

The son of a blues singer and apparently a fave of British rockers in the early 60's (his songs were covered by both The Beatles and Stones), Arthur Alexander never crossed over to white Amurrican kids.  Too bad, as his stuff was very good - smooth, strong early 60's soul in the Sam Cooke style, with a strong country thread as well.

Along with Rick Hall, he helped start the Muscle Shoals recording studios - no small feat.  And there he knocked off his first hit, "You Better Move On."  After that he parted ways with Hall and switched labels to Dot, where he floundered before scoring some more hits such as "Anna."

Illness sidelined him for several years.  He drifted around as a staff writer and made a few more, sometimes well-received, comeback attempts.  He passed away in June 1993.

Essential Listening

Ultimate Arthur Alexander

• Arthur Alexander Allmusic
• Arthur Alexander Allmusic Discography
• Arthur Alexander wiki
• Alabama Music Hall of Fame entry
• Nonesuch Artists Page
• Rare Soul article