Arthur Alexander

You Better Move on Here is Arthur Alexander

Arthur Alexander has been considered a pioneer of American “country-soul” music. He is definetely one of the greatest R&B singers, and despite his name may sound a bit forgotten if compared to those of Sam Cooke or Otis Redding his legacy is as astonishing as these two late legends of American music. Alexander’s records made it very early to the UK, where they made a big impact amongst the youth that would become the first spades of the so-called British Invasion. The Beatles recorded ‘Anna (Go To Him)’ on their first long play, as did The Rolling Stones with ‘You Better Move On’ on theirs. Versions of ‘Soldier Of Love’ or ‘A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues’ sounded in all the clubs around England and ended in sides of many 45s of the young bands that made the sixties scene. Other artists having covered Alexander’s material include Dusty Springfield, Gene Clark, Humble Pie, Ike & Tina Turner, Roger McGuinn, The McCoys, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Gentrys and even Pearl Jam! In fact, Alexander is the only artist whose songs have been covered in studio albums by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, probably the three biggest acts of the 1960s.

In your hands is a cool selection with some of his earliest recordings, among them many of the original recordings of these songs you may have heard many times in the voices of other artists.