Arthur William “Big Boy” Crudup (August 24th, 1905 – March 28th, 1974) was an American Delta blues artist. Born in Forest, Mississippi, Crudup was part of a traveling factory of migrant workers that worked throughout the Southern and Midwestern parts of the United States. After the family returned to Mississippi in 1926 and began singing gospel music, he took lessons from the local bluesman Papa Harvey. He would begin to play in cafes and dance halls around the city, and became a member in the Harmonizing Four gospel quartet.

Shortly after visiting Chicago as part of the Harmonizing Four in 1939, he decided to move there in 1940. Barely making a living as a street singer, record prodcuer Lester Melrose discovered him while he was (allegedly) living in a packing crate. Crudup was introduced by Melrose to Hudson Whittaker a.k.a. Tampa Red, and shortly thereafter signed a recording contract with the RCA Victor subsidiary record label Bluebird. He would stay with the label for 11 years.

During this time, he would gig in black clubs in the South, with occasional accompaniment with the likes of Elmore James and Sonny Boy Williamson II. The most well known hit from Mr. Crudup, “That’s All Right” was famously covered by Elvis Presley as his debut single. Although Elvis would soon begin to enjoy mainstream success, Crudup would unfortunately not attain the same kind of accomplishment.

During the 1950’s, Crudup would stop recording due to royalty disputes. He would eventually make his return to recording to make such albums as “Mean Ol' Frisco” and “Look On Yonder’s Wall” during the 1960’s. In order to make up for the meagar wages he was receiving from his royalty statements, he worked as both a field laborer and bootlegger. On rare occasions, he would sing in the establishments he supplied his moonshine to.

Thankfully, Crudup was not the only person determined to be rightfully paid for his contributions to the music world. Blues promoter Dick Waterman attempted to get a $60,000 in back royalties for the blues artist, but the deal fell through. Later in the early 1970’s, Virginia activits Celia Santiago and Margaret Carter attempted to do the same thing with similar fortune. As 1971 rolled around, Crudup had managed to collect over $10,000 worth of his overdue royalties. He would later die in 1974 due to a complication of heart disease and diabetes.

Arthur Crudup’s legacy has been rightfully restored to his name with a Forest, Mississippi marker on the Missisippi Blues Trail. Many experts consider “That’s All Right” to be rock and roll’s ground zero, with Elvis Presley’s interpretations being one of the first rock and roll records released among the likes of Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats’s “Rocket 88”. Elvis himself is quoted saying his ambition was to be as good as Crudup, also stating “Down in Tupelo, Mississippi, I used to hear old Arthur Crudup bang his box the way I do now, and I said if I ever got to the place I could feel all old Arthur felt, I’d be a music man like nobody ever saw”.