Derek:

Always nice to see something new with the Arthur Alexander group.
Thanks for the reprint of the review in MOJO.

By the way, the radio program you added to the Files section with
Arthur Alexander interviewed by "The Hound" was on radio station WFMU
not MFMU.  Minor typo.  If anyone would like to hear other 1980s and
1990s radio programs of the Hound on WFMU you can hear them at
www.thehound.net.  I was happy to donate a cassette tape of a 1990s
program not already on the Hound website archive.  It should eventually
be added by the Hound webmaster.  These days there are a few other DJs
at WFMU who play lots of cool 1950s and 1960s rock 'n' roll,
rhythm 'n' blues and honky tonk country:  Dave the Spazz, Rex, Michael
Shelly.  You can hear them at www.wfmu.org.  It is not at all unusual
to hear Arthur on their programs.

Daddy-o Dilly

I've added a scan of the review of Lonely Just Like Me: The Final
Chapter from the September issue of MOJO magazine in the files section
of the group.

--- In arthur_alexander@yahoogroups.com, I earlier wrote:

> PS I'm waiting for an AA song to crop up on Bob
> Dylan's Theme Time Radio (if one hasn't already - he
> did record one of his once).  That'd revive interest
> I'm sure.

....and listening last night to Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio on BBC
Radio 2, the subject was women's names.  The first track up was
"Anna", and Dylan even gave us a potted summary of Arthur's life.

Now, if I could only predict winners for the race track..........

Norman

I have added a folder called The Final Chapter to the Files section of
the group, containing scans of all the Lonely Just Like Me: The Final
Chapter CD artwork & inserts.
Derek

----- Original Message -----

From: David Lindsay

To: arthur_alexander@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2008 2:21 PM

Subject: [arthur_alexander] Re: Shame...

About the latest album - yes, I bought one and I know that at least
one other member of the group did so whilst on his travels. Everyone
reading this should have it. You will not be disappointed.
David

--- In arthur_alexander@yahoogroups.com, nuzzster <nuzzster@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi David
>
> I thought I'd reply in case you think we've all
> snuffed it.
>
> Yes, shame on all three counts, though on the first
> one, there's not always a lot to be said as news about
> AA doesn't come up as often as it oughta. I don't
> know if anyone here bought a copy of the re-issued
> last album of his? If so, some feedback would be
> appreciated.
>
> Regarding his writer's royalties, more of the story is
> explained in the biography that was written a few
> years back. If you've already read it, forgive me for
> bringing it to your attention again, but it is a
> pretty good read. Copies here:
> http://tinyurl.com/create.php
>
> Same old showbiz rip-off story, eh?
>
> I had the great pleasure of meeting up with Mike, the
> one who started this Group off, on his recent trip to
> London. Sorry we couldn't spend more time together,
> fate intervened.... But there are a lot of AA fans
> out here. even if we are in an elite group!
>
> Norman
>
> PS I'm waiting for an AA song to crop up on Bob
> Dylan's Theme Time Radio (if one hasn't already - he
> did record one of his once). That'd revive interest
> I'm sure.
> --- David Lindsay <DEELIN@...> wrote:
>
> >
> > It is also a shame that AA's talents were not
> > recognised except by this elite group and a few
> > others like some superstars of pop music.
> >
> > It is also a shame that AA did not receive payment
> > of royalties for the cover versions of his songs
> > that are still selling in great quantities.
> > David L
> >
> >
> > To: arthur_alexander@...:
> > modcircsixties@...: Thu, 22 May 2008
> > 16:52:00 +0000Subject: [arthur_alexander] Shame...
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > That this group is not more active. I check in
> > freqently but it's lonely here.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> __________________________________________________________
> >
> >
> http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/msnnkmgl0010000009ukm/direct/01/
>

About the latest album - yes, I bought one and I know that at least
one other member of the group did so whilst on his travels. Everyone
reading this should have it. You will not be disappointed.
David




--- In arthur_alexander@yahoogroups.com, nuzzster <nuzzster@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi David
>
> I thought I'd reply in case you think we've all
> snuffed it.
>
> Yes, shame on all three counts, though on the first
> one, there's not always a lot to be said as news about
> AA doesn't come up as often as it oughta.  I don't
> know if anyone here bought a copy of the re-issued
> last album of his?  If so, some feedback would be
> appreciated.
>
> Regarding his writer's royalties, more of the story is
> explained in the biography that was written a few
> years back.  If you've already read it, forgive me for
> bringing it to your attention again, but it is a
> pretty good read.  Copies here:
> http://tinyurl.com/create.php
>
> Same old showbiz rip-off story, eh?
>
> I had the great pleasure of meeting up with Mike, the
> one who started this Group off, on his recent trip to
> London.  Sorry we couldn't spend more time together,
> fate intervened....  But there are a lot of AA fans
> out here. even if we are in an elite group!
>
> Norman
>
> PS I'm waiting for an AA song to crop up on Bob
> Dylan's Theme Time Radio (if one hasn't already - he
> did record one of his once).  That'd revive interest
> I'm sure.
> --- David Lindsay <DEELIN@...> wrote:
>
> >
> > It is also a shame that AA's talents were not
> > recognised except by this elite group and a few
> > others like some superstars of pop music.
> >
> > It is also a shame that AA did not receive payment
> > of royalties for the cover versions of his songs
> > that are still selling in great quantities.
> > David L
> >
> >
> > To: arthur_alexander@...:
> > modcircsixties@...: Thu, 22 May 2008
> > 16:52:00 +0000Subject: [arthur_alexander] Shame...
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > That this group is not more active. I check in
> > freqently but it's lonely here.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> _________________________________________________________________
> >
> >
> http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/msnnkmgl0010000009ukm/direct/01/
>

Quiet? No, I am retired and have less time now than I
did before I retired. Jackie
--- MATTHEW ARMSTRONG <matt.armstrong@...>
wrote:

> Quiet?
>
> No, it's just that we are so busy listening and
> dancing to Arthur's legacy that we don't have time
> to
> spare online sometimes . . .
>
> Matt
>

Thanks! Jackie "if you can't hum it, it aint music"
--- nuzzster <nuzzster@...> wrote:

>
> --- Robert Bell <jackieb2wh@...> wrote:
>
> > Link does not work. Jackie
>
> Sorry about that, Jackie and all.  Posted wrong
> link,
> doh!
>
> Try this: http://tinyurl.com/5qp47l
>
> It opens an Amazon UK page.
>
> Norman
>
>
>
>

Quiet?

No, it's just that we are so busy listening and
dancing to Arthur's legacy that we don't have time to
spare online sometimes . . .

Matt

--- Robert Bell <jackieb2wh@...> wrote:

> Link does not work. Jackie

Sorry about that, Jackie and all.  Posted wrong link,
doh!

Try this: http://tinyurl.com/5qp47l

It opens an Amazon UK page.

Norman

Link does not work. Jackie
--- nuzzster <nuzzster@...> wrote:

> Hi David
>
> I thought I'd reply in case you think we've all
> snuffed it.
>
> Yes, shame on all three counts, though on the first
> one, there's not always a lot to be said as news
> about
> AA doesn't come up as often as it oughta.  I don't
> know if anyone here bought a copy of the re-issued
> last album of his?  If so, some feedback would be
> appreciated.
>
> Regarding his writer's royalties, more of the story
> is
> explained in the biography that was written a few
> years back.  If you've already read it, forgive me
> for
> bringing it to your attention again, but it is a
> pretty good read.  Copies here:
> http://tinyurl.com/create.php
>
> Same old showbiz rip-off story, eh?
>
> I had the great pleasure of meeting up with Mike,
> the
> one who started this Group off, on his recent trip
> to
> London.  Sorry we couldn't spend more time together,
> fate intervened....  But there are a lot of AA fans
> out here. even if we are in an elite group!
>
> Norman
>
> PS I'm waiting for an AA song to crop up on Bob
> Dylan's Theme Time Radio (if one hasn't already - he
> did record one of his once).  That'd revive interest
> I'm sure.
> --- David Lindsay <DEELIN@...> wrote:
>
> >
> > It is also a shame that AA's talents were not
> > recognised except by this elite group and a few
> > others like some superstars of pop music.
> >
> > It is also a shame that AA did not receive payment
> > of royalties for the cover versions of his songs
> > that are still selling in great quantities.
> > David L
> >
> >
> > To: arthur_alexander@...:
> > modcircsixties@...: Thu, 22 May 2008
> > 16:52:00 +0000Subject: [arthur_alexander] Shame...
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > That this group is not more active. I check in
> > freqently but it's lonely here.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
_________________________________________________________________
> >
> >
>
http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/msnnkmgl0010000009ukm/direct/01/
>
>
>
>
>

Hi David

I thought I'd reply in case you think we've all
snuffed it.

Yes, shame on all three counts, though on the first
one, there's not always a lot to be said as news about
AA doesn't come up as often as it oughta.  I don't
know if anyone here bought a copy of the re-issued
last album of his?  If so, some feedback would be
appreciated.

Regarding his writer's royalties, more of the story is
explained in the biography that was written a few
years back.  If you've already read it, forgive me for
bringing it to your attention again, but it is a
pretty good read.  Copies here:
http://tinyurl.com/create.php

Same old showbiz rip-off story, eh?

I had the great pleasure of meeting up with Mike, the
one who started this Group off, on his recent trip to
London.  Sorry we couldn't spend more time together,
fate intervened....  But there are a lot of AA fans
out here. even if we are in an elite group!

Norman

PS I'm waiting for an AA song to crop up on Bob
Dylan's Theme Time Radio (if one hasn't already - he
did record one of his once).  That'd revive interest
I'm sure.
--- David Lindsay <DEELIN@...> wrote:

>
> It is also a shame that AA's talents were not
> recognised except by this elite group and a few
> others like some superstars of pop music.
>
> It is also a shame that AA did not receive payment
> of royalties for the cover versions of his songs
> that are still selling in great quantities.
> David L
>
>
> To: arthur_alexander@...:
> modcircsixties@...: Thu, 22 May 2008
> 16:52:00 +0000Subject: [arthur_alexander] Shame...
>
>
>
>
> That this group is not more active. I check in
> freqently but it's lonely here.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
_________________________________________________________________
>
>
http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/msnnkmgl0010000009ukm/direct/01/

---

To: arthur_alexander@yahoogroups.com
From: modcircsixties@...
Date: Thu, 22 May 2008 16:52:00 +0000
Subject: [arthur_alexander] Shame...

That this group is not more active. I check in freqently but it's
lonely here.

That this group is not more active. I check in freqently but it's
lonely here.

Big Virus coming

http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp


I checked Snopes (URL above:), and it is genuine. Please check for yourself.
Get this E-mail message sent around to your contacts ASAP.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING TO FRIENDS, FAMILY AND OTHER CONTACTS!

You should be alert during the next few days. Do not open any message
with an attachment entitled 'POSTCARD,' regardless of who sent it to you. It
is a virus which opens A POSTCARD IMAGE, which 'burns' the whole hard disc C of your computer.

This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in
his/her contact list. This is the reason why you need to send this
e-mail to all your contacts It is better to receive this message 25 times tha n
to receive the virus and open it.

If you receive a mail called' POSTCARD,' even if it is sent to you by a
friend, do not open it! Shut down your computer immediately.

This is the worst virus announced by CNN. It has been classified by
Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered
by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus.
This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital
information is kept.

COPY THIS E-MAIL, AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS. REMEMBER: IF YOU SEND IT TO THEM, YOU WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US.

---

This is a message received in another group
David L

---

To: Shakin_All_Over@yahoogroups.com; RaB-HoF@yahoogroups.com
From: memphisjd@...
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2008 08:31:19 -0500
Subject: [RaB-HoF] New Orleans Jazz Festival

 

The early acts ae preferred

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2008-04-22-jazz-fest-roots_N.htm?csp=DailyBriefing

JD

---

Miss your Messenger buddies when on-the-go? Get Messenger on your mobile!

---

To: arthur_alexander@yahoogroups.com
From: daddyodilly@...
Date: Sun, 13 Jan 2008 11:37:20 -0500
Subject: [arthur_alexander] From Memphis Commercial Appeal: Stax Museum showcases powerful, emotional exhibit on soul legend Redding

Mark Dillman sent you this:

Stax Museum showcases powerful, emotional exhibit on soul legend Redding

http://commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jan/12/a-loving-look/

--------
Mark Dillman attached this additional message:

a wonderful article about the Otis Redding at the Stax studio in Memphis

I'm so glad we had a guided tour there in 2006.
--------

Memphis Commercial Appeal

Mark Dillman sent you this:

Stax Museum showcases powerful, emotional exhibit on soul legend Redding

http://commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jan/12/a-loving-look/

--------
Mark Dillman attached this additional message:

a wonderful article about the Otis Redding at the Stax studio in Memphis

I'm so glad we had a guided tour there in 2006.
--------

Memphis Commercial Appeal

The YouTube link in my last message should be:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUQycfgCj0

ACJ

This is going out simultaneously to several different Yahoo! Groups, and
for most, it'll be off-topic. But I just can't resist sharing these.

First up is a brief holiday story from one Annie B. Bond:
   A Note From Annie
11/28/07  I still have a little 3-inch book from my deep childhood called A
Christmas Story. My name is scrawled on the front inside cover and the
handwriting looks to be about that of a 4-year-old. The story is about a
little girl who, along with rabbits and dogs and cats, decorates a
Christmas tree, but they don't have a star. The girl goes on a quest
into the woods looking for a star and finds Santa Claus, who pulls one
out of his sack just for her. The reason that I have always loved this
story is because its message is that no matter what, there is always a
star for everyone. What nicer sentiment for the beginning of the holiday
season?

Next, for those (few) of you who haven't seen this: one of my longtime
e-mail friends, artist, songwriter and one-time music-industry exec
Artie Wayne, has filled an entry on his blog with links to some great
Christmas videos, some quite rare. Here's how to get to it:

http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2007/11/13/the-top-the-best-and-the-greatest-chr\
istmas-music-videos/

And I'll add one: When I was a kid, one commercial I looked forward to
seeing each Yule was the "Norelco Santa" ad, where Mr. Claus rode over
the snow on a Norelco shaver. One of these ads - sadly, Santa only
appears in the first half - is viewable here (if I got the link right):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUQycfgCjr10

Happy Holiday, all!

ACJ


U.P. GROOVES!: http://tinyurl.com/y8o5rn

Revisit soul legend Arthur Alexander and his last recording

Peter Lindblad

The music industry had long since chewed up Arthur Alexander and spit
him out in Cleveland, Ohio, the unlikely place of his spiritual
rebirth.

Having fought his inner demons for ages, Alexander, after years of
hard living, had triumphed by 1980. The Muscle Shoals-spawned R&B
legend, purported to be the only songwriter to have his songs
recorded by the Rolling Stones, Elvis, Bob Dylan and The Beatles, had
left music behind and was living a quiet life in America's Rust Belt,
working as a bus driver and helping out at a center for disadvantaged
children.

Anonymity suited him, but in the early `90s, Alexander was summoned
out of retirement and wound up making one of the most remarkable
comebacks in music history with the critically acclaimed Lonely Just
Like Me, a distinctly Southern blend of warm, organic soul and
bittersweet, down-home country that held its lyrical heartache in the
comforting embrace of his smooth voice. But, this feel-good story had
a shocking twist.

"We were setting up a bunch of things," remembers Ben Vaughn, the
producer who worked side by side with Alexander on Lonely Just Like
Me, recently reissued by Hacktone with a passel of unreleased
recordings and extensive liner notes. "We had done Fresh Air (on
National Public Radio) with Terry Gross and Danny Kahn at that point
was managing him, and he was fielding offers from all over the place.
We were going to play SummerStage in Central Park with Los Lobos, and
we were going to Summerfest in Milwaukee, and [then] I was rehearsing
the band in Philadelphia to prepare for all this stuff. And in the
middle of all that, Arthur and I were flown to Nashville to play a
songwriter's stage at this outdoor festival they have there."

When the performance was over, Alexander and Vaughn had dinner, but
something was wrong.

"That night, he seemed really tired after the show, and we went out
to eat, and he didn't eat anything, which was unusual for him
[because] he was such a big guy," says Vaughn. "And we walked back to
the hotel, and he was saying that he was really tired and not feeling
well, and we said, `Good night,' and he went to his room, and I went
to my room. He had to meet his publisher the next morning, so we made
plans to hook up afterwards, and then, I got a call from the
publisher's office the next day telling me to meet them at the
hospital because Arthur had collapsed. So, I went to the hospital and
the vigil began. We were there for about three days. We sat there.
His family came in from Cleveland, and then, he passed away."

Just like that, it was over. Alexander died the week of Lonely Just
Like Me's heralded release in 1993, and the career revival Alexander
so richly deserved was buried with him. There would be no
SummerStage, no Summerfest.

"At the time, it was really almost unbelievable," recalls
Kahn. "Everything was just starting to spin."

Suddenly, with Alexander's death, the spinning stopped.

"You could tell this was going to be one of those career-revival
records, similar to what you've seen with Bettye LaVette or Solomon
Burke, and some of those successful comebacks of those great artists
who didn't get their due in their time," says Kahn. "You could feel
this record was set up to be that record, and then, the sad story of
him losing his life the week of the release just put the brakes to
that. It just became too heavy a story, so that people couldn't
really listen to or deal with the positive energy of getting this
record out in the marketplace at the time when he died, so the record
disappeared."

As did Alexander many years ago, when he left the music business with
a bad taste in his mouth, sick of the dishonesty that cheated him of
his rightful royalties.

"Right around, I guess, 1976 was when he effectively bailed, `cause
he put out an album (self-titled) on Warner Bros. in 1971 and a
couple of 45s here and there," says Vaughn. "I think he moved to
Cleveland right around that time and dropped out of the business and
became born again."

Alexander's religious reawakening brought him full circle. Born the
son of a bottleneck blues guitarist — who would also find God later
in life — in Florence, Ala., in 1940, Alexander joined a gospel group
called the Heartstrings in sixth grade. In high school, Alexander met
Tom Stafford while working as a hotel bellhop. The two friends
partnered as a songwriting duo, with the R&B-obsessed Stafford
penning lyrics and Alexander supplying melodies.

Through Stafford, Alexander met soul stalwarts Dan Penn, Billy
Sherrill, Spooner Oldham and Rick Hall, and in 1958, he wrote "She
Wanna Rock" with Henry Lee Bennetto. Stafford sold the song to Decca
Records, and country crooner Arnie Dierksen recorded it a year later.

With his star on the rise, Alexander ushered in his solo debut for
Judd Records in 1960, the street-tough blues workout "Sally Sue
Brown." A year later, Alexander and Hall moved to Muscle Shoals,
where they took an old, abandoned tobacco warehouse and made a
recording studio out of it that would become one of the most
mythologized music factories in history.

From its hallowed assembly line came 1962's "You Better Move On," a
woodsy distillation of Alexander's country roots and deep-soul
reflection — recorded with Hall — later covered by the Rolling
Stones.

"I was wondering who that was," says Vaughn, thinking back to the
first time he heard Alexander sing that song, "and when I heard
Arthur do that song, I was stunned. `How come this voice wasn't a
part of my life?' I thought. The pitch isn't perfect, there is a
sadness there that is … just, wow, heartbreaking. You felt yourself
rooting for the guy."

Though it seemed Alexander had just punched his ticket for stardom,
with "You Better Move On" rising all the way to #24 on the national
pop charts, the song proved to be his undoing. The record was
released on Dot Records, and though it earned Hall the money he
needed to build another Muscle Shoals studio, the Dot deal prevented
the two from working together again.

With Dot, Alexander had his ups and downs. His song "Soldier of
Love" — later recorded by The Beatles — languished on the B-side of
Alexander's "Where Have You Been All My Life," a commercial flop
written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Well. But, the third time with Dot
was a charm for Alexander, whose song "Anna (Go To Him)," also
covered by The Beatles, thrust its way into the R&B Top Ten.
From there, Alexander's career slid into obscurity, despite the 1963
success singer Steve Alaimo had with Arthur's soulful lament "Every
Day I Have To Cry." Subsequent singles failed to make a dent in the
charts and in 1965, Dot ended its relationship with Alexander.

Fading in and out of the public eye, due to illness and substance
use, Alexander did release "I Need You Baby" in 1968 and a trio of
singles for the label Sound Stage 7 — 1968's "Love's Where Life
Begins," 1969's "Another Place, Another Time" and 1970's "Cry Like A
Baby" — followed, but none of them sparked a resurgence.
In 1971, Alexander took a job as a staff songwriter at Nashville's
Combine Music, joining such talents as Kris Kristofferson, Tony Joe
White, Donnie Fritts and Billy Swan. Combine helped get Alexander a
recording deal with Warner Bros., but the album he recorded for the
label went nowhere commercially, and Alexander eventually went back
home to Florence, signing to Buddah. He went back to Muscle Shoals to
cut his own version of "Every Day I Have To Cry" and it became a
minor hit, but again, his career stalled.

Alexander went into exile from the music industry around the mid-`70s
and carved out a simple life for himself in Cleveland, driving a bus
and finding religion.

In 1992, Kahn was working for the Elektra/Nonsuch label on its
American Explorer series — a short-lived excavation of roots artists
mostly ignored in their prime — when he got word that Alexander was
performing again in a rare appearance at a songwriter's series at New
York City's Bottom Line nightclub.

"So, I went there, and it was just so moving to see him onstage, to
hear his story, although he was out of shape — to hear him sing, it
just rang true," says Kahn.

Excited by the prospect of working with Alexander, Kahn called
Vaughn — the two have a longstanding partnership that extends back to
when Kahn managed the Violent Femmes and Vaughn opened for them — the
next day.

"He said, `You're not going to believe who I saw last night.' I don't
know, `Hitler?' I said (laughs). Surprise me,'" says Vaughn. "And he
said, `Arthur Alexander,' and I said, `Whoa, that's even more of a
surprise' because Hitler might still be alive. I've heard rumors,"
Vaughn joked.

"But I said, `Arthur Alexander?' Are you kidding me?' `Yeah, yeah …'
and he said, `I'll keep you updated. I'm thinking of doing something
with him."

A month later, Kahn sent Vaughn to Cleveland to meet Alexander and
see if he was up to making a record. Part of the assignment was to
convince Alexander to record again, but patience was needed.
"Arthur was a very sensitive and cautious person at that point in his
life," says Kahn. "He'd been burned by the business. He'd totally
dropped out — that's a whole other story — and I don't think he was
even thinking about getting back into it, or even wanted to."

Vaughn went and the two got to know each other by playing music.
Initially, though, Alexander wasn't keen on the idea of getting back
into music.

"He was excited to be given the opportunity to sing again and be in
the studio again, but his dealings with the business had been so
disappointing for him, and he also associated it with his lack of
self-control when he was younger, as far as drugs and alcohol," says
Vaughn. "They were kind of married in his mind. So, psychologically,
he had defined his experience in the music business as a negative
thing, and his personal life at the time had a lot of negativity too.
So, getting him to leave the safe harbor of Cleveland, Ohio, was
something he wanted to make sure wasn't going to be taken away."

As things progressed, trust was established.

"The way I looked at it was, `Arthur, nobody is trying to make you do
anything,'" says Kahn. "It's your choice. I just want you to meet all
of the people involved, `cause they're good people, and you can make
your choice. So, it took some time for him to feel comfortable enough
that the rug from the life he had put together for himself at that
point wasn't being taken out from under him. You know, like it wasn't
a slew of a new round of lies and cheats and false promises."

Feeling comfortable with the arrangement, Alexander went into the
studio with Vaughn, who, along with Kahn, assembled a number of
Alexander's old friends — among them, Penn, Fritts, guitar master
Reggie Young, Thomas Cain and Mike Leech — to help him make his first
new record in 20 years.

What came out of those sessions were beautiful, glowing recordings
that made both Kahn and Vaughn smile from ear to ear.
"Oh boy, we kicked off with `It's Really Gotta Be This Way' in the
studio, and when that came through the speakers, Danny and I looked
at each other, and we were just beaming like 8-year-old kids,"
relates Vaughn. "Like, `God, that's Arthur Alexander, and that's a
great band, and all the mics are where they ought to be, and this is
really happening. This is like Christmas morning. Boy, it was a
beautiful moment, all the instincts we had being proven right within
a second."

Vaughn loved working with Alexander.

"He was great, really great, really great," says Vaughn. "Easy going
and appreciative, and I think the years of being away and finding
God, compounding with whatever anger or difficult behavior he had in
the past, luckily I saw none of that. He really was a gentle giant,
willing to sing as many times as he needed to sing."

Being careful not to overwhelm Alexander, Kahn approached managing
his comeback with caution, despite a gathering storm of interest
surrounding the project.

"One opportunity at a time was the way Danny worked with him, which
was brilliant," says Vaughn, "because if you said, `Here's how I see
the next year for you,' he would have run away screaming."
Alexander played the South by Southwest Music festival in Austin,
Texas, and did Fresh Air. More was planned, but Alexander died before
it all could be put in motion.

Now, comes the reissue of Alexander's last recordings, paired with a
live recording of "Anna" from the Bottom Line show, the Fresh Air
performance and interview clips, and demos of Lonely Just Like Me
cuts "Johnny Heartbreak," "Genie In The Jug" and the title track
Alexander recorded with Vaughn onto a cassette in a hotel room.

"I think people will get a really good feeling of what this comeback
could have been if Arthur had lived," says Vaughn. "Things were
really moving fast. The reaction to the record was immediate. Every
promoter wanted to book him, and every interviewer wanted to
interview him. When we went to South by Southwest and sat in with
Jimmie Dale Gilmore at the Broken Spoke, the reaction was so huge,
and the amount of people who wanted to interview him, (Alexander) was
stunned. Arthur was really, really surprised that what he had done so
long ago had any lasting effect at all."

Vaughn still misses him.

"This is one I still haven't shaken off yet," says Vaughn. "When I
hear his voice, when I hear this record, it about tears me up. Every
time I listen to it, I'm just devastated.

"He was a smart guy, great writer, a fantastic songwriter. You listen
to something like `In the Middle Of It All' and listen to the lyrics
of that, and that is cinematic what he's doing. And his intelligence
… He came up through Muscle Shoals and soul music, I guess, and
country and all that, and it wasn't expected for him to us his
intelligence as much as he could have, but he was really smart about
what was right for himself and what would upset his peace of mind. He
understood balance at the end of his life."

fans of A. A.:

Golmine magazine has a really nice article about Arthur Alexander in
the current issue: November 23, 2007, Vol. 33, Number 24, issue #713.
Here is a link to complete article from the magazine's website:

http://www.goldminemag.com/Default.aspx?
tabid=825&articleid=8670&articlemid=4972#4972Articles

You better read this pretty soon because they archive the articles
regularly.

If you are interested in the magazine including subscriptions go here:

www.goldminemag.com

Subscribers can also see the online edition of the magazine which
includes all pages, articles, pics, and ads.

Mark Dillman

Thanks for all that, Mark.

The Warners album is exactly the same as mine - a big
ring mark on the sleeve!  That is a great photo of AA,
by the way.  It should be up for consideration next
time there's a discussion about great record sleeves.

Cheers
Norman
--- Mark Dillman <daddyodilly@...> wrote:

> Arthur Alexander fans:
>
> I finally did what I've been meaning to do ever
> since this Yahoo Group
> started!  I photographed my Arthur LP covers and
> scanned my CD booklets
> and 45 labels.

__________________________________________________
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----- Original Message -----

From: Mark Dillman

To: arthur_alexander@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 3:24 AM

Subject: [arthur_alexander] "Where Have You Been..."

Have we determined the recording date and release date for
Arthur's "Where Have You Been All My Life"? I'm not sure if Arthur or
Gene Vincent recorded it first or who else may have recorded it before
either of them. I really like both. They have very similar
arrangements.

Mark Dillman

----- Original Message -----

From: Mark Dillman

To: arthur_alexander@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 3:30 AM

Subject: [arthur_alexander] seems to work now

During the second and third weeks of October I tried repeatedly to post
message to this Yahoo Group and they never showed up. Did anyone else
have similar problems? I tried both posting on the Group site and
through email. Might this have been a glitch at Yahoo?

Mark Dillman

During the second and third weeks of October I tried repeatedly to post
message to this Yahoo Group and they never showed up.  Did anyone else
have similar problems?  I tried both posting on the Group site and
through email.  Might this have been a glitch at Yahoo?

Mark Dillman

Arthur Alexander fans:

I finally did what I've been meaning to do ever since this Yahoo Group
started!  I photographed my Arthur LP covers and scanned my CD booklets
and 45 labels.  You can see them in the "Photos" section of this Yahoo
Group in the folder entitled "Daddy-o Dilly".  Here is a link:

http://launch.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/arthur_alexander/photos

I have a modest collection of Arthur Alexander tunes and I thought I'd
share them with you.  This project gave me the opportunity to try out
my new scanner.  It is amazing what you can do when you get an extra
day off from work.

Mark Dillman