Arthur Alexander - Songs

ABOUT

Arthur Alexander (May 10, 1940 - June 9, 1993) was a highly acclaimed and influential R&B/soul singer-songwriter who became famous during the early 1960s. Alexander's poignant "Anna (Go To Him)," the song for which he is best known, was featured in an episode of the TV sitcom, "Married With Children," in which Al Bundy goes crazy trying to name this tune. This episode of "Married With Children" was an inspiration for this website.

Born in Florence, Alabama, he released his first single, "Sally Sue Brown" (1960), on Judd Records as June Alexander (short for Junior) and soon after became among the first to record at Rick Hall's FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals. Arthur Alexander had his first charting song in 1962 with "You Better Move On," which made the Pop/Rock Top 40. This smash was followed by several other mostly self-penned hits on both the R&B and Pop/Rock charts that include "Where Have You Been (All My Life)" (1962), "Anna (Go To Him)" (1962), "Go Home Girl" (1963), "Pretty Girls Everywhere" (1963), "Every Day I Have To Cry Some" (1975), and "Sharing The Night Together" (1976), the latter of which became a Top 10 hit for Dr. John in 1979.

Although Alexander's career as a performing artist, which peaked in the early 1960s, was somewhat short-lived, his influence on other bands and artists was fairly wide-reaching. He is the only songwriter whose songs have been covered by The Beatles ("Anna (Go To Him)"), The Rolling Stones ("You Better Move On"), and Bob Dylan ("Sally Sue Brown"), as well as by numerous other top acts.

Alexander attempted to make a comeback in the early 1990s which, unfortunately, was cut short by his early passing. Read our interview with Richard Younger, author of "Get A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues: The Arthur Alexander Story," for more information about this oldies music icon.

LINKS

MERCHANDISE

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SONGS

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Arthur Alexander

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