The Greatest

For every rock ’n’ roller with a hard-luck tale about paying dues, there are 50 soul shouters for whom phrases like “the real deal” were invented—the ones who bottlenecked abject poverty and racism and oppression into song. So it’s no wonder The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, The Bee Gees, and Bob Dylan (the 14 best white guys in pop history) all covered Arthur Alexander’s songs—they heard his authenticity and understood it, learned from it, dug it. Versions of Alexander's songs by The Beatles (“Anna” and “Soldier of Love”) and The Stones (“You Better Move On”) sound downright Anglo next to Alexander's, though both Lennon and Jagger got Alexander’s phrasing down. This collection rounds up the best of the singer’s early-'60s output recorded in Memphis for Dot Records (including lots of overlooked gems like the soul-country stinger “A Shot of Rhythm and Blues” and the bummed-lover jam “I Wonder Where You Are Tonight”). It’s a tough survey of songs and history, more profound with the knowledge that this 6’4” Alabama singer wound up driving a bus and is barely a footnote in music history.