Emry Arthur

Emry Arthur (c. 1900 in Elk Spring Valley, Kentucky – 1966 in Indianapolis, Indiana) was an American Old-time musician. Arthur played an early version of the song Man of Constant Sorrow in 1928.

Childhood and youth

Emry Arthur was born around the turn of the century in the Elk Spring Valley in Wayne County, Kentucky. His father collected old traditional songs from Kentucky and the entire family was known for their music in the area. Arthur learned guitar himself, but later had a simpler, more percussive style of playing time than usual because he had lost a finger in a hunting accident, and as a result could not reach to play chord properly on the guitar.[1] He performed early on with his brothers Sam and Henry, who played fiddle and banjo.

Career

In the mid-1920s, Arthur moved to Indianapolis to find work. He earned his money with different jobs, but pursued the goal of pursuing a career as a musician. Burnett and Rutherford, who were in his home state of Kentucky inspired him. Together with Arthur's brother Henry in 1928, he traveled to Chicago and recorded his first session for Vocalion Records when he first recorded Man of Constant Sorrow. Arthur performed the song with guitar and banjo accompanied by banjoist Dock Boggs.[1] The records sold well, so Arthur was invited back to the studio. In 1929 he returned with William Rexroat to take more pictures. Not only traditional songs were interesting for Arthur, but also blues and self-written material. For example, he took two of his compositions Manager WE Myer, Sunshine and Shadows, and True Love Divine, later on for Paramount. He also worked for Dock Boggs on the Lonesome Ace session guitarist and as a singer played for Floyd Thompson's band, The Home Towners. On his second he lost due to the economic depression of his contract with Vocalion. Frustrated, Arthur moved to Port Washington, Wisconsin, where he was working at the Wisconsin Chair Company. The company owned Paramount Records, and as Arthur's superiors learned who he was, they switched on to the record label. Here Arthur took on more songs, but they sold very poorly and Paramount soon closed it. Arthur then moved back to Indianapolis, where he spent the rest of his life. He made his last recordings in 1935 for Decca Records, which also sold poorly. Then Arthur retired from the music business. He died in 1966 in Indianapolis. Unlike many other folk musicians of his time pursuing his career Arthur determined, however, focused only on the record store and almost was heard on the radio.

References

  1. 1 2 Greil Marcus (2010). Bob Dylan by Greil Marcus: Writings 1968-2010. PublicAffairs,U.S. p. 394. ISBN 9781586489199.
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