Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Between Midnight and Day The Last Unpublished Archive by Va.'s Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup and a legacy of the blues. Jane Cabarrus, owner of the Do-Drop Inn, talks about how her establishment makes a positive contribution to the community. Jonas (left) and James Crudup rehearse at the Gidden’s Do-Drop Inn in Weirwood, Va. (Photo: Billy Sturgis image) The opening chords of ’s cover of “That’s All Right (Mama)” ring out and call to mind images of the legendary jet-black pompadour, cuban collared shirts and hysterical, fainting crowds of wooed women. Rarely, to most, does the song conjure visions of migrant workers or legal battles. The disparity of these realities plagued the song’s original author, Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, for much of his life as white artists and music executives profited from his talents while he lived penniless on ’s Eastern Shore. “Down in Tupelo, Mississippi, I used to hear old 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,' " said Presley in a 1956 interview with the Charlotte Observer. Crudup’s legacy lived on after his death through his bloodline and a rich body of work covered by the likes of legendary musicians Eric Clapton, Creedence Clearwater Revival, , Jerry Garcia and Otis Redding, but an exact account of the 6-foot-5-inch musician’s annals is hard to come by and best amassed through yellowing newspaper articles, rabbitholes of blues anthologies and bits of hearsay. Born in 1905 in Forest, Mississippi, the man who has been called the “Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll” didn’t learn to play a until his early 30s. Discovered in by blues producer , Crudup recorded his first song “If I Get Lucky” in 1941 with RCA/Victor’s . Crudup would record many original hits with Bluebird until 1952. Crudup, who signed the copyrights to these hits over to Melrose through Wabash Music Co. as was routine of many blues artists, would receive scant royalty checks for these smashes. Crudup subsidized the meager compensation by brewing moonshine and laboring in the fields of Northampton County’s unincorporated community of Franktown after retiring to Virginia. At one point, Crudup even started his own business transporting migrant workers between Virginia and Florida, according to his marker on the . A Philadelphia-based promoter named Dick Waterman took an interest in Crudup in the late 60s, booking the justifiably cautious musician shows around the world in Europe, Australia, Hawaii, England and Scotland. By 1973, Crudup was touring with , Freebo and Little Feat along with “Mississippi” John Hurt, John Lee Hooker and along with a handful of other black, male musicians who found footing after World War II. The Gidden’s Do-Drop Inn will host the third annual tribute to Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup at Giddens' Do Drop Inn in Weirwood, Virginia in September. Nearing his dues. At 68, Crudup came close to reaching an agreement with Hill & Range, the publishing house that Melrose had turned Wabash Music over to before his death, that then held the rights to Crudup’s hits. John Carter, a lawyer with the American Guild of Authors and Composers, aimed to secure a $60,000 check for back royalties as well as secure future royalties but the deal fell through when higher powers decided that it was more than Crudup would win in litigation against Melrose’s widow. A black man suing an elderly white widow was not a case in which success was highly likely. “Naked I come into this world and naked I shall leave it,” said Dick Waterman, Crudup’s booking agent, who recounted Crudup saying that line following the meeting in “Between Midnight and Day: The Last Unpublished Blues Archive.” Tom Parks, James Crudup, Tim Drummond, Jonas Crudup and Denzil "Dumpy" Rice at the Gidden’s Do-Drop Inn in Weirwood, Va. (Photo: Billy Sturgis image) Crudup returned to Franktown and died in March 1974 in Nassawadox following a stroke. Waterman, motivated by the lack of regard for Crudup’s legacy, teamed up with lawyer Ina Meibach to finally secure royalties for Crudup’s estate following the funeral. The estate has been paid more than $3 million in royalties, since. An enduring legacy. The Crudup legacy lived on through modern reincarnations of his many hit songs but also through the Crudup bloodline. His sons James, Jonas and George formed a band called the Malibus in 1970, touring east of the Mississippi and opening for acts such as Wilson Pickett and even occasionally Arthur, himself. “I went with him alone a couple of times,” said Jonas Crudup, in a 1996 edition of the Eastern Shore News. “On one tour we were at the Lincoln Center (Manhattan) and I was up on stage playing in front of a crowd with my father and B.B. King.” Billy Sturgis, an Eastern Shore native and avid blues fan, had spent much of the 1990s searching for the remaining Crudups. “Big Boy” Crudup didn’t have a headstone to mark his grave in Franktown. His grave had remained unmarked for years and Sturgis and the blues community intended to do something about it. Ultimately, Jonas Crudup found Sturgis in the office of his record label Warehouse Creek Records. The two began the conversation that led to the 2000 production of “Franktown Blues,” a collection of original “Big Boy” Crudup songs and originals by the former Malibus, themselves. “As they say, the fruit didn’t fall far from the tree,” Sturgis said. The album was nominated for a 2002 W.C. Handy Blues Award in the category of Best New Artist Debut from Memphis-based nonprofit The Blues Foundation. “It turned out to be something I’m very proud of as far as releases,” Sturgis said. James Crudup during rehearsal at the Gidden’s Do-Drop Inn in Weirwood, Va. (Photo: Billy Sturgis image) The album is the second of three blues albums produced by Warehouse Creek Records. The first was "Nothing Nice” by Guitar Slim Jr., son of blues legend Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones. The third, an album called “Hi-Fi Baby” by longtime Jimmy Buffett band member Greg “Fingers” Taylor was released in 2003. The album, Sturgis said, was truly born at Weirwood’s Do-Drop Inn, one of the oldest continually owned and operated African-American businesses on Virginia's Eastern Shore. Built in 1967 by Lloyd Henry Giddens with building materials from the recently torn-down home of a white man, the former jukejoint is now maintained by Giddens’ daughter Jane Cabarrus. “Big Boy” Crudup had frequented the establishment in its heyday, sometimes playing to the crowds of predominately African-American patrons who were excluded from other venues in the 1960s and other times sitting quietly on a bar stool and watching the Malibus rock the night away. He also served as the "money man," said Cabarrus, collecting $3 per patron at the door. "He knew what he was about but the majority of us didn’t know how great 'Big Boy' was," she said. "He was going all over to do his music. He would take his old, beat up guitar and catch his bus and go on." It was natural that the Do-Drop Inn would serve as the birthplace of "Franktown Blues." "The Do-Drop Inn was the rehearsal hall," Sturgis said. "The vibe of the place is just so fabulous. You walk through the doors and you just feel . something." Why they call it the blues. Crudup’s sons had their own fair share of strife despite the success of the record. “Gather ‘round, let me tell you a story,” croons Jonas Crudup on the album’s namesake track, “about Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup and those little Crudups: George, James and Jonas Crudup, and how they loved to play the Franktown Blues.” James and George Crudup were arrested in 1974. James was charged with robbing the then National Bank of Northampton in Nassawadox while George was charged with possession of marijuana. James was still incarcerated when the idea for their record originated. Jonas Arthur Crudup passed away in 2004 from lung cancer and at the age of 55. James, the youngest brother, died of complications from diabetes during the recording of "Franktown Blues." The oldest brother, George, is hard to account for these days. At 76, he doesn’t play music any more. “I gave that up 15, 20 years ago,” he said. “I was getting too old to play music, I guess.” The living Crudup brother spends most days watching TV at his home in Apopka, Florida. “It was a blues family,” said Sturgis, recalling the rough-and-tumble lifestyle of the talented progenies and their propensity to compose and record music on the spot. “It was that kind of magic and spontaneity that allowed this record to come into being,” he said. “It was a one-time shot, unfortunately." Waterman, Dick. PERSONAL: Male. Education: Studied journalism at Boston University. ADDRESSES: Home and office —P.O. Box 1475, Oxford, MS 38555. E-mail —[email protected] CAREER: Founder of Avalon Productions (talent agency); has worked as a talent agent and promoter for blues musicians, and as a journalist. Exhibitions: Photography exhibited at A Gallery for Fine Photography, New Orleans, LA, and Govinda Gallery, Washington, DC. AWARDS, HONORS: Inducted into , 2000. WRITINGS: (And photographer) Between Midnight and Day: The Last Unpublished Blues Archive , preface by Bonnie Raitt, Thunder's Mouth Press (New York, NY), 2003. (With B.B. King; and photographer) The B.B. King Treasures: Photos, Mementos, and Music from B.B. King's Collection (includes audio CD), additional photographs by B.B. King, introduction by Charles Sawyer, Bulfinch Press (New York, NY), 2005. SIDELIGHTS: Dick Waterman is a journalist and photographer who became involved in representing blues musicians as an agent, manager, and promoter. In doing so, over several decades he has taken countless photographs, which he has included in a database on his Web site. The artists he has managed include such big names as Son House, Skip James, Booker White, Mance Lipscomb, Arthur Crudup, Robert Peter Williams, John Hurt, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Luther Allison, Magic Sam, Otis Rush, and Bonnie Raitt. His photographs include these musicians, as well as others such as Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Etta James, Janis Joplin, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, and the Rolling Stones. Waterman has also promoted the concerts of such artists as Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, and Cat Stevens. The defining event in Waterman's life was meeting Mississippi John Hurt at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival, and Hurt asked Waterman to be his manager. He then traveled to Mississippi with Phil Spiro and Nick Perls and met Son House, a blues singer who had dropped out of the Delta music scene more than two decades earlier. Waterman formed Avalon Productions and began representing blues musicians, most of them older, black, and with families, men who had been victimized by hiring practices and low pay. His was the first agency dedicated entirely to blues performers. He helped musicians, including Son, revive their careers, and helped newcomers find their place in the business. Bonnie Raitt, who was managed by Waterman for fifteen years, wrote in the preface to Between Midnight and Day: The Last Unpublished Blues Archive that "Dick was able to collectively bargain to insure each artist got to play the best gigs and be paid what they deserved. He steadfastly guarded every aspect of his artists's professional life." Waterman is the only person ever named to the Blues Hall of Fame who is neither a musician nor a record company executive. Raitt was there to present him with this honor in 2000. Waterman's book is filled with his best photographs from the huge archive in his Oxford, Mississippi, home; the accompanying text verifies the legendary people and events that were part of the blues revival. The book's uniqueness is derived from the fact that so many of the musicians were personal friends of Waterman, and the author shares their lives and insights into their personalities. Ted Drozdowski wrote in a review for the Portland Phoenix online that "the volume is a graceful and balanced blend of his photos and reminiscences. Both reveal their author's love for the music and, more important, the people who make it." Waterman assisted King with his The B.B. King Treasures: Photos, Mementos, and Music from B.B. King's Collection , which was published in conjunction with King's eightieth birthday. The photo-filled volume comes with a one-hour audio CD of unreleased music and interviews. While there are pictures taken of King, there are others taken by him. Some are of King and such other celebrities as Elvis Presley, Bill Clinton, and the late Pope John Paul II. There are reproductions of King posters, and other paraphernalia, as well. Anthony C. Davis observed in Black Issues Book Review that "the text could stand easily on its own, even without the extras." BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES: PERIODICALS. Black Issues Book Review , September-October, 2005, Anthony C. Davis, review of The B.B. King Treasures: Photos, Mementos, and Music from B.B. King's Collection , p. 18. Booklist , September 1, 2005, Ray Olson, review of The B.B. King Treasures , p. 38. Guitar Player , November, 2005, Andy Ellis, review of The B.B. King Treasures , p. 99. Library Journal , September 1, 2005, Bill Walker, review of The B.B. King Treasures , p. 144. Publishers Weekly , August 22, 2005, review of The B.B. King Treasures , p. 57. Sing Out! , spring, 2004, Elijah Wald, review of Between Midnight and Day: The Last Unpublished Blues Archive , p. 104. ONLINE. Bostonia, Alumni Quarterly of Boston University Online , http://www.bu.edu/alumni/bostonia/ (December 21, 2005), Jean Hennelly Keith, "Images in Blue." Dick Waterman Home Page , http://www.dickwaterman.com (November 28, 2005). Dick Waterman Web log , http://blog.dickwaterman.com (November 28, 2005). Phoenix Online , http://www.portlandphoenix.com/ (February 13, 2004), Ted Drozdowski, review of Between Midnight and Day . Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. MLA Chicago APA. "Waterman, Dick ." Contemporary Authors . . Retrieved April 17, 2021 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational- magazines/waterman-dick. Citation styles. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). Within the “Cite this article” tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. An Interview with legendary photographer Dick Waterman: The Blues will never die but it will never be popular. Photographer, agent, manager, producer, promoter, Richard Waterman is the only person inducted in The Blues Hall of Fame who was not either a performing artist or a record company executive. He established himself in the Blues community as a diligent advocate for the artists and the art of Blues. Waterman is primarily known today as an archivist and photographer of Blues, Country, Rock and Jazz legends from Mississippi John Hurt to Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton. His commitment to documenting the Blues artists he worked with and came into contact with throughout the years is legendary. Waterman studied journalism at Boston University in the . He moved on to write for Broadside Magazine and became its feature editor. In 1963, he began to promote local shows with blues artists including Mississippi John Hurt and Booker "Bukka" White. The next year, he went to Mississippi on a quest that eventually led to the "rediscovery" of legendary blues singer Son House. Following this, he founded Avalon Productions, the first booking agency ever formed to represent blues artists. Within a few years, he was representing House, Hurt, White, Skip James, Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins, Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, Junior Wells, J. B. Hutto and many others. He also promoted concerts by folk and rock acts in the Boston area. In the late 1960s he met a young female guitarist and singer named Bonnie Raitt and persuaded her to begin what has become a long, fruitful music career. As the older blues artists died, Waterman’s responsibilities shifted to taking care of their estates and providing for their heirs. He moved to Oxford, Mississippi, in the 1980s and began a second career publishing the photographs of blues, folk, country and jazz artists that he had been taking since the early 1960s. His book Between Midnight and Day: The Last Unpublished Blues Archive contains about 100 of his photographs from the 1960s onwards. In 1993 Waterman was instrumental in placing a new headstone on the grave of Mississippi Fred McDowell with funding from Bonnie Raitt through the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund. Waterman delivered a stirring tribute to McDowell, an early mentor of younger musicians including Raitt, at the dedication ceremony on August 6, 1993, in Como, Mississippi. Black & White Photos by © Dick Waterman. Mr. Waterman, when was your first desire to become involved in the blues & who were your first idols? I have Dixieland and New Orleans jazz first. I saw Louis Armstrong in 1947 with a great band that included Jack Teagarden and Barney Bigard. Which was the best moment of your career and which was the worst? The best moment is always when someone that you manage has a huge success. The worst times are when a promoter goes broke and your act isn’t going to get paid. What does the BLUES mean to you & what does “photo” offered you? I like that ‘blues’ is not racial between black and white. It is an economic level. Any poor person with misery in their life has the blues. What do you learn about yourself from the photography? What characterize your work & progress? Film photography taught me patience to wait until the precise moment to take the picture. Digital photography is very different because you can shoot shoot shoot and just delete the bad images. Film photographer was all about discipline. What are some of the most memorable concerts you've had? I shot Willie Nelson’s 60 th birthday party in 1993 and it gave me the opportunity to catch more famous artists than any other show I have ever attended. I had Willie, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Marty Stuart, Travis Tritt, Lyle Lovett, Emmylou Harris. B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Paul Simon and many many others. When did you last laughing in concert and why? Shooting music is pretty serious business so there isn’t much humor. Once in a while, an artist will recognize me photographing him and point his finger at me and smile. That’s always very special. Which artists have you worked with & which do you consider the best friend? I have worked with far too many to name here. I really cared for Mississippi John Hurt and Junior Wells and Robert Pete Williams. I have had a close friendship with Bonnie Raitt for over 40 years and she is a very special person. Of all the people you’ve meet, who do you admire the most? Do you mean as a talent? I would say Ray Charles above all. I think that Son House and Van Morrison are great artists. Which of historical music personalities would you like to meet and shoots? Well, Robert Johnson and Charlie Patton would be at the top. Django, of course, and maybe young Elvis. From whom have you have learned the most secrets about blues music & photo? I was already a sports photographer before turning to music. I saw Pele play but I was shooting at that time. I have learned no secrets of blues music which is good because it means that I do not have a favorite style. I love all styles. Who are your favorite blues artists, both old and new? What was the last record you bought? I loved the music of Mississippi John Hurt and Son House and I never get tired of them. My most recent blues CD purchase was Gary Clark, Jr, from Austin, Texas. I think he has the potential to be very great. Some music styles can be fads but the blues is always with us. Why do think that is? Simply because everyone has experienced a time in their life when sadness and loneliness are so great that only being alone with the music can carry you through. How do you see the future of blues music? Give one wish for the BLUES. The blues will never die but it will never be popular or sell a lot of CDs. It takes someone like Eric Clapton to bring the music to a wide audience but that’s not a bad thing because some people will trace the music back to the people who did it first. Clapton’s “From the Cradle” was his effort to have his fans know where his music came from. Is there any similarity between the blues today and the “old days of blues”? The personal feelings remain the same. There is just a different method of delivering these feelings as equipment changes through the years. Are there any memories of all those GREAT MUSICIANS you meet which you’d like to share with us? It’s always interesting to see how famous musicians become meek and timid when they are with their idols. Mick Jagger with Tina Turner, Eric Clapton with Son House, Keith Richards with Hubert Sumlin, Janis Joplin with Big Mama Thornton. This happens all the time. Everyone listens patiently when B. B. King speaks because he has been king for so long. How has the music business changed over the years since you first started in music? Technology always brings change and this is usually for the bad. It is best when the audience and the musician have no barriers between them. How does the blues music come out of the “Between Midnight Day” pages? Well, I’m not sure that it does. That would have to be in the eye of the reader. If you feel closer to the music because of my photography, then I am very honored. What musicians have influenced you most as a photographer & which musician would you rather be? My job as a photographer is NOT to be influenced for the musician. I am there as an observer to come away with an image that represents what the artist is trying to do. What was the first gig you ever went to? Which of your work would you consider to be the best? I saw Louis Armstrong in Boston in 1947 when I was 12 years old. I can remember it very clearly. As to which of my work is my best, that is not my decision to make. Ray Charles was a joy to photograph. John Hurt’s face was beautiful and I miss him very much. How would you describe your contact with the artists when you are “on project”? It’s very different now than it was when I started. There was very little security back then and you had access to the artists. There are so many people guarding the musicians now that I could never have had my career if I was starting now. Which is the most interesting period in your life and why? What advice would you give to aspiring photographers thinking of pursuing a career in the craft? The most interesting period of my life still lies ahead of me. Don’t you think that everyone should feel that way? My advice to new photographers is to get good reliable equipment and take good care of it. Shoot a lot and the most important piece of advice is to get a great filing system so you can always find an old shot when you need to get it again. What do you feel is the key to your success as a photographer? I am patient and I have learned from my mistakes. I will bring my camera up to my eye and wait wait wait for that instant that I know is precisely the time to click the shutter. Who from THE BLUESMEN had the most passion for the image & camera lens? Son House had tremendous emotion and he plunged himself into his performance. He was early in my career but he set a standard for hundreds to come after him. Can music have image and the image to have notes? My career has been to capture the image. I leave it to others to make those decisions. What are some of the most memorable tales from Newport Folk Festival ? Well, the audience could be as large as 18,000 or more so a good appearance there could lead to a great deal of work for the next year and maybe even a recording contract. Seeing how Bob Dylan changed from 1963 to 1964 to 1965 was magical. He went from a young beginner to a major star right before your eyes. Who is a quick review of your work & how do you want to be remembered? I always tried to be an observer on the outside and never intrude. I want to be remembered as someone who did honest work and never used tricks. Which of the artists were the most difficult and which was the most gifted on pickup lens? That has changed over the years. There are many artists now that want total control of what a photographer is trying to do. I have never had anything from Van Morrison but a grim face. But I do not work in the world of Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber so I can’t comment of what they would be like. How important is image to artists? To which person do you want to send one from your photos? Well, image is everything to modern artists because they want to control what is shown to the public. Years ago, artists were happy to play and how they looked was never a consideration. Any of blues standards have any real personal feelings for you & what are some of your favorite? All of the older bluesmen from the Sixties knew that I had a favorite song and they would play it for me. I guess that my special moment was when Mississippi John Hurt would play “My Creole Belle” for me. Between Midnight and Day [Limited Edition] Between Midnight and Day: The Last Unpublished Blues Archive celebrates the rich heritage of one of America’s greatest cultural legacies, the blues. Dick Waterman has been representing and photographing blues artists for over fifty years and in Between Midnight and Day, he collects these rare images, many previously unseen, and illuminates them with his own first-hand commentary offering his unique perspective as an agent, representative, photographer, and friend to some of the most influential figures in American music. Waterman includes personal recollections and 120 color photographs of blues legends like Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Son House, “Mississippi” John Hurt, Skip James, Janis Joplin, B.B. King, Fred McDowell, Bonnie Raitt, Otis Rush, Roosevelt Sykes, Big Mama Thornton, Sippie Wallace, Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Bukka White, and Howlin’ Wolf. Contributors include critically acclaimed music biographer Peter Guralnick, Grammy award-winning musician Bonnie Raitt, and author Chris Murray. About The Author. While studying journalism at Boston University in the late 1960s, Dick Waterman began writing for Broadside magazine where he was exposed to many types of music of the day. By the early 1960s, he had begun to focus on traditional blues music. In 1964, Mr. Waterman, together with Nick Perls and Phil Spiro, rediscovered legendary Delta blues singer Son House living in Rochester, New York. Mr. Waterman later formed Avalon Productions, the first agency devoted exclusively to managing and promoting blues musicians. Between Midnight and Day : The Last Unpublished Blues Archive. DICK WATERMAN founded Avalon Productions in 1964, the first agency devoted exclusively to managing and promoting blues musicians. Waterman has managed a number of legendary blues artists including Son House, Skip James, Bukka White, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, and "Mississippi" John Hurt and has promoted concerts by Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, John Lee Hooker, and many others. He is the only non-performer in the Blues Hall of Fame.