That's All Right, Mama

Song composer(s)

Crudup, Arthur

Grateful Dead Recordings

Not recorded by the Dead

Dead Related Recordings

Live At The Keystone Vol 2 : Saunders/Garcia/Kahn/Vitt (1973)

Other Recordings

Single : Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup (194?)
Single : Elvis Presley -with Scotty and Bill (1954)
For LP Fans Only : Elvis Presley (1959)
Mean Ol' Frisco : Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup (1960)
That's Alright Mama : Big Boy Crudup (1961)
Guitar That Changed The World : Scotty Moore (1964)
Best Of Junior Parker : Junior Parker (1966)
Blues For Elvis - Albert King Does The King's Thing : Albert King (1970)
Elvis, That's The Way It Is Soundtrack : Elvis Presley (1970)
Future Blues : Canned Heat (1970)
Every Picture Tells A Story : Rod Stewart (1971)
The Father Of Rock & Roll : Arthur Crudup (1972)
Long Tall Sally : Carl Perkins (1977)
In Concert : Elvis Presley (1977)
Ol' Waylon : Waylon Jennings (1977)
Elvis! Soundtrack : Elvis Presley (1979)
The Old Gang : Sonny Burgess (1981)
The Last Detail : Warren Smith (1981)
Elvis, Scotty & Bill: The First Year : Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore, & Bill Black (1984)
Rockin' Rollin' Robbins : Marty Robbins (1985)
Live at "Newport in New York" : Various Artists (Arthur Crudup) (1989)
Black Claw & Country Fever : Albert Lee (1991)
Raging Harlem Hit Parade : Various Artists (Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup) (1991)
King Of Rock 'n' Roll - The Complete 50s Masters : Elvis Presley (1992)
Charly Blues Masterworks (Box Set) : Various Artists (Arthur Crudup) (1994)
King Of The Blues : Freddie King (1995)
Chicago Blues Masters, Vol. 2 : Jimmie Rogers (1995)
Off Yonder Wall : Jelly Roll Kings (1997)
Platinum - A Life In Music : Elvis Presley (1997)
Undiscovered - The Early Years : Albert Lee (1997)
Keepers : Merl Saunders (1997)
Complete Sun Sessions : Elvis Presley (19??)
Cruisin' Deuces : Danny Gatton (19??)

Notes

Lead vocals - Garcia.

Real name That's All Right. Often appears on records as That's Alright or That's Alright Mama.

Originally recorded by Crudup on Sept. 6th 1946

Possibly based on lines from That Black Snake Moan by Blind Lemon Jefferson.

Mama that's alright, Mama that's alright for you,
Mama that's alright, Mama that's alright for you,
Mama that's alright won't you know where you do.

The song is most famous for being Elvis Presley's first released single. It was recorded during an unsuccessful session recording ballad material. During a break, according to Scotty Moore the guitarist on the session;

"All of a sudden Elvis started singing a song, jumping around, acting the fool, and then Bill [Black] picked up his bass and started acting the fool too, and I started playing with them. Sam [Philips] had the door to the control booth open .... he stuck his head out and said, 'What're you doing?' We said, 'We don't know.' 'Well back up,' he said, 'try to find a place to start and do it again.'"

Presley's version was released on Sun (Sun 209) on July 19th 1954 with Blue Moon Of Kentucky as the B-Side.

Recrded at least three times by Bob Dylan (in 1962, 1963 and 1969) but no version released.