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Arthur Crudup wrote the song that became Elvis' first hit. He barely got paid

Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup helped invent rock ‘n’ roll. His 1946 song “That’s All Right" would become the first single Elvis Presley ever released.

Despite being dubbed “the father of rock ‘n’ roll,” Crudup received scant songwriting royalties in his lifetime because of a recording contract that funneled the money to his original manager. He was briefly portrayed by Gary Clark Jr. in the 2022 biopic “Elvis” and mentioned last year by a California reparations task force examining the long history of discrimination against African Americans. The 70th anniversary of Presley recording “That’s All Right” is Friday — many historians consider July 5 a cultural milestone — and comes as the state of Virginia plans a highway marker honoring Crudup.

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