Emry Arthur has been played on NTS in shows including Death Is Not The End, featured first on 13 February 2016. Songs played include She Lied To Me, Reuben Oh Reuben and I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow.

Emry Arthur

(Vocals, Guitar, Songwriter)

* Date of Death: August 22, 1967 * Place of Birth: Elk Spring Valley (Wayne County), Kentucky * Place of Death: Indianapolis, Indiana

Emry's father was a collector of songs and his musical brothers Henry and Sam, as well as neighbors Richard Burnett, Leonard Rutherford, and William Rexroat -- who also made recordings -- inspired him to become a musician. The loss of a finger in a hunting accident forced him to play with a simpler, more percussive guitar style. After a move to Indianapolis to find work in 1925, Emry and his brother Henry recorded initially for Vocalion in Chicago on January 17, 1928. In 1929, his wife divorced him and he lost his Vocalion recording contract. Ironically, he relocated to Port Washington, Wisconsin, on the lake shore north of Milwaukee -- and the home of the Wisconsin Chair Company, the parent of Paramount Records -- and Emry found a job at the furniture factory. Eventually, his superiors found out who he was and induced him to record again for Paramount. Emry played guitar on "False Hearted Lover's Blues" with Doc Boggs (which was also released on the rare and arcane "Lonesome Ace (Without A Yodel)" label out of Richlands, Virginia). Emry recorded again for Decca in 1935, but the recordings did not sell well. Discouraged, he left the music business and returned to Indianapolis, where he died in 1967. Emry Arthur left a recorded legacy of nearly 80 sides.

Recordings include: The Little Black Train Is Coming (1928) I Am The Man Of Constant Sorrow (1928) Nobody's Business (1928) Empty Pocket Blues (1928) Train Whistle Blues (1928) Mouth Harp Blues(1929) Frankie Baker Pts 1 & 2 (1929) Prison Bound Blues (1929) I Got Drunk And I Got Married (1929) The Bluefield Murder (1929) The Bloodstained Dress (1929) I Tickled Her Under The Chin (1931) Short Life Of Trouble (1931) Six Months In Jail Ain't Long (1935)