Lowell Fulson
Lowell Fulson was an American blues guitarist and songwriter, in the West Coast blues tradition. He also recorded for contractual reasons as Lowell Fullsom and Lowell Fulsom. After T-Bone Walker, he was the most important figure in West Coast blues in the 1940s and 1950s.
Early life
Fulson was born on a Choctaw reservation in Atoka, Oklahoma to Mamie and Martin Fulson. He stated that he was of Cherokee ancestry through his father but also claimed Choctaw ancestry. His father was killed when Lowell was a child, and a few years later he moved with his mother and brothers to live in Clarita and attended school at Coalgate.Career
At the age of eighteen, he moved to Ada, Oklahoma, and joined Alger "Texas" Alexander for a few months in 1940, but later moved to California, where he formed a band which soon included a young Ray Charles and the tenor saxophone player Stanley Turrentine. He recorded for Swing Time Records in the 1940s, Chess Records in the 1950s, Kent Records in the 1960s, and Rounder Records in the 1970s.Fulson was drafted in 1943 and served in the U.S. Navy until 1945.
His most memorable and influential recordings include "3 O'Clock Blues" ; "Every Day I Have the Blues", written by Memphis Slim; "Lonesome Christmas"; "Reconsider Baby", recorded by Elvis Presley in 1960, by Eric Clapton in 1994 for his album From the Cradle, and by Joe Bonamassa; and "Tramp", co-written with Jimmy McCracklin and later covered by Otis Redding with Carla Thomas, ZZ Top, Alex Chilton, and Tav Falco.
"Reconsider Baby" came from a long-term contract agreed with Chess Records in 1954. It was recorded in Dallas under the supervision of Stan Lewis with a saxophone section that included David "Fathead" Newman on tenor and Leroy Cooper on baritone. Jackie Brenston played in Fulson's band between 1952 and 1954.
Fulson stayed with the Checker into 1962, when he moved to Kent Records, based in Los Angeles. His 1965 song "Black Nights" was his first hit in a decade, and "Tramp" did even better, restoring him to R&B stardom.
A show entitled "California Blues: Swingtime Tribute" opened in 1993 at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California, with Fulson, Johnny Otis, Charles Brown, Jay McShann, Jimmy Witherspoon, Jimmy McCracklin and Earl Brown. Fulson's last recording was a duet of "Every Day I Have the Blues" with Jimmy Rogers on the latter's 1999 Atlantic Records release, The Jimmy Rogers All-Stars: Blues, Blues, Blues.
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Lowell Fulson among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.
Death
A resident of Los Angeles, Fulson died in Long Beach, California, in March 1999, at the age of 77. His companion, Tina Mayfield, stated that the causes of death were complications from kidney disease, diabetes, and congestive heart failure. He was the father of four and grandfather of thirteen. Fulson was interred in Inglewood Park Cemetery, in Inglewood, California.Awards and recognition
- 1993: Induction into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame
- 1993: Blues Foundation Hall of Fame, Classics of Blues Recording – Singles or Album Tracks, for "Reconsider Baby"
- 1993: Blues Foundation Blues Music Award, Traditional Album of the Year, for Hold On
- 1993: Rhythm and Blues Foundation, Pioneer Award
- 1995: Grammy Awards, nomination as Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year, for Them Update Blues
- 1995: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, "Reconsider Baby" included in the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll"
- 2010: Blues Foundation Hall of Fame, Classics of Blues Recording – Albums, for Hung Down Head
Partial discography
Charting singles
| Year | Title | Label | R&B Chart no. |
| 1948 | "Three O'Clock Blues" | Down Town | 6 |
| 1949 | "Come Back Baby" | Downbeat | 13 |
| 1950 | "Everyday I Have the Blues" | Swing Time | 3 |
| 1950 | "Blue Shadows" | Swing Time | 1 |
| 1950 | "Lonesome Christmas " | Swing Time | 7 |
| 1950 | "Low Society Blues" | Swing Time | 8 |
| 1951 | "I'm a Night Owl " | Swing Time | 10 |
| 1954 | "Reconsider Baby" | Checker | 3 |
| 1955 | "Loving You" | Checker | 14 |
| 1965 | "Black Nights" | Kent | 11 |
| 1967 | "Tramp" | Kent | 5 |
| 1967 | "Make a Little Love" | Kent | 20 |
| 1967 | "I'm a Drifter" | Kent | 38 |
| 1976 | "Do You Love Me" | Granite | 78 |
Selected albums
| Year | Title | Label |
| 1959 | Back Home Blues | Night Train |
| 1966 | Soul | Kent |
| 1967 | Tramp | Kent |
| 1969 | Now | Kent |
| 1969 | In a Heavy Bag | Jewel |
| 1970 | Hung Down Head | Chess |
| 1971 | Let's Go Get Stoned | Kent |
| 1973 | I've Got the Blues | Jewel |
| 1975 | Lowell Fulson | Arhoolie |
| 1975 | Ol' Blues Singer | Granite |
| 1976 | Lowell Fulson | Chess |
| 1984 | Everyday I Have the Blues | Night Train |
| 1984 | One More Blues | Black & Blue |
| 1988 | San Francisco Blues | Black Lion |
| 1988 | It's a Good Day | Rounder |
| 1992 | Hold On | Bullseye Blues |
| 1995 | Sinner's Prayer | Night Train |
| 1995 | Them Update Blues | Bullseye Blues |
| 1996 | Mean Old Lonesome Blues | Night Train |
| 1997 | The Complete Chess Masters | Chess |
| 2001 | I've Got the Blues | Westside UK |
| 2002 | The Complete Kent Recordings 1964-1968 | P-Vine |
| 2004 | 1946-1953, Vols. 1-4 | JSP |
With John Lee Hooker
- I Feel Good!
- I Wanna Dance All Night''