Lowell Fulson
Encyclopedia
Lowell Fulson was a big-voiced blues
guitarist
and songwriter
, in the West Coast blues
tradition. Fulson was born in Tulsa
, Oklahoma
. He also recorded for business reasons as Lowell Fullsom and Lowell Fulsom. After T-Bone Walker
, Fulson was the most important figure in West Coast blues in the 1940s and 1950s.
reservation in Oklahoma. Fulson stated that he was of Cherokee
ancestry through his father, but he also claimed Choctaw ancestry. 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
, forming a band which soon included a young Ray Charles
and tenor saxophone
player, Stanley Turrentine
. He recorded for Swing Time Records
in the 1940s, Chess Records
(on the Checker
label) in the 1950s, Kent Records
in the 1960s, and Rounder Records
(Bullseye) in the 1970s.
Fulson was drafted
in 1943, but left the United States Navy
in 1945.
His most memorable and influential recordings included: "Three O'Clock Blues" (now a blues standard
); the Memphis Slim
-penned "Everyday I Have the Blues"; "Lonesome Christmas"; "Reconsider Baby
" recorded in 1960 by Elvis Presley
and in 1994 by Eric Clapton
for his From the Cradle
album as well as by Joe Bonamassa
); and "Tramp" (co-written with Jimmy McCracklin
and later covered by Otis Redding
with Carla Thomas
, ZZ Top
(on 2003's Mescalero
), 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 Stan Lewis' supervision 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 label
into 1962, when he moved to the Los Angeles
-based Kent Records. 1965's "Black Nights" became his first hit in a decade, and "Tramp," did even better, restoring the guitarist to R&B stardom.
In 1993 at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California
a show entitled "California Blues - Swingtime Tribute" opened with Fulson plus 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."
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
.
, a biopic of Ray Charles
, Fulson was portrayed by the blues musician Chris Thomas King
. ZZ Top
's 2003 release Mescalero
included their version of "Tramp", citing Fulson's guitar prowess as an inspiration to recreate the song. Redman's 1993 single
"Time 4 Sum Aksion
" contains a sample
from Fulson's song, "Tramp", as does "How I Could Just Kill A Man" from Cypress Hill. "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?
", as performed by Fulson, appeared on the soundtrack
to the 2007 crime film
, American Gangster. Fulson originally covered
The Beatles
' song
on his 1970 album, In A Heavy Bag. Salt-n-Pepa
recorded a contemporary version of "Tramp" in 1987, on their Hot, Cool & Vicious
album. A cover of Fulson's song "Sinner's Prayer" appeared both on Eric Clapton
's From the Cradle
(1994) and on Ray Charles
' final album, Genius Loves Company
(2004).
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, in the West Coast blues
West Coast blues
The West Coast blues is a type of blues music characterized by jazz and jump blues influences, strong piano-dominated sounds and jazzy guitar solos, which originated from Texas blues players relocated to California in the 1940s...
tradition. Fulson was born in Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. He also recorded for business reasons as Lowell Fullsom and Lowell Fulsom. After T-Bone Walker
T-Bone Walker
Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker was a critically acclaimed American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who was one of the most influential pioneers and innovators of the jump blues and electric blues sound. He is the first musician recorded playing blues with the...
, Fulson was the most important figure in West Coast blues in the 1940s and 1950s.
Career
According to some sources, Fulson was born on a ChoctawChoctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
reservation in Oklahoma. Fulson stated that he was of Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
ancestry through his father, but he also claimed Choctaw ancestry. At the age of eighteen, he moved to Ada, Oklahoma
Ada, Oklahoma
Ada is a city in and the county seat of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 16,008 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, the city population was estimated at 17,019....
, and joined Alger "Texas" Alexander for a few months in 1940, but later moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, forming a band which soon included a young Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
and tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
player, Stanley Turrentine
Stanley Turrentine
Stanley William Turrentine, also known as "Mr. T" or "The Sugar Man", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.-Biography:Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family...
. He recorded for Swing Time Records
Swing Time Records
Swing Time Records was a United States based record label, active in the 1940s. The label was founded by Jack Lauderdale in 1947 and was headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Swing Time went bankrupt in 1953....
in the 1940s, Chess Records
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
(on the Checker
Checker Records
Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary to Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran the label until they sold it to General Recorded Tape in 1969, shortly before Leonard's death.The label...
label) in the 1950s, Kent Records
Kent Records
Kent Records was a Los Angeles based record label, launched in the 1960s by the Bihari brothers. It was a follow up to the bankrupted Modern Records and reissued Modern's records. It was later bought by Ace Records, England, which used the label name to release Northern Soul records.The label...
in the 1960s, and Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
(Bullseye) in the 1970s.
Fulson was drafted
Conscription in the United States
Conscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War...
in 1943, but left the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in 1945.
His most memorable and influential recordings included: "Three O'Clock Blues" (now a blues standard
Blues standard
A blues standard is a blues song that is widely known, performed, and recorded by blues artists. The following list identifies blues standards and some of the blues artists that have recorded them...
); the Memphis Slim
Memphis Slim
Memphis Slim was an American blues pianist, singer, and composer. He led a series of bands that, reflecting the popular appeal of jump blues, included saxophones, bass, drums, and piano. A song he first cut in 1947, "Every Day I Have the Blues", has become a blues standard, recorded by many other...
-penned "Everyday I Have the Blues"; "Lonesome Christmas"; "Reconsider Baby
Reconsider Baby
"Reconsider Baby" is a blues song written and recorded by Lowell Fulson in 1954. Performed in the West Coast blues style, it became Fulson's first record chart hit for Checker Records, a subsidiary of Chess Records...
" recorded in 1960 by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
and in 1994 by Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
for his From the Cradle
From the Cradle
From the Cradle is a blues cover album by Eric Clapton. Released on 13 September 1994 by Reprise Records, the album was Eric Clapton's long awaited follow-up to his massively-successful live album, Unplugged...
album as well as by Joe Bonamassa
Joe Bonamassa
Joe Bonamassa is an American blues rock guitarist and singer.-Early life:Bonamassa was born and raised in New Hartford, United States. His parents owned and ran a guitar shop. He is a fourth-generation musician...
); and "Tramp" (co-written with Jimmy McCracklin
Jimmy McCracklin
Jimmy McCracklin is an American pianist, vocalist, and songwriter. His style contains West Coast blues, Jump blues, and R&B. Over a career that has spanned seven decades, he says he has written almost a thousand songs and has recorded hundreds of them...
and later covered by Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
with Carla Thomas
Carla Thomas
Carla Thomas is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. She is the daughter of Rufus Thomas.-Childhood:...
, ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
(on 2003's Mescalero
Mescalero (album)
Mescalero is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band ZZ Top. It was released on April 15, 2003 as the band's final release for RCA Records. While the band still retained their foundation in blues music, Mescalero explored genres like country, Tejano...
), Alex Chilton
Alex Chilton
William Alexander "Alex" Chilton was an American songwriter, guitarist, singer and producer, best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star...
, and Tav Falco
Tav Falco
Tav Falco is an American-born musical performer, performance artist, actor, filmmaker, and photographer. He has led the psychedelic rock-and-roll group Tav Falco's Panther Burns since 1979...
.
"Reconsider Baby" came from a long term contract agreed with Chess Records in 1954. It was recorded in Dallas under Stan Lewis' supervision with a saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
section that included David "Fathead" Newman
David Newman (jazz musician)
David "Fathead" Newman was an American jazz saxophonist.-Biography:Born in Corsicana, Texas, Newman's professional career as a musician began in 1954 as a member of the Ray Charles Band....
on tenor
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
and Leroy Cooper on baritone
Baritone saxophone
The baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
.
Jackie Brenston
Jackie Brenston
Jackie Brenston was an African American R&B singer and saxophonist, who recorded, with Ike Turner's band, the first version of the proto-rock and roll song "Rocket 88".-Biography:...
played in Fulson's band between 1952 and 1954.
Fulson stayed with the Checker label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
into 1962, when he moved to the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based Kent Records. 1965's "Black Nights" became his first hit in a decade, and "Tramp," did even better, restoring the guitarist to R&B stardom.
In 1993 at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
a show entitled "California Blues - Swingtime Tribute" opened with Fulson plus Johnny Otis
Johnny Otis
Johnny Otis is an American singer, musician, talent scout, disc jockey, composer, arranger, recording artist, record producer, vibraphonist, drummer, percussionist, bandleader, and impresario.He is commonly referred to as The Godfather Of Rhythm And Blues.-Personal life:Otis, the son of Alexander...
, Charles Brown
Charles Brown (musician)
Charles Brown , born in Texas City, Texas was an American blues singer and pianist whose soft-toned, slow-paced blues-club style influenced the development of blues performance during the 1940s and 1950s...
, Jay McShann
Jay McShann
Jay McShann was an American Grammy Award-nominated jump blues, mainstream jazz, and swing bandleader, pianist and singer....
, Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.-Early life and career:James Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. He first attracted attention singing with Teddy Weatherford's band in Calcutta, India, which made regular radio broadcasts over the U. S. Armed Forces Radio Service during...
, Jimmy McCracklin
Jimmy McCracklin
Jimmy McCracklin is an American pianist, vocalist, and songwriter. His style contains West Coast blues, Jump blues, and R&B. Over a career that has spanned seven decades, he says he has written almost a thousand songs and has recorded hundreds of them...
and Earl Brown
Earl Brown
-External links:* at College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com...
. Fulson's last recording was a duet of "Every Day I Have the Blues" with Jimmy Rogers
Jimmy Rogers
Jimmy Rogers was an American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, best known for his work as a member of Muddy Waters' band of the 1950s.-Career:...
on the latter's 1999 Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
release, "The Jimmy Rogers All-Stars: Blues, Blues, Blues."
A resident of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Fulson died in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, in March 1999, at the age of 77. His companion Tina Mayfield stated that the causes of death were complications from kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
disease, diabetes, and congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
. He was the father of four and grandfather of thirteen.
Fulson was interred in Inglewood Park Cemetery
Inglewood Park Cemetery
Inglewood Park Cemetery was founded in 1905 in Inglewood, California. A number of notable people, including entertainment and sports personalities, have been interred or entombed here.-List of notable and celebrity interments at Inglewood Park:...
, in Inglewood, California
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
.
Contemporary influences
In the 2004 film RayRay (film)
Ray is a 2004 biographical film focusing on 30 years of the life of rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles. The independently produced film was directed by Taylor Hackford and starred Jamie Foxx in the title role; Foxx received an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance.Charles was set to...
, a biopic of Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Fulson was portrayed by the blues musician Chris Thomas King
Chris Thomas King
Chris Thomas King is an American New Orleans, Louisiana-based blues musician and actor.-History:King was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. He is the son of blues musician Tabby Thomas. He has won awards including "Album of the Year" for both Grammy Award and Country Music Awards. King...
. ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
's 2003 release Mescalero
Mescalero (album)
Mescalero is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band ZZ Top. It was released on April 15, 2003 as the band's final release for RCA Records. While the band still retained their foundation in blues music, Mescalero explored genres like country, Tejano...
included their version of "Tramp", citing Fulson's guitar prowess as an inspiration to recreate the song. Redman's 1993 single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Time 4 Sum Aksion
Time 4 Sum Aksion
"Time 4 Sum Aksion" is the second single from Redman's highly acclaimed debut album, Whut? Thee Album. It features production from Erick Sermon and Redman that contains a sample from Lowell Fulson's "Tramp".-Song information:...
" contains a sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
from Fulson's song, "Tramp", as does "How I Could Just Kill A Man" from Cypress Hill. "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?
Why Don't We Do It in the Road?
"Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" is a song by The Beatles released on their 1968 album The Beatles, commonly referred to as The White Album. It was written and sung by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney...
", as performed by Fulson, appeared on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the 2007 crime film
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
, American Gangster. Fulson originally covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
on his 1970 album, In A Heavy Bag. Salt-n-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa is an American hip hop trio from Queens and Brooklyn, New York, that was formed in 1985. The group, consisting of Cheryl "Salt" Renee James, Sandra "Pepa" Denton, and Deidra "DJ Spinderella" Roper, was one of the first all-female rap crews....
recorded a contemporary version of "Tramp" in 1987, on their Hot, Cool & Vicious
Hot, Cool & Vicious
Hot, Cool, & Vicious is the debut album by rap act Salt-N-Pepa released by Next Plateau Records on December 8, 1986. It was one of the first albums to be released by an all-female rap group, and also became the first album by a female rap act to attain gold and platinum status in America.The album...
album. A cover of Fulson's song "Sinner's Prayer" appeared both on Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
's From the Cradle
From the Cradle
From the Cradle is a blues cover album by Eric Clapton. Released on 13 September 1994 by Reprise Records, the album was Eric Clapton's long awaited follow-up to his massively-successful live album, Unplugged...
(1994) and on Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
' final album, Genius Loves Company
Genius Loves Company
Genius Loves Company is the final studio album by rhythm and blues and soul musician Ray Charles, posthumously released August 31, 2004 on Concord Records. Recording sessions for the album took place between June 2003 and March 2004...
(2004).
Awards and recognition
- 1993 - Blues Foundation Hall of FameBlues Hall of FameThe Blues Hall of Fame is a listing of people who have significantly contributed to blues music. Started in 1980 by the Blues Foundation, it honors those who have performed, recorded, or documented blues.-1980:*Big Bill Broonzy*Willie Dixon*John Lee Hooker...
: Lowell Fulson inducted - 1993 - Blues Foundation Hall of Fame: "Reconsider Baby" (Classics of Blues Recording - Singles or Album Tracks)
- 1993 - Blues Foundation Blues Music Award: Hold On (Traditional Album of the Year)
- 1993 - Rhythm and Blues FoundationRhythm and Blues FoundationThe Rhythm and Blues Foundation is an independent American nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music....
: Pioneer Award - 1995 - Grammy Awards: Them Update Blues (nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year)
- 1995 - Rock and Roll Hall of FameRock and Roll Hall of FameThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
: "Reconsider Baby" (included "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll") - 2010 - Blues Foundation Hall of Fame: Hung Down Head (Classics of Blues Recording - Albums)
Charting singles
| Year | Title | Label | Chart no. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | "Three O'Clock Blues" | Down Town | 6 |
| 1949 | "Come Back Baby" | Downbeat | 13 |
| 1950 | "Everyday I Have the Blues" | Swing Time Swing Time Records Swing Time Records was a United States based record label, active in the 1940s. The label was founded by Jack Lauderdale in 1947 and was headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Swing Time went bankrupt in 1953.... |
3 |
| "Blue Shadows Blue Shadows "Blue Shadows" is a 1950 single by Lowell Fulson, featuring Lloyd Glenn at the "88". The single was Lowell Fulson's biggest hit on the R&B chart, hitting number one for one week. The B-side, "Low Society Blues", peaked at number eight.... " |
1 | ||
| "Lonesome Christmas (I & II)" | 7 | ||
| "Low Society Blues" | 8 | ||
| 1951 | "I'm a Night Owl (I & II)" | 10 | |
| 1954 | "Reconsider Baby Reconsider Baby "Reconsider Baby" is a blues song written and recorded by Lowell Fulson in 1954. Performed in the West Coast blues style, it became Fulson's first record chart hit for Checker Records, a subsidiary of Chess Records... " |
Checker Checker Records Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary to Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran the label until they sold it to General Recorded Tape in 1969, shortly before Leonard's death.The label... |
3 |
| 1955 | "Loving You" | 14 | |
| 1965 | "Black Nights" | Kent Kent Records Kent Records was a Los Angeles based record label, launched in the 1960s by the Bihari brothers. It was a follow up to the bankrupted Modern Records and reissued Modern's records. It was later bought by Ace Records, England, which used the label name to release Northern Soul records.The label... |
11 |
| 1967 | "Tramp" | 5 | |
| "Make a Little Love" | 20 | ||
| "I'm a Drifter" | 38 | ||
| 1976 | "Do You Love Me" | Granite | 78 |
Selected albums
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Back Home Blues | Night Train |
| 1966 | Soul | Kent |
| 1967 | Tramp | |
| 1969 | Now | |
| In a Heavy Bag | Jewel Jewel Records Jewel Records was a record label which discs were pressed by the Scranton Button Company. Jewel is one of the big three record companies out of Cincinnati, Ohio. The two most famous, King Records and Fraternity Records, were responsible for several hits over the years from a wide range of genres... |
|
| 1970 | Hung Down Head | Chess Chess Records Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases.... |
| 1971 | Let's Go Get Stoned | Kent |
| 1973 | I've Got the Blues | Jewel |
| 1975 | Lowell Fulson (Early Recordings) | Arhoolie Arhoolie Records Arhoolie Records is a small record label run by Chris Strachwitz. The label was founded by Strachwitz in 1960 as a way for him to record and publish previously obscure "down home blues" artists such as Lightnin' Hopkins, Snooks Eaglin and Bill Gaither... |
| Ol' Blues Singer | Granite | |
| 1976 | Lowell Fulson | Chess |
| 1984 | Everyday I Have the Blues | Night Train |
| One More Blues | Black & Blue Black & Blue Records Black & Blue Records is a French record label specializing in swing jazz and blues.Black & Blue was founded in 1968, and in its early years concentrated on reissuing jazz that had been previously released on American labels. The label recorded Blues and Jazz musicians both in America and France and... |
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| 1988 | San Francisco Blues | Black Lion Black Lion Records Black Lion Records was a jazz record label based in London, England.Black Lion was founded by Alan Bates in 1968. The label had two series of releases, one for British jazz musicians and one for international musicians... |
| It's a Good Day | Rounder Rounder Records Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students... |
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| 1992 | Hold On | Bullseye Blues |
| 1995 | Sinner's Prayer | Night Train |
| Them Update Blues | Bullseye Blues | |
| 1996 | Mean Old Lonesome Blues | Night Train |
| 1997 | The Complete Chess Masters (50th Anniversary Collection) | Chess |
| 2001 | I've Got the Blues (... and Then Some) (complete Jewel recordings) | Westside UK |
| 2002 | The Complete Kent Recordings 1964–1968 | P-Vine P-Vine Records P-Vine Records is a record label started by Blues Interactions, Inc., a firm in Tokyo, Japan established in 1975 by Yasufumi Higurashi and Akira Kochi... |
| 2004 | 1946–1953, Vols. 1–4 (complete Big Town, Downbeat/Swing Time recordings) | JSP JSP Records JSP Records is a British record label, founded in 1978 by John Stedman , releasing recordings by blues musicians such as Professor Longhair, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Witherspoon, Louisiana Red and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. The label is based in London, England.JSP now predominantly releases remastered CDs... |
See also
- Chicago Blues FestivalChicago Blues FestivalThe Chicago Blues Festival is an annual event held in June that features three days of performances by top-tier blues musicians, both old favorites and the up-and-coming. It is hosted by the City of Chicago Mayor's Office of Special Events, and always occurs in early June...
- Long Beach Blues FestivalLong Beach Blues FestivalThe Long Beach Blues Festival, in Long Beach, California, was established in full in 1980, and is one of the largest Blues festivals and is the second oldest on the West Coast . It is held on Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend. For many years it was held on the athletic field on the...
- List of guitarists by genre
- Music of OklahomaMusic of OklahomaWhile the music of Oklahoma is relatively young, Oklahoma has been a state for just over 100 years, and it has a rich history and many fine and influential musicians.-Official state songs:*Official state song:...