Lowell Fulson#Charting singles

{{short description|American blues guitarist and songwriter (1921–1999)}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Lowell Fulson

| image = Lowell_Fulson.jpg

| caption = Performing in Paris in 1980

| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1921|03|31}}

| birth_place = Atoka, Oklahoma, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1999|3|7|1921|3|31}}

| death_place = Long Beach, California, U.S.

| genre = {{Flatlist|

}}

| occupation = {{Flatlist|

Musician
singer
songwriter

}}

| instrument = Guitar

| years_active = 1940s–1999

| label = {{Flatlist|

}}

Lowell Fulson (March 31, 1921{{snd}}March 7, 1999) 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.{{cite book| first= Tony| last= Russell| year= 1997| title= The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray| publisher= Carlton Books | location= Dubai| pages= 112–13| isbn= 1-85868-255-X}}{{cite web |title=Lowell Fulson obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/mar/12/guardianobituaries2 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=12 March 1999 |access-date=May 11, 2019}}

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.{{cite book| first1= Bob| last1= Eagle| first2= Eric S.| last2= LeBlanc| year= 2013| title= Blues: A Regional Experience| publisher= Praeger| location= Santa Barbara, California| pages=60 | isbn= 978-0313344237}}

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. Fulson was drafted in 1943 and served in the U.S. Navy until 1945.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/lowell-fulson-mn0000301955/biography|title=Lowell Fulson | Biography & History|website=AllMusic}}

File:Lowell Fulson 1973 JT.jpg

Fulson 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 (on Bullseye Blues) in the 1980s/1990s. He wrote "3 O'Clock Blues" (B.B. King's first hit), "Reconsider Baby" (a blues standard), and "Tramp" (co-written with Jimmy McCracklin and recorded by several artists). His 1965 song "Black Nights" was his first hit in a decade, and "Tramp" did even better, restoring him to R&B stardom. In 1966 his brother Robert Fulson married former member of The Raelettes Margie Hendrix and they both started performing live with Lowell before they divorced in 1968.

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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Witherspoon-still-serving-up-the-blues-3124823.php|title=Witherspoon still serving up the blues|first1=Philip|last1=Elwood|date=October 27, 1995|website=Sfgate.com}} 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.

Death

Fulson died in Long Beach, California, on March 7, 1999, at the age of 77.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/14/nyregion/lowell-fulson-77-who-took-texas-style-blues-to-the-west-coast.html|title=Lowell Fulson, 77, Who Took Texas-Style Blues to the West|newspaper=New York Times|date=March 14, 1999}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1999/03/13/bluesman-lowell-fulson-dies-at-77/24b03861-cd9e-46aa-ba52-be39bdfdfacb/|title=Bluesman Lowell Fulson Dies at 77|newspaper=Washington Post|date=March 12, 1999}} His companion, Tina Mayfield said 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 =

{{cite book

| last = Whitburn

| first = Joel

| author-link = Joel Whitburn

| year = 1988

| section = Lowell Fulson

| title = Top R&B Singles 1942–1988

| location = Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

| publisher = Record Research

| isbn = 0-89820-068-7

| page = 141}}

class="wikitable"
width="40" \| Year ! width="450" \| Title ! width="70" \| Label ! R&B Chart no.
1948 \| "Three O'Clock Blues" \| Down Town \| 6
1949 \| "Come Back Baby" \| Downbeat \| 13
rowspan="4" \| 1950 \| "Every Day I Have the Blues" \| rowspan="5" \| Swing Time \| 3
"Blue Shadows" \| 1
"Lonesome Christmas (I & II)" \| 7
"Low Society Blues" \| 8
1951 \| "I'm a Night Owl (I & II)" \| 10
1954 \| "Reconsider Baby" \| rowspan="2" \| Checker \| 3
1955 \| "Loving You" \| 14
1965 \| "Black Nights" \| rowspan="4" \| Kent \| 11
rowspan="3" \| 1967 \| "Tramp" \| 5
"Make a Little Love" \| 20
"I'm a Drifter" \| 38
1976 \| "Do You Love Me" \| Granite \| 78

class="wikitable"

width="40" | Year

! width="450" | Title

! width="70" | Label

! R&B

Chart no.

1948

| "Three O'Clock Blues"

| Down Town

| 6

1949

| "Come Back Baby"

| Downbeat

| 13

rowspan="4" | 1950

| "Every Day I Have the Blues"

| rowspan="5" | Swing Time

| 3

"Blue Shadows"

| 1

"Lonesome Christmas (I & II)"

| 7

"Low Society Blues"

| 8

1951

| "I'm a Night Owl (I & II)"

| 10

1954

| "Reconsider Baby"

| rowspan="2" | Checker

| 3

1955

| "Loving You"

| 14

1965

| "Black Nights"

| rowspan="4" | Kent

| 11

rowspan="3" | 1967

| "Tramp"

| 5

"Make a Little Love"

| 20

"I'm a Drifter"

| 38

1976

| "Do You Love Me"

| Granite

| 78

=Selected albums=

{{cite web

| url = {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p344|pure_url=yes}}

| title = Lowell Fulson{{snd}}Discography

| website = AllMusic

| access-date = May 2, 2010}}

class="wikitable"
width="40" \| Year ! width="450" \| Title ! width="130" \| Label
1959 \| Back Home Blues \| Night Train Int'l
1962 \| Lowell Fulson \| Arhoolie
1965 \| Soul \| rowspan="3" \| Kent
1967 \| Tramp
rowspan="2" \| 1969 \| Now
In a Heavy Bag \| Jewel
1970 \| Hung Down Head \| Chess
1971 \| Let's Go Get Stoned \| Kent
1973 \| I've Got the Blues \| Jewel
rowspan="2" \| 1975 \| Lowell Fulson (Early Recordings) \| Arhoolie
Ol' Blues Singer \| Granite
1976 \| Lowell Fulson (Chess Blues Masters) \| Chess
rowspan="2" \| 1984 \| Every Day I Have the Blues \| Night Train Int'l
''One More Blues \| Black & Blue
rowspan="2" \| 1988 \| San Francisco Blues \| Black Lion
It's a Good Day \| Rounder
1992 \| Hold On \| Bullseye Blues/Rounder
rowspan="2" \| 1995 \| Sinner's Prayer \| Night Train Int'l
Them Update Blues \| Bullseye Blues/Rounder
1996 \| Mean Old Lonesome Blues \| Night Train Int'l
1997 \| The Complete Chess Masters (50th Anniversary Collection) \| Chess/MCA
2001 \| I've Got the Blues (... and Then Some) (complete Jewel recordings) \| Westside [UK]
2002 \| The Complete Kent Recordings 1964–1968 \| P-Vine
2004 \| 1946–1953, Vols. 1–4 (complete Big Town, Downbeat/Swing Time recordings) \| JSP

class="wikitable"

width="40" | Year

! width="450" | Title

! width="130" | Label

1959

| Back Home Blues

| Night Train Int'l

1962

| Lowell Fulson

| Arhoolie

1965

| Soul