<back - LOWELL FULSON - Lowell Fulson and Reconsider Baby will forever be intertwined. Elvis Presley would cover it, and hundreds of other would follow. Fulson's career-- which stretched from 1939 until a couple years prior to his death in 1999--reveals the relative ease with which he adapted to evolving trends. Starting out with those urbane-sounding 40's combos, he would later catch the raw R&B bug of the 50's. By the 60's he was dealing in Soul, and even made his mark with Funk. By 1958, Lowell Fulson was the equal of the great BB King vocally, instrumentally, and compositionally.

1954's 'Reconsider Baby' on Chess/Checker would set the pace. A bevy of classics followed Reconsider Baby, including Lonely Hours, Trouble Trouble, It's A Long Time, Took A Long Time, and Rollin' Blues.  Born in Oklahama, at the age of 18 in 1939 he had replaced Howlin' Wolf in Alger 'Texas' Alexander's band. After WW2--as with many mid-Western performers like T-Bone Walker, Jimmy McCracklin, and Pee Wee Crayton--Fulson gravitated toward California. He experienced the first of many tastes of success in 1946 with the raw Blues of 3 O'Clock Blues--later immortalized by BB King as 3 O'Clock In The Morning. Lowell's version of Memphis Slim's 'Every Day I Have The Blues' was emblematic of that era's electric Blues, and BB King relied on Fulson's version to inspire his signature tune. Another towering accomplishment was Blue Shadows, later reprised on Checker in 1960 on a session that also included the spine-tingling I Want To Know. By 1964, Fulson's 10-year association with Checker had ended, but what a magnificent epoch it had been. By 1964 Fulson had switched to Jules Bihari's Kent Records, but was immediately blindsided when they re-spelled his name as 'Fulsom'. Nevertheless, Black Nights from 1965 and written by Fats Washington, gave Fulson his first major hit in many years.  Among the exemplary early Kent songs--many penned by R&B super-writer Washington (Pledging My Love, I'll Be Home, It's My Life Baby, many others)---are Just One More Time, Every Time It Rains, Key To My Heart, No More and My Aching Back. The early Kent period showcased Fulson at his best, the only discordant note being the tendency of producer Maxwell Davis to occasionally overdub unwieldy horns into the mix. The final makeover occurred in 1967 when Lowell Fulson recorded Tramp--co-written with Jimmy McCracklin. A funk-saturated anthem, it was quickly covered by Otis Redding and Carla Thomas. Fulson continued to perform and record up until a few years prior to his death in 1999. Lowell Fulson was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1993. -Gary Tate/ MP3- Reconsider Baby |