Lowell Fulsom
| Lowell Fulson | |
|---|---|
Fulson performing in Paris, France,
November 1980 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | March 31, 1921 Atoka, Oklahoma, United States |
| Died | March 7, 1999 (aged 77) Long Beach, California, United States |
| Genres | Jump blues, West Coast blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1940s–1999 |
| Labels | Swing Time Records, Chess Records (Checker label), Kent Records, Rounder Records (Bullseye) |
Lowell Fulson (March 31, 1921 – 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.
Fulson was born on a Choctaw reservation in Atoka, Oklahoma, the son of Mamie and Martin Fulson. He stated that he was of Cherokee ancestry through his father, but he 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.
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 (on the Checker label) in the 1950s, Kent Records in the 1960s, and Rounder Records (Bullseye) in the 1970s.
Fulson was drafted in 1943 and served in the U.S. Navy until 1945.
His most memorable and influential recordings include "Three O'Clock Blues" (now a blues standard); "Everyday 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 (for the 2003 album Mescalero), Alex Chilton, and Tav Falco.
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