Friday Blues Picks (Looking Back)

A lot of music lovers may not be familiar with the name Lowell Fulson, but the Oklahoma native was one of the most important artists on the post-war blues scene.  He was a masterful songwriter, a warm, engaging vocalist, and a powerful guitarist.  He made his mark on the West Coast blues scene after ending up in Oakland after serving in the Navy during World War II.  He had played as a youth in Oklahoma with Texas Alexander before moving to Texas, where he worked as a cook and played weekend dances.  When he went to the West Coast he, like many other guitarists, fell under the spell of T-Bone Walker.

His first hit, for Swing Time Records, was 1948's "Three O'Clock in the Morning Blues," later reworked by B.B. King as "Three O'Clock Blues."   He also wrote a few more tunes that are recognized as blues standards, such as "Everyday I Have The Blues," "Blue Shadows," Lonesome Christmas," and "Sinner's Prayer," which Ray Charles made a hit.  He also recorded for the Chess Records subsidiary Checker Records, with several more hits, including "Reconsider Baby," which became a #1 pop hit for Elvis Presley in 1960.  Other tunes for Checker included "Hung Down Head," "Loving You," "Low Society," and "That's All Right."

In the mid 60's, Fulson recorded for Kent Records, as Lowell Fulsom.  While at Kent, he recorded some of his biggest hits, including "Black Nights" and "Tramp," which was later covered by Otis Redding and Carla Thomas (both versions were big hits).  These tunes enabled Fulson, or Fulsom, to move over to the soul circuit.  In 1970, he signed with Jewel and recorded a blues-rock album with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.

Fulson continued to recorded sporadically through the 70's and 80's for various labels, now reverting back to his real last name of Fulson.  He recorded a solid set for Rounder in 1988, It's a Good Day, and continued to write some great songs, including "Room With a View (of the Blues)," which he co-wrote with Billy Vera.  It was recorded several times in the late 80's, my favorite version being Johnny Adams' from his album of the same title.  

However, it's Fulson's later release on Rounder's Bullseye Blues imprint that I wanted to discuss this week, Hold On.  While I enjoyed his previous release for Rounder, I have to admit that this album really hit me pretty hard.

First, a bit about the Bullseye Blues label.....it was founded in 1991 as a partnership with Rounder Records and Ron Levy, who served as producer and played keyboards on most of the albums released.  The first releases that I saw for the label were from Charles Brown, Champion Jack Dupree, Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson and I snatched them all up, and many more to follow.  

Mr. Levy certainly knew his way around the  blues, having played for many years in B.B. King's band (Mr. Levy sat down with us for Ten Questions many years ago, check it out here) and, thanks in no small part to his efforts, the label's output was first-rate from its beginnings until the label shut down in the late 90's.

Jimmy McCracklin

Fulson wrote eight of the eleven tracks on Hold On, and they are all winners.  He's joined on these tracks by another blues legend, his longtime friend Jimmy McCracklin.  McCracklin enjoyed success on the pop and R&B charts in the 50's with his single "The Walk," which earned him an appearance on American Bandstand in 1957.  He also wrote "Just Got To Know," and co-wrote "Tramp" with Fulson.  He continued to record over the years and has a couple of Bullseye Blues releases of his own.  

McCracklin contributes a pair of songs to Hold On and plays piano throughout, while Levy plays organ and produced.  The horn section and rhythm section work is really what grabbed me on a lot of these tracks.  Dubbed the Bullseye Blues Horns, they are led by trumpeter Joe Campbell who did the arranging and Bobby Forte provides tenor sax solos.  South Central Rhythm does a wonderful job, adding a bit of tasty funk to the proceedings.

Fulson does a marvelous job on vocals, just as strong as they were during his peak period of the 50's and 60's, and his guitar work is, as always, tasteful and concise.  He always seems to know what to play where and it's never at the expense of the song.  I think that's another thing I like about Lowell Fulson.  His songwriting and musical arrangements don't stick to blues traditions either.  You might find yourself singing along with many of these after just a couple of listens.

Hold On won the BMA for Traditional Album of the Year in 1993.  Fulson recorded one more album with Bullseye Blues in 1995, Them Update Blues, which was nominated for a Grammy Award.  In the late 90's, he began battling health issues, among them diabetes, kidney disease, and congestive heart failure, and he passed away on March 7, 1999, at the age of 77.  McCracklin remained active well into the 2000's before passing away at the age of 91 in 2012.

If you're not familiar with Lowell Fulson, you can pretty much start at any period of his career and find quality releases.  His Chess recordings are standout and his 60's soul/R&B-oriented work is equally strong.  However, Hold On is an excellent, often-overlooked set in his catalog that will reward blues fans with some wonderful moments.