Lowell Fulson was an American Blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was born in 1921 in Atoka, Oklahoma. He was the son of Mamie and Martin Fulson. At an early age, he moved to Clarita with his mother and brothers after his father got killed. In 1943, he was drafted and served the U.S. Navy until 1945. Moreover, He joined Alger “Texas” Alexander (an American blues singer) for some time when he was eighteen. Alger “Texas” Alexander had a great influence on him that motivated him to form his own band when he moved to California. His band included Stanley Turrentine (a saxophone player) and Ray Charles (an American musician). Jackie Brenston was also a part of Fulson’s band from 1952 to 1954. Lowell Fulson worked under many labels including Swing Time (in the 1940s), Chess Records (in the 1950s), Keny Records (in the 1960s), Rounder Records (in the 1970s), etc. His song genres mainly included jump blues and west-coast blues. Fulson inked a longterm contract with Chess in 1954 after a one-off session in New Orleans in 1953 for Aladdin. In 1965 he recorded the song Black Nights which was his first hit in the whole decade. Later in the same year, his recording Tramp did even better which helped him to restore his R&B stardom. The duet of Every Day I Have the Blues with Jimmy Rogers was the last recording of Fulson. He remained active from the 1940s to 1999 as he died in 1999 (a few weeks before his 78th birthday). According to his partner, Tina Mayfield, the causes of Fulson’s death were diabetes, heart failure and complications due to kidney disease. His most influential and memorable recordings include 3 O’Clock Blues, Every Day I Have the Blues, Reconsider Baby and Tramp. We recommend starting your Lowell Fulson vinyl collection with albums like The Blues Got Me Down and I Don’t Know My Mind. Check out more vinyl records for sale from blues musicians.
