According to some sources, Fulson was born on a Choctaw reservation in Oklahoma. Fulson has stated that he is of Cherokee ancestry through his father, but he has also claimed Choctaw ancestry. At the age of eighteen, Fulson moved to Ada, Oklahoma, and joined Alger "Texas" Alexander for a few months in 1940, but later moved to California, forming a band which soon included a young Ray Charles and tenor saxophone player, Stanley Turrentine. He recorded for Swing Time in the 1940s, Chess Records (Checker Records) in the 1950s, Kent Records in the 1960s, and Rounder Records (Bullseye) in the 1970s.
"Reconsider Baby" came from a long term pact inked with Chess Records in 1954. It was cut in Dallas under Stan Lewis' supervision with a saxophone section that included David "Fathead" Newman on tenor and Leroy Cooper on baritone.
Jackie Brenston played in Fulson's band between 1952 and 1954.
Fulson stayed with Checker into 1962, but a change of record labels worked wonders when he jumped over to the Los Angeles based, Kent Records. 1965's driving "Black Nights" became his first hit in a decade, and "Tramp," did even better, restoring the guitarist to R&B stardom.
Fulson was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1993 and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album. His "Reconsider Baby" was chosen by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll".
In 1993 at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California a show entitled "California Blues - Swingtime Tribute" opened with Fulson plus Johnny Otis, Charles Brown, Jay McShann, Jimmy Witherspoon, Jimmy McCracklin and Earl Brown.
A resident of Los Angeles, Fulson died in Long Beach, California in March 1999, at the age of 77. His companion Tina Mayfield stated 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.
Lowell Fulson recorded every shade of blues imaginable. Polished urban blues, rustic two-guitar duets with his younger brother Martin, funk-tinged grooves that pierced the mid-'60s charts, even an unwise cover of the Beatles' "Why Don't We Do It in the Road!" Clearly, the veteran guitarist, who was active for more than half a century, wasn't afraid to experiment. Perhaps that's why his last couple of discs for Rounder were so vital and satisfying — and why he remained an innovator for so long.
Exposed to the western swing of Bob Wills as well as indigenous blues while growing up in Oklahoma, Fulson joined up with singer Texas Alexander for a few months in 1940, touring the Lone Star state with the veteran bluesman. Fulson was drafted in 1943. The Navy let him go in 1945; after a few months back in Oklahoma, he was off to Oakland, CA, where he made his first 78s for fledgling producer Bob Geddins. Soon enough, Fulson was fronting his own band and cutting a stack of platters for Big Town, Gilt Edge, Trilon, and Down Town (where he hit big in 1948 with "Three O'Clock Blues," later covered by B.B. King).
Swing Time records prexy Jack Lauderdale snapped up Fulson in 1948, and the hits really began to flow: the immortal "Every Day I Have the Blues" (an adaptation of Memphis Slim's "Nobody Loves Me"), "Blue Shadows," the two-sided holiday perennial "Lonesome Christmas," and a groovy mid-tempo instrumental "Low Society Blues" that really hammers home how tremendously important pianist Lloyd Glenn and alto saxist Earl Brown were to Fulson's maturing sound (all charted in 1950!).
Fulson toured extensively from then on, his band stocked for a time with dazzling pianist Ray Charles (who later covered Lowell's "Sinner's Prayer" for Atlantic) and saxist Stanley Turrentine. After a one-off session in New Orleans in 1953 for Aladdin, Fulson inked a longterm pact with Chess in 1954. His first single for the firm was the classic "Reconsider Baby," cut in Dallas under Stan Lewis's supervision with a sax section that included David "Fathead" Newman on tenor and Leroy Cooper on baritone.
The relentless mid-tempo blues proved a massive hit and perennial cover item — even Elvis Presley cut it in 1960, right after he got out of the Army. But apart from "Loving You," the guitarist's subsequent Checker output failed to find widespread favor with the public. Baffling, since Fulson's crisp, concise guitar work and sturdy vocals were as effective as ever. Most of his Checker sessions were held in Chicago and L.A. (the latter his home from the turn of the '50s).
Fulson stayed with Checker into 1962, but a change of labels worked wonders when he jumped over to Los Angeles-based Kent Records. 1965's driving "Black Nights" became his first smash in a decade, and "Tramp," a loping funk-injected workout co-written by Fulson and Jimmy McCracklin, did even better, restoring the guitarist to R&B stardom, gaining plenty of pop spins, and inspiring a playful Stax cover by Otis Redding and Carla Thomas only a few months later that outsold Fulson's original.
A couple of lesser follow-up hits for Kent ensued before the guitarist was reunited with Stan Lewis at Jewel Records. That's where he took a crack at that Beatles number, though most of his outings for the firm were considerably closer to the blues bone. Fulson was never been absent for long on disc; 1992's Hold On and its 1995 follow-up Them Update Blues, both for Ron Levy's Bullseye Blues logo, were among his later efforts, both quite solid. Fulson continued to perform until 1997, when health problems forced the career bluesman into a reluctant retirement. His health continued to deteriorate and on March 6, 1999 - just a few weeks shy of his 78th birthday - Lowell Fulson passed away.
Few bluesmen managed to remain contemporary the way Lowell Fulson did for more than five decades. And fewer still will make such a massive contribution to the idiom.
Don't Leave Me Baby
Lowell Fulson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't snap nut, dog
Don′t leave me babe
Don't snap nut, dog
Baby come back baby
I never be bye no more
Don't leave me babe
Please come back homeDon′t leave me babe
No more alone
When my heart follow sorrow
Hey back one belong
You know, it′s a terrible thing
Oh, when you baby don't want you no more
Born, she tell it′s time to go
Please, she use a half, you don't have no more
Could I can you buy a drink?
Oh so you can think
Oh I′ll you need is a preed
Oh you can do, I say
Don't leave me baby
Don′t snap nut, dog
Don't leave me baby
Don't snap nut, dog
Hey, you come back my baby
I never be bye no more
Hey born, let me tell you something
What about been a drink of wine?
Cause I′ve got trouble in my mind
Baby, where I′ll be go
She said, I don't tell anymore
Born, I′ve got mean go home
I've got no home
Poor, in this morning I don′t want aloneFall, all you need is a preed
All I can do, I say
Don't leave me babe
Don′t snap nut, dog
Don't leave me babe
Don't snap nut, dog
Hey I come back my baby
I never be bye no more
Hey boys, I′ve got bed to this morning
It′s time I go
Could somebody the tears like come a door
Here I use the house
You don't feed you don′t no more
Call, I want the telephone
I don't get the answer, no more
All I can do it follow where is the preed
All I can do, I say
Don′t leave me, babe
Don't snap nut, dog
Don′t leave me, babe
Don't snap nut, dog
Baby come back baby
I never be bye no more
Don't leave me baby
Don′t leave me alone
The lyrics of Lowell Fulson's "Don't Leave Me Baby" paint a picture of a man pleading with his lover not to leave him. The repetition of the phrase "Don't snap nut, dog" seems to be a plea for the woman not to break things off abruptly or without good reason. He implores her to come back home and not leave him alone with his sorrows. The man seems to be offering to buy the woman a drink, perhaps hoping to have a conversation that will convince her to stay. However, the woman seems determined to leave, as she tells him that she won't tell him where she's going anymore.
The lyrics suggest a relationship that is on the rocks, with one person desperately trying to hold onto the other. The phrase "snap nut, dog" is an interesting one, as it is not commonly used in modern language. It may be a regional or colloquial expression that has fallen out of use. The repeated plea for the woman not to leave and the man's attempts to convince her to stay add a sense of desperation to the song, making it clear that he cannot bear to lose her.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't leave me babe
Please don't abandon me
Don't snap nut, dog
Don't be irrational or hasty in your decision-making
Baby come back baby
I long for your return
I never be bye no more
I promise not to let you go again
Please come back home
I want you to be with me where you belong
No more alone
I can't bear to be without you anymore
When my heart follow sorrow
My sadness and pain overwhelm me
Hey back one belong
I need you to come back to where you belong, with me
You know, it's a terrible thing
It's devastating when the person you love leaves you
Oh, when you baby don't want you no more
It's heartbreaking when your lover no longer wants to be with you
Born, she tell it's time to go
She says it's time to leave
Please, she use a half, you don't have no more
She's taken all that you have to offer and is leaving you with nothing
Could I can you buy a drink?
Can you buy me a drink so I can drown my sorrows?
Oh so you can think
I need to be alone to process my emotions
Oh I'll you need is a preed
All you need is to relax and think things through
Oh you can do, I say
You can overcome this heartbreak with time and effort
Hey, you come back my baby
Please come back to me, my love
Hey born, let me tell you something
Let me level with you
What about been a drink of wine?
Can we have a drink of wine to ease the pain?
Cause I've got trouble in my mind
I'm deeply troubled by your departure
Baby, where I'll be go
I don't know what to do or where to go without you
She said, I don't tell anymore
She doesn't want to talk to him anymore
Born, I've got mean go home
It's time for me to go home
I've got no home
Without her, he feels homeless
Poor, in this morning I don't want alone
He doesn't want to wake up alone anymore
Fall, all you need is a preed
Relax and take some time to heal
All I can do, I say
All I can do is try to move on and heal
Could somebody the tears like come a door
Can someone stop my tears from flowing?
Here I use the house
I'm alone in this house
You don't feed you don't no more
Without someone to love, he feels empty and alone
Call, I want the telephone
I keep hoping you'll call me
I don't get the answer, no more
But I never hear back from you
All I can do it follow where is the preed
All I can do is take baby steps toward healing and acceptance
Don't leave me, babe
Please don't leave me, my love
Don't leave me alone
I need you by my side to make it through this
Writer(s): Fulson
Contributed by Grayson W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@teebeeferris
oh yes