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.
Reconsider
Lowell Fulson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So long, oh how I hate to see you go
And the way that I will miss you
I guess you will never know
We've been together so long, to have to separate this way
We've been together so long, to have to separate this way
I'm gonna let you go ahead on baby
You said you once had loved me
But now I guess you have changed your mind
You said you once had loved me
But now I guess you have changed your mind
Why don't you reconsider baby
Give yourself just a little more time
In Lowell Fulson's song Reconsider, the singer expresses his sadness and reluctance to let go of his significant other. He repeats the phrase "So long, oh how I hate to see you go" to emphasize his sorrow. He admits that he will miss his lover tremendously but doubts that they will ever know just how much. They had been together a long time and he cannot fathom having to separate from them. However, he understands that sometimes things cannot be avoided and begrudgingly states that he will let them go, but hopes that they will return home someday.
Furthermore, the singer reveals that his partner had claimed to love him at some point but has since changed their mind. He pleads with them to reconsider their decision and give themselves a little more time before fully giving up on their relationship. It is clear that the singer is holding onto hope that they will find their way back to each other, which is what makes the song so poignant and relatable to many people who have been in similar situations.
Line by Line Meaning
So long, oh how I hate to see you go
It's hard to say goodbye to you
And the way that I will miss you
I guess you will never know
I'll miss you more than you can imagine
We've been together so long, to have to separate this way
We've been together for a long time and it's sad to part like this
I'm gonna let you go ahead on baby
Pray that you'll come back home someday
I'll let you go and hope you come back eventually
You said you once had loved me
But now I guess you have changed your mind
You used to love me, but now it seems like you don't
Why don't you reconsider baby
Give yourself just a little more time
Maybe you should think it over and give us another chance
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Lowell Fulson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lechat8533
@@salamanca268
I don`t understand your comment!
But I understand that you are accusing me of belonging to a people that lynched people for entertainment.
You seem to know very little about history. There are no people in history who have not lynched others (for entertainment or not). And every country on this planet has had slaves in the past.
Lynching and slavery have not been invented by white people, my dear.
We all know very little about our DNA.
You might have had white ancestors and I might have had black ancestors.
This means that your ancestors may have been slave owners and my ancestors may have been slaves.
You should accuse less and study more!
Greetings from Slovenia.
@lakers1218
This song was sung at my Dad's funeral in 2011 by Reba Russell... One of his all time favorite songs... Miss you Dad...
@BunyanaRed1958
Your Dad had great taste Leslie.
@liamoleary31
Your Dad was a cool dude ! God bless you Leslie .
@kevind7422
Performance of vocals, guitar, rhythm, horn punch all stellar and RAW. But the reason I need to revisit this classic every few years is - very simply - the title doesn't come til the end of the last verse. Unique, enduring, classic.
@JessicaBornMusic
That‘s finest Blues ❤
@billyee4161
I got to see Lowell Fulson up close a few times around 1990. He was a electrifying performer in person.
@dangremillion
Lowell and Eric nailed the song and the message.
@BlueLou974
Eric who ? Éric what? Oh that nice but overatted good weak guitarist. Mhhhh
@revkenordquist
My favorite story about him is how he went to a West Memphis AK radio station (KDKA?) to promote his tour and the DJ a young Riley B. King gave him so much good air time and promotion that Lowell let him record his "3 O'Clock Blues" and it became BB's first hit record
@Datanditto
‘Let him’? Anybody can record any published song they want with or without permission.