Johnny Fuller was a West Coast bluesman who left behind a spate of 1950s recordings that jumped all kinds of genre fences with seemingly no trace of his Mississippi born roots. He was equally at home with low down blues, gospel, R&B, and rock & roll, all of it imbued with strong vocals and a driving guitar style. Although his Mississippi roots were never far below the surface of his best work, Johnny is usually categorized as a West Coast bluesman.
Making the Bay Area his home throughout his career, Fuller turned in classic sides for Heritage, Aladdin, Specialty, Flair, Checker, and Hollywood; all but one of them West Coast-based concerns. His two biggest hits, "All Night Long" and the original version of "The Haunted House," improbably found him in the late '50s on rock & roll package shows, touring with the likes of Paul Anka and Frankie Avalon! By and large retiring from the music scene in the '60s (with the exception of one excellent album in 1974), Fuller worked as a garage mechanic until his passing in 1985.
by Cub Koda
Recorded in 1974, Fuller's Blues was Johnny Fuller's much-belated full-length debut, and it also turned out to be his last record. That's too bad, because it certainly illustrates what he was capable of achieving. He runs the gauntlet here, pulling out jumping R&B numbers and acoustic blues with equal aplomb. It's an exhilarating listen -- it's just too bad there weren't more like it.
by Thom Owens
Tracks
1. Tin Pan Alley (Bob Geddins) - 3:26
2. Fools Paradise (Bob Geddins, Johnny Fuller) - 3:06
3. Strange Land (Bob Geddins) - 4:35
4. 1009 Blues - 4:13
5. You Got Me Whistling - 2:49
6. But Bruce (David Ii) - 3:03
7. Bad Luck Overtook Me - 3:02
8. Hard Luck Blues - 3:15
9. Crying Won't Make Me Stay - 3:02
10.Miss You So (Larry Chatman) - 2:55
11.A Good Letting Alone - 4:01
12.Mercy, Mercy - 3:01
All songs by Johnny Fuller except where indicated
Personnel
*Johnny Fuller - Guitar, Organ, Piano, Vocals
*Phillip Walker - Guitar
*Tony Matthews - Guitar
*Dennis Walker - Bass
*Zaven 'Big John' Jambezian - Harmonica
*Johnny Tucker - Drums
*Arthur Woods - Piano
*David Ii - Tenor, Baritone Saxophone
*Mike O'Connel - Trumpet
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