Lowell Fulson

By VARIETY STAFF

Blues guitarist and singer Lowell Fulson, whose "Reconsider Baby" is among the most popular songs in the blues canon and whose compositions were recorded by the likes of Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton and B.B. King, died March 7 of kidney and congestive heart failure at Pacific Hospital in Long Beach. He was 77.

During a recording career that spanned four decades, Fulson hit the charts with such songs as "Three O'Clock Blues" in 1948, "Every Day I Have the Blues" in 1950, "Reconsider Baby" in 1954 and "Tramp" -- with which Otis Redding and Carla Thomas had a hit -- in 1967.

Fulson gave Ray Charles his break in the record industry, hiring him for his touring band and then introducing him to the powers at Swingtime, the label for which Fulson recorded "Every Day I Have the Blues."

Born in Tulsa, Okla., Fulson landed in Los Angeles after a stint in the Army during World War II. After making his first recording in 1946, Fulson went on to record for the L.A. label Swingtime, Chicago's Chess, Kent and United. Fulson's work was unique among blues artists in that he had hits in three distinct styles: West Coast, Chicago and Memphis.

Like many American blues performers, Fulson spent the 1970s and '80s touring overseas and only occasionally recording. In the 1990s, he started to make up for lost time and recognition: He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and the R&B Hall of Fame in 1993. His last album, "Them Update Blues," was nominated for a 1995 Grammy.