The Stepfather's Favorite Christmas Blues

Lowell Fulsom - The Original Lonesome Christmas (Pt. 1)



For today's selection I have to turn to my (unfortunately, scratchy) 45 of Lowell Fulsom's "Lonesome Christmas," my favorite Christmas-themed blues song. Fulsom (alternately spelled "Fulson" on many releases) is best known among soul fans for his funky blues 45s of the '60s and '70s for Kent ("Tramp," "Make a Little Love") and Jewel ("Sleeper"), but his long career started with Fulsom being a major proponent of the Texas and West Coast blues sound, with a ten-year stint on Checker providing great records such as "Reconsider Baby" and "Blue Shadows." Prior to his Checker tenure, however, Fulsom was working out West with lots of great recordings for Swingtime (during which period a young Ray Charles worked in his band) and Hollywood. "Lonesome Christmas," penned by L.A. pianist and Fulsom associate Lloyd Glenn, was a Hollywood release (reissued several times when Hollywood was acquired by Starday-King and, later, when Gusto acquired Starday-King) and it features Fulsom's ingratiating voice over a gentle groove that tick-tocks along. Although the lyrics reflect Fulsom's regret that he can't be with his loved one for the holidays, the tune is very cheerful and playful.

Today's post will be the last regular post I do before the holidays. If all goes as planned I will have the next episode of the podcast online either tonight or tomorrow, where I'll feature a couple of more Christmas songs but also the usual mix of groovers and movers! Happy Holidays!