Johnny Fuller – The Many Sides Of Johnny Fuller 1948-62 – 2CD

Johnny Fuller, born in Mississippi in 1929, was nevertheless primarily associated with California blues, although his recordings over the years covered a remarkable range of musical bases within the broad categorisation of blues.
Not to be confused with, nor was he related to, the American blues musician Jesse Fuller, Johnny also recorded for an extraordinary number of record labels, many of them small under-resourced independent operations on the west coast as he played around the San Francisco Bay area during the 1950s, which helps to explain his failure to register the chart hits that many of his recordings undoubtedly merited.
This 53-track collections features just about all his A- and B-sides on the Jaxyson, Flair, Rhythm, Hollywood, Money, Aladdin, Imperial, Irma, Specialty, Veltone and Art-Tone labels during this era, several of them owned by serial entrepreneur Bob Geddins. In the course of recording in so many different environments, with different groups and different producers, his music changed, developing from the gospel-flavoured country blues under the name of Brother Johnny Fuller through hard-edged guitar-based blues to horn-heavy R&B, and later flirting with out-and-out Elvis-impersonating rock ’n’ roll, with various other shades of blues visited along the way.
His best known recording, Haunted House, was later covered with some success by Jumpin’ Gene Simmons. His other better known tracks were All Night Long, You Got Me Whistling and Johnny Ace’s Last Letter. He was a talented singer, guitarist and songwriter, and this varied set offers an entertaining showcase for the qualities of an artist who should have had more success than he enjoyed. He worked as an auto mechanic from 1968 to 1983 and died of lung cancer in California, in 1985, aged 56.

Track Listing:

CD1:
Brother Johnny Fuller: 1. I Must Tell Jesus -   Johnny Fuller: 2. From Bad To Worse (Incomplete) -   3. Buddy -   4. Hard Times -   5. Back Home -   6. It's Your Life -   7. Prowlin' Blues -   8. Johnny's Low Down Blues -   9. These Young Girls -   10. I Walk All Night -   11. Fool’s Paradise -   12. First Stage Of The Blues -   Willie B. Huff & J. Fuller Orchestra: 13. Beggar Man Blues -   14. I've Been Thinkin' And Thinkin' -   Johnny Fuller: 15. Train Train Blues -   16. Bad Luck Overtook Me (Black Cat) -   17. Lovin' Lovin Man -   18. Remember -   19. Mean Old World (Troubles) -   20. How Long -   21. Roughest Place In Town -   22. Comin' Round The Corner -   23. My Mama Told Me -   24. Too Late To Change My Mind -   25. Sunny Road -

CD2:
Johnny Fuller: 1. I Can’t Succeed -   2. Johnny Ace's Last Letter -   3. Cruel Cruel World -   4. My Heart Beats For You -   5. Garden Of Memories -   6. Mercy Mercy -   7. Sister Jenny -   8. My Heart Is Bleeding -   9. Don't Slam That Door -   10. Restless -   11. Deep In My Soul -   12. Whispering Wind -   13. Miss You -   14. Stop, Look And Listen -   15. Weeping And Mourning -   16. Strange Land -   Johnny Fuller with Candy Man McGuirt and His Band: 17. First Stage Of The Blues -   18. No More, No More -   Johnny Fuller: 19. You Got Me Whistling -   20. All Night Long -   21. Haunted House -   22. The Mighty Hand -   23. Swinging At The Creek -   24. Many Rivers, Mighty Seas -   25. She's Too Much -   26. No More Loving -   27. The Power -   28. Wyatt Earp Shot Stagger Lee -