Most blues artists develop a style early on and stick to it. Johnny Fuller (1929-1985) was one of the rare artists to create a wide swath of styles in his all too short career. He was born in Mississippi, but mostly lived in California, so there is very little of the South in his sound. This two disc, 53 song collection chronicles his evolution from a rural sounding blues man all the way up to an R&B crooner, with a bit of gospel and a thing called “rock and roll” thrown in.
His earliest material is his most spartan, listing himself as “Brother Johnny Fuller” as he testifies and preaches it on “I Must Tell Jesus”. From there he takes a major secular turn with a small band form dark tunes like “Beggar Man Blues” and “Train Train Blues”. Adding sax, he wails on “How Long” and “Remember”, and his spooky “Haunted House” (as he groans out over the organ) as covered more successfully by Jumpin Gene Simmons. He had some hits with the rollicking “Johnny Ace’s Last Letter” and “You Got Me Whistling” while poking some fun on “Wyatt Earp Shot Stagger Lee”.
Impressive shades of blues through various genres reflect a man who used a wide palate. Check this guy out if you like music from the other side of the tracks.