Reconsider Baby

"Reconsider Baby" is a blues song written and recorded by Lowell Fulson in 1954. Performed in the West Coast blues style, it was Fulson's first record chart hit for Checker Records, a subsidiary of Chess Records. With memorable lyrics and a driving rhythm, "Reconsider Baby" became a blues standard and has been recognized by the Blues Foundation and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame.

"Reconsider Baby"
Single by Lowell Fulson
B-side"I Believe I'll Give It Up"
Released1954 (1954)
RecordedDallas, Texas, September 27, 1954
GenreBlues
Length3:08
LabelChecker (no. 804)
Songwriter(s)Lowell Fulson
Producer(s)Leonard Chess, Phil Chess
Lowell Fulson singles chronology
"I'm a Night Owl"
(1951)		 "Reconsider Baby"
(1954)		 "Loving You"
(1955)

Original song

Blues historian Jim O'Neal describes "Reconsider Baby" as "Lowell Fulson's wistful goodbye and plea to a departing lover, with a lyrical message so strong (and memorable music to match) that it became a standard in the modern-day blues repertoire."[1]

So long, oh, I hate to see you go (2×)
And the way that I will miss you
I guess you will never know

Music critics have noted the song's strong rhythmic element – Bill Dahl describes it as a "relentless mid-tempo blues"[2] and Don Snowden comments on its "utterly assured, swingtime groove".[3]

"Reconsider Baby" has a twelve-bar structure with prominent guitar soloing by Fulson. It was recorded September 27, 1954, in Dallas, Texas, under the supervision of Leonard Chess associate and Jewel Records owner Stan Lewis.[1] Backing Fulson on vocal and guitar are Paul Drake on piano, Bobby Nicholson on bass, and Chick Booth on drums, plus a horn section with Phillip Gilbeaux on trumpet, Phatz Morris on trombone, Julian Beasley on alto and baritone saxophones, and Choker Campbell on tenor sax.[3] The song became a hit, spending 15 weeks during 1954 and 1955 on Billboard's Rhythm & Blues Records chart where it reached number three.[4] The song has been included on several Fulson compilation albums, including 1970's Hung Down Head (Chess 9325).[3]

Recognition and influence

"Reconsider Baby" is a blues standard and Fulson's most recognized song.[1] In 1993, the Blues Foundation inducted it into its Blues Hall of Fame in the "Classics of Blues Recordings" category.[1] The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included it on its list of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".[5] Among the many artists to record the song are Chicken Shack, Elvis Presley, T-Bone Walker, Bobby Bland, Ike & Tina Turner, Freddie King, Joe Bonamassa, Eric Clapton, and Gregg Allman.[1]

References
  1. O'Neal, Jim (November 10, 2016). "1993 Hall of Fame Inductees: Reconsider Baby – Lowell Fulson (Checker, 1954)". The Blues Foundation. Retrieved February 8, 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Dahl, Bill (1996). "Lowell Fulson". In Erlewine, Michael (ed.). All Music Guide to the Blues. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books. p. 90. ISBN 0-87930-424-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  3. Snowden, Don (1991). Hung Down Head (Reissue album notes). Lowell Fulson. Universal City, California: MCA Records/Chess Records. pp. 2, 4. CHD-9325.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  4. Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 161. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  5. "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". Exhibit Highlights. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 1995. Archived from the original on 2007-05-02. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
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