"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" | ||||
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Single by Lowell Fulson | ||||
B-side | "I Believe I'll Give It Up" | |||
Released | 1954 (1954) | |||
Recorded | Dallas, Texas, September 27, 1954 | |||
Genre | Blues | |||
Length | 3:08 | |||
Label | Checker (no. 804) | |||
Songwriter(s) | Lowell Fulson | |||
Producer(s) | Leonard Chess, Phil Chess | |||
Lowell Fulson singles chronology | ||||
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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]
"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]
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