HOME

Jesse Fuller was born in Jonesboro, Georgia, in 1896 and he took up music at an early age, learning on a home made guitar. When he was in his late teens he took to the road, and wandered around southern and western USA States, finally settling in California. He worked for a while as a film extra in Hollywood before moving on to San Francisco where he played on street corners and parties, and supplemented his income by working as an odd job man. It wasn't until 1951 that Fuller decided to become a full time musician, and it was several years after that before his career really took off. He eventually became a folk blues favourite on the west coast with a repertoire of spirituals, folk and country blues. He worked as a one man band playing a range of instruments including one he invented himself, a 'footdella', which, as the name suggests, he operated with his foot. In 1954 he wrote "San Francisco Bay Blues", (later covered by Janis Joplin) and this led to his first recording contract with the Cavalier label. He went on to successfully record with a number of labels and in the early 1960's he gained great acclaim when he toured the USA and Europe as part of the folk and blues revival movement. Fuller carried on touring and recording until he died at Oakland, California in 1976.