(Fulton Allen)
DISCOGRAPHY 1940-2020 (28CD)
Most reports indicate that Blind Boy Fuller was born Fulton Allen
sometime between 1903 and 1908 to Calvin Allen and Mary Jane Walker
of Wadesboro, NC. He was one of 10 children. The family moved
from Wadesboro to Rockingham, NC, while Fulton was still a boy. It
was there that he picked up most of his guitar skills.
During the mid-1920s, he further developed his skills by playing on street corners and at house parties. It is reported that in 1926 he suffered from ulcerated eyes and became partially blind; by 1928 he was completely blind.
There is another story that explains his blindness, though. Supposedly, a jealous woman, perhaps a girlfriend or ex-girlfriend, blinded him with a mixture of household chemicals.
BIOGRAPHY
During the mid-1920s, he further developed his skills by playing on street corners and at house parties. It is reported that in 1926 he suffered from ulcerated eyes and became partially blind; by 1928 he was completely blind.
There is another story that explains his blindness, though. Supposedly, a jealous woman, perhaps a girlfriend or ex-girlfriend, blinded him with a mixture of household chemicals.
From around 1928 until the early 1930s, Fuller played anywhere he
could, from tobacco warehouses to fish fries. He teamed up with Sonny Terry, a harmonica player, and
sometimes Bull City Red & Gary Davis. He spent a lot of time
recording with ARC label group from 1935 through 1938. He also
recorded with numerous other record labels up until 1940.
Fuller’s life began winding down at this time, as he underwent a
kidney operation in 1940. It is unsure how he died, but two possible
causes are blood poisoning due to the effects of his kidney
operation and/or pneumonia.
He died at his home in Durham, NC, and was buried in Grove Hill
Cemetery.
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Vol.711 Blind Boy Fuller @FLAC