Tramp

About Tramp

"Tramp" is a soul blues song written by West Coast blues artists Lowell Fulson and Jimmy McCracklin. First recorded by Fulson in 1967, it is described as "a loping funk-injected workout [which restored] the guitarist to R&B stardom", by AllMusic writer Bill Dahl. In the song's narrative, the singer ignores the criticism of his unsophisticated appearance: Despite label owner Jules Bihari's initial dislike, the song was released as a single by Kent Records in 1967. It became a hit, peaking at number five in the Billboard R&B chart. The song was also Fulson's most popular single in the broader, pop-oriented Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it reached number 52. Fulson recalled Bihari's initial reaction: "Oh, he hated 'Tramp', Jules [Bihari] did." However, when he previewed the song for two influential disc jockeys, the response was "Hush! Man, get me my copy, quick. You sitting on a gold mine, talking about you want to hear some blues. You better get that record out." Fulson elaborated: more »