| Fat Possum Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1992 (1992) |
| Founder | Matthew Johnson Peter Redvers-Lee |
| Distributor(s) | RED Distribution (US) |
| Genre | Blues,rock,hip hop,indie rock |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Oxford, Mississippi |
| Official website | www |
Fat Possum Records is an Americanindependent record label based inWater Valley andOxford, Mississippi.[1] At first Fat Possum focused almost entirely on recording previously unknownMississippiblues artists (typically from Oxford orHolly Springs, Mississippi). Recently, Fat Possum has signed younger rock acts to its roster. The label has been featured inThe New York Times,[2]New Yorker,[3]The Observer,[1] aSundance Channel production,[4][5] features onNPR,[6][7] and a 2004 documentary,You See Me Laughin.[8] Fat Possum also distributes theHi Records catalog.[9]
Fat Possum was founded in1991 byLiving Blues editor Peter Redvers-Lee, who went to theUniversity of Mississippi for his MA studies in Journalism.[10][11] He planned on starting a record label and picked the name with another student, Billy "Pup" Cochrane.[12][verification needed] Co-founder Matthew Johnson, who grew up in the state, was also a student at the University of Mississippi.[13] By 1994 or so[14] Lee left, and freelance recording engineer Bruce Watson assumed his managerial role.[13] An early investor wasJohn Hermann of Widespread Panic, who also pitchedRobert Palmer's name as producer.[2][15]
The label initially specialised in discovering blues players from theNorth Mississippi region, many of whom had never recorded before.[citation needed] At Fat Possum's behest some artists, particularlyR. L. Burnside, released both standard blues albums and more techno albums,[16] done in the style that would later be made famous byMoby's albumPlay.[citation needed] This led to a fair amount of controversy among blues purists, a group in which Johnson was largely uninterested.[17] Many of the early artists for Fat Possum were picked[18] with the aid of Palmer (previously a teacher of Johnson at the University of Mississippi), who also produced a number of records for the label.
Fat Possum’s early releases were critically acclaimed, particularlyJunior Kimbrough's albumAll Night Long, which received 4 stars fromRolling Stone and the loud approval ofIggy Pop. In 1995, they added Arkansas bluesman John "So Blue" Weston to their roster, withSo Doggone Blue (FP 1003) produced byGrammy nominee andLiving Blues writer Larry Hoffman.[19] Disputes between the artist and label resulted in Hoffman buying back the master and selling it to Evidence Records (UPC: 730182609226).[20] Fat Possum was perennially strapped for cash. Word of mouth and artist compilations, such asNot the Same Old Blues Crap 3 (with a cover illustration byJoe Sacco)[21] andAll Men Are Liars, gradually pulled Fat Possum out of the red, even if only for brief periods of time. A legal fight withCapricorn Records, who were to be their distributor, drained Fat Possum's funds and left a number of projects on the shelf.[22]
Burnside proved early on to be the label's biggest money maker. Having released two albums, he teamed withThe Jon Spencer Blues Explosion for a tour, and then recorded with the bandA Ass Pocket of Whiskey, which helped Burnside and Fat Possum gain wider recognition. Aremix of the R. L. Burnside song, "It's Bad You Know", was also featured prominently onThe Sopranos.
With time, many of the label's artists have died.Asie Payton,King Ernest, andCharles Caldwell died before their records could be released. Kimbrough died in 1998 and Burnside in 2005.T-Model Ford andRobert Belfour joined in the 2010s.
Responding to the first deaths, Fat Possum begun to release more archival records.[23]George Mitchell's recordings came out first as individual albums ofFurry Lewis,Mississippi Joe Callicott,R.L. Burnside,Townes Van Zandt, and others, with covers designed byChip Kidd, and then in bulk as theGeorge Mitchell Collection. They acquired theAl Green catalog including his 1975Greatest Hits.[24]
The successful bandThe Black Keys released their second albumThickfreakness (2003) on Fat Possum, and left the label after their third albumRubber Factory (2004).Solomon Burke's "comeback" album,Don't Give Up On Me, won the 2003Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album.[25] In 2013, Fat Possum releasedReady To Die byIggy and the Stooges.
Concluding that further searches for rural talent are hopeless,[26][27] it has begun to broaden its base of artists and sign a range of younger, indie rock bands likeAndrew Bird,Milk Music,MellowHype, theHeartless Bastards,Deadboy & the Elephantmen,Wavves,Youth Lagoon,The Walkmen,Temples,Yuck,Fat White Family,The Districts,Crocodiles,Bass Drum of Death, andSoccer Mommy. They have tapped into the indie-folk scene, releasingVerbena's frontmanA.A. Bondy's solo records,The Felice Brothers, and female songwriterLissie. In 2021,punk bandOff! was signed to the label and announced that along with their upcoming fourth studio album, Fat Possum will also release their back catalog as well.[28] In 2023, Fat Possum releasedArmand Hammer'sWe Buy Diabetic Test Strips.
In 2017 Fat Possum partnered with foundingGorilla vs. Bear blogger Chris Cantalini to start new label Luminelle Recordings. Canadian singer-songwriterHelena Deland was the label's first signing.[29] Following Deland's signing, Fat Possum and Luminelle signed new acts such asMagdalena Bay, MUNYA, and Enumclaw.
One last question: how does he (R. L. Burnside) like the remixes of his music that Fat Possum has put out? 'At first I didn't like them too much,' he says. 'Then I saw how much money they were making and I got to liking them pretty well.'
