Grammy Nominee Robbie Fulks Through the Years on WTTW


With a recent pair of Grammy nominations, Chicago-based singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks is heading into 2017 with momentum.

His recent recording “Upland Stories” was nominated for Best Folk Album, and his song “Alabama at Night” earned a nod for Best American Roots Song. The nominations are also the first for Chicago’s Bloodshot Records.

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Fulks joins us in discussion and performance of two songs that could win Grammy Awards in February.

Video: Fulks performs “Alabama at Night”


Looking back on the career of the 53-year-old singer-songwriter, we discovered a trove of material in the WTTW archives.

In 1997, “Artbeat Chicago” spoke with Fulks at the Old Town School of Folk Music on Armitage. Fulks had recently been signed to Geffen Records from Bloodshot Records, a deal that ultimately went bust.


In 1999, Fulks made a cameo in an episode of “Wild Chicago,” performing his song “You Shouldn't Have” at the Old Town School’s Folk and Roots Festival in Welles Park.


And in 2002, Fulks defied expectations by releasing an album of Michael Jackson covers. Recording engineer Steve Albini and Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot contribute to the report, which ended up on both “Artbeat Chicago” and “Chicago Tonight.”


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