Fat Possum was founded in 1991 by Living Blues editor Peter Redvers-Lee, who went to the University 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 was John Hermann of Widespread Panic, who also pitched Robert Palmer's name as producer.[2][15]
The label initially specialised in discovering blues players from the North Mississippi region, many of whom had never recorded before.[citation needed] At Fat Possum's behest some artists, particularly R. L. Burnside, released both standard blues albums and more techno albums,[16] done in the style that would later be made famous by Moby's album Play.[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, particularly Junior Kimbrough's album All Night Long, which received 4 stars from Rolling Stone and the loud approval of Iggy Pop. In 1995, they added Arkansas bluesman John "So Blue" Weston to their roster, with So Doggone Blue (FP 1003) produced by Grammy nominee and Living 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 as Not the Same Old Blues Crap 3 (with a cover illustration by Joe Sacco)[21] and All Men Are Liars, gradually pulled Fat Possum out of the red, even if only for brief periods of time. A legal fight with Capricorn 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 with The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion for a tour, and then recorded with the band A Ass Pocket of Whiskey, which helped Burnside and Fat Possum gain wider recognition. A remix of the R. L. Burnside song, "It's Bad You Know", was also featured prominently on The Sopranos.
In 2017 Fat Possum partnered with founding Gorilla vs. Bear blogger Chris Cantalini to start new label Luminelle Recordings. Canadian singer-songwriter Helena Deland was the label's first signing.[29] Following Deland's signing, Fat Possum and Luminelle signed new acts such as Magdalena Bay, MUNYA, and Enumclaw.
^McInerney, Jay. "White Man at the Door: One Man's Mission to Record the 'Dirty Blues' - before Everyone Dies." The New Yorker (February 4, 2002): page 55
^Grant, Richard (2003-11-16). "Delta Force". Observer Music Monthly. Retrieved 2010-02-26. 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.'
^The liner notes for Not the Same Old Blues Crap 3 and several other blues compilations contain essays by Matthew Johnson regarding his feelings for blues archivalists. He is against them.
^"HOME". Larry Hoffman Music. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
