Robbie Fulks is a singer-songwriter and alternative country musician from York, United States, born in 1963. He is known for his blend of country, alt-country and bluegrass, and for incorporating humour, improvisation and sharp commentary into his work.

Early career

Before his solo career, Fulks plays with the bluegrass band Special Consensus. With that group he contributes his guitar work to the Grammy-nominated album Hole In My Heart, released in 1989.

Solo recordings

Fulks begins his solo discography with Country Love Songs, released on Bloodshot Records in 1996. The album receives positive reviews. It is followed by South Mouth in 1997, which helps establish his retro-alternative reputation. His third album, Let’s Kill Saturday Night, appears in 1998 on Geffen Records.

After Geffen ends shortly after that release, Fulks starts his own label, Boondoggle Records, distributed by Bloodshot, and issues The Very Best of Robbie Fulks, a collection of previously unreleased material. In 2001 he releases Couples in Trouble, a dark and brooding album that moves away from country, and then, three months later, 13 Hillbilly Giants, a set of covers of classic country songs ranging from obscure to well known. He returns to his country roots with Georgia Hard in 2005.

Style and live performance

Fulks is known for his rejection of mainstream modern country and of the country music industry. His song Fuck This Town is a direct rebuke of Nashville. In performance, he often reshapes his own songs on the spot and includes off-the-cuff musical humour, as well as covers of songs by Michael Jackson and Cher among others.

Other work

He also writes the novelty single Fountains of Wayne Hotline, which imagines the band Fountains of Wayne operating a hotline for songwriters who want help with song structure.

Location and activity

Fulks is a longtime Chicago resident and remains active as a recording and performing artist.