Jesse Fuller was a one-man band who performed in and around San Francisco from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. In addition to his 12-string guitar, he played harmonica and kazoo (in a rack), high-hat cymbal, and "fotdella." The latter was an instrument of his own devising, consisting of bass strings that he operated with his foot (the one that wasn't keeping time on the cymbal). His best known song was "San Francisco Bay Blues," which was covered most famously by Peter, Paul and Mary, as well as many other artists. He also wrote "Beat It on Down the Line," which was covered on the Grateful Dead's first album (live performance at the end of this post).
San Francisco Bay Blues
Cover by Peter, Paul and Mary
Cover by Eric Clapton
Covered by Ramblin' Jack Elliott
Beat It on Down the Line (audio only)
Covered by the Grateful Dead (live)
Wow, I love Jesse Fuller! I have a Mississippi Records 10" of Working on the Railroad that we have played on the air many times. His song really benefit from a quality stereo system that reproduces the fotdella sound accurately.