Luther Allison

Luther Allison

Allison performing at the 1996 Riverwalk Blues Festival
Background information
Born (1939-08-17)August 17, 1939
Widener, Arkansas, United States
Died August 12, 1997(1997-08-12) (aged 57)
Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Genres Blues, Chicago blues
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Vocals, guitar
Years active 1957–1997
Labels Delmark Records, Motown Records, Ruf Records, Alligator Records Rumble Records
Associated acts Howlin' Wolf, James Cotton
Website Luther-Allison.com

Luther Allison (August 17, 1939 – August 12, 1997)[1] was an American blues guitarist. He was born in Widener, Arkansas, and moved with his family to Chicago in 1951.[2] He taught himself guitar and began listening to blues extensively. Three years later he began hanging around outside blues nightclubs with the hopes of being invited to perform. He played with Howlin' Wolf's band and backed James Cotton.

Career

Allison's big break came in 1957, when Howlin' Wolf invited him to the stage. Freddie King took Allison under his wing, and after King got a record deal, Allison took over his gig in the house band of a club on Chicago's West Side. He worked the club circuit in the late 1950s and early 1960s and recorded his first single in 1965. He signed a recording contract with Delmark Records in 1967 and released his debut album, Love Me Mama, the following year. He performed a well-received set at the 1969 Ann Arbor Blues Festival and as a result was asked to perform there in each of the next three years.[2] He toured nationwide. In 1972, he signed with Motown Records, one of the few blues artists on that label.[3] In the mid-1970s he toured Europe. He moved to France in 1977.[3]

Allison was known for his powerful concert performances, lengthy soulful guitar solos and crowd walking with his Gibson Les Paul. He lived briefly during this period in Peoria, Illinois, where he signed with Rumble Records, releasing two live recordings, "Gonna Be a Live One in Here Tonight", produced by Bill Knight, and "Power Wire Blues", produced by George Faber and Jeffrey P. Hess. Allison played the bar circuit in the United States during this period and spent eight months of the year in Europe at high-profile venues, including the Montreux Jazz Festival. In 1992, he performed with the French rock and roll star Johnny Hallyday in 18 shows in Paris, also playing during the intermission.

Allison's manager and European agent, Thomas Ruf, founded Ruf Records in 1994. Signing with Ruf Records, Allison launched a comeback in association with Alligator Records. Alligator founder Bruce Iglauer convinced Allison to return to the United States. The album Soul Fixin' Man was recorded and released in 1994, and Allison toured the United States and Canada. He won four W.C. Handy Awards in 1994. With the James Solberg Band backing him, nonstop touring and the release of Blue Streak (featuring the song "Cherry Red Wine"), Allison earned more Handy Awards and gained wider recognition. He won several Living Blues Awards and was featured on the covers of blues publications.

During his tour in the summer of 1997, Allison checked into a hospital for dizziness and loss of coordination. It was discovered that he had a tumor on his lung that had metastasized to his brain.[4] In and out of a coma, Allison died on August 12, 1997, five days before his 58th birthday, in Madison, Wisconsin.[2] His album Reckless had just been released.

His son Bernard Allison, at one time a member of his band, is now a solo recording artist. Bernard, the youngest of nine siblings, was exposed to all kinds of music by his father. The younger Allison made his first venture into the music business at age 13, when he appeared on a live album with his father.[5]

Allison was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2000, the Chicago Sun-Times called him "the Bruce Springsteen of the blues".[6] He was a strong influence on many young blues guitarists, such as Chris Beard[7] and Reggie Sears.[8]

Allison is buried at Washington Memory Gardens Cemetery in Homewood, Illinois.

Discography

Studio and live albums

Year Title Label Number Notes
1969Love Me MamaDelmark625
1972Bad News Is ComingMotown/Gordy964
1974Luther's BluesMotown/Gordy967
1976Night LifeMotown/Gordy974
1977Love Me PapaBlack & Blue33.524 Reissued as Estudio Eldorado 524 (Brazil) and Evidence CD 26015 (U.S.)
1979Gonna Be a Live One in Here Tonight!Rumble1001Recorded live in Peoria, Illinois, on April 18–19, 1979; reissued as South Side Safari, Red Lightnin' 0036
1979Power Wire BluesRumble1004Part 2 of the Peoria concert; reissued 1985 as Charly 1105
1979Live in ParisParis Album/Buda2-28501Recorded in Paris, La Chapelle Des Lombards, 1979; also issued as Ruf 1354, Free Bird 209/FLY06, Pläne 88295, Platinum 161354
1979LiveBlue Silver3001/3321Part 2 of the 1979 Paris concert; also on Blue Sky/Buda
1980TimeParis Album/Buda2-28505
1984Lets Have a Natural BallJSP1077
1984Life Is a BitchEncore!/Melodie131Blind Pig 2287 (1987) in the U.S., retitled Serious
1985Here I ComeEncore!/Melodie133
1987Rich ManRuf8001Also RFR 1005, Charly CRB 1227
1991More from BerlinEast WestLACD 1991-2Live, 1989
1992Hand Me Down My MoonshineInak/Ruf1047Acoustic
1992Bercy 92 (Johnny Hallyday)Philips514 400Electric guitar on one title; recorded live at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
1994Soul Fixin' ManAlligator4820Ruf 1021 in Europe, retitled Bad Love
1995Blue StreakAlligator4834Ruf 7712 in Europe
1996Live ’89: Let's Try It AgainRuf1028Recorded in Berlin, May 1989
1996Live in Montreux: Where Have You Been?Ruf1008Recorded 1976–1994
1997RecklessAlligator4849Ruf 1012 in Europe
1999Live in ChicagoAlligator4869Ruf 1042 in Europe, recorded 1995–1997, 2-disc set
1999Standing at the CrossroadBlack & Blue421.1Recorded 1977 in Paris; also Night & Day 210, Blues Reference
2002Pay It ForwardRuf1060Recorded 1984–1994
2007UndergroundRuf1132Recorded c. 1968
2009Songs from the RoadRuf1157CD + DVD recorded in Montreal, 1997

[9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

Compilations

Year Title Label Number Notes
1995Sweet Home ChicagoCharlyBM-37
1996The Motown Years, 1972–1976Motown/Universal

Video

Year Title Label Number Notes
1998Live in ParadiseRufVHSRecorded on La Reunion Island, April 1997. Also DVD (2001)
2009Songs from the RoadRuf1157CD + DVD recorded in Montreal, 1997

See also

References

  1. ↑ Doc Rock. "Dead Rock Stars website". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
  2. 1 2 3 Richard Skelly. "Luther Allison | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  3. 1 2 Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. p. 88. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
  4. ↑ "Cancer strikes blues guitarist". St. Petersburg Times. Reuters. July 17, 1997. p. 2B. Retrieved June 24, 2009.
  5. ↑ Coleman, Wayne (11/04/2000). "Bernard Allison's hybrid blues: The son of legendary blues man Luther Allison, Bernard Allison blends rock, jazz, soul and his father's sound into a different musical voice. Afro-American Red Star". Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ Rose, Billy. "Chris Beard Interview". Independent Midwest Interview. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  8. ↑ "Discographie". Luther-Allison.com. Petra Toppat. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
  9. ↑ "Luther Allison – all records". Ruf Records. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
  10. ↑ G. Heinlein; Görgen Antonsson; François Ziegler (October 2003). "Bingow/Paris Album Records Checklist". jazzlabels. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Luther Allison > Discography". Allmusic. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Luther Allison: Discography". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 29, 2009.

External links

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