| Luther Allison | |
|---|---|
Allison performing at the 1996 Riverwalk Blues Festival |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | August 17, 1939 Widener, Arkansas, United States |
| Died | August 12, 1997 (aged 57) Madison, Wisconsin, United States |
| Genres | Blues |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1957–1997 |
| Labels | Delmark Records, Motown Records, Ruf Records, Alligator 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, at age twelve, to Chicago in 1951.[2] He taught himself guitar and began listening to blues extensively. Three years later he began hanging outside blues nightclubs with the hopes of being invited to perform. He played with Howlin' Wolf's band and backed James Cotton.
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His big break came in 1957 when Howlin' Wolf invited Allison to the stage. Freddie King took Allison under his wing and after King got his big record deal, Allison took over King's house band gig on Chicago's west side. He worked the club circuit throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s and recorded his first single in 1965. Allison was signed to the Delmark Records label in 1967 and released his debut album Love Me Mama the following year. A well-received set at the 1969 Ann Arbor Blues Festival resulted in his being asked to perform there each of the next three years.[2] He also toured nationwide and, in 1972, was signed to Motown Records, the first and one of the few blues artists to do so.[3] By the mid 1970s he began touring Europe and 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. Allison lived briefly during this period in Peoria Illinois, where he signed briefly with Rumble Records in Peoria Illinois which resulted in 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 USA during this period, spending 8 months per year in Europe at high profile venues, including Montreaux Jazz Festival. In 1992, he played as a duo with legendary French rock'n'roll star Johnny Hallyday for 18 shows in Paris, also playing during the intermission.
Allison's manager, and European agent, Thomas Ruf founded the label 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 U.S. and Canada. Allison won four W.C. Handy Awards in 1994. With the James Solberg Band backing him, non-stop touring and the release of Blue Streak (featuring song "Cherry Red Wine"), Allison continued to earn more Handys and gain wider recognition. Allison scored a host of Living Blues Awards and was featured on the cover pages of major blues publications.
He appeared at the 1995 San Francisco Blues Festival.
Allison covered "You Can't Always Get What You Want" for the 1997 Rolling Stones' tribute album, Paint it Blue: Songs of the Rolling Stones.
In the middle of his summer of 1997 tour, 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.
He 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".[5]
Allison is buried at Washington Memory Gardens Cemetery in Homewood, Illinois.
| Year | Title | Label | Number | Notes |
| 1969 | Love Me Mama | Delmark | 625 | |
| 1972 | Bad News Is Coming | Motown/Gordy | 964 | |
| 1974 | Luther's Blues | Motown/Gordy | 967 | |
| 1976 | Night Life | Motown/Gordy | 974 | |
| 1977 | Love Me Papa | Black & Blue | 33.524 | reissued as Estudio Eldorado 524 (Brazil) and Evidence CD 26015 (U.S.) |
| 1979 | Gonna Be a Live One in Here Tonight! | Rumble | 1001 | recorded live in Peoria, Illinois on April 18–19, 1979. reissued as Red Lightnin' 0036, South Side Safari |
| 1979 | Power Wire Blues | Rumble | 1004 | part 2 of the Peoria concert. reissued 1985 as Charly 1105 |
| 1979 | Live in Paris | Paris Album/Buda | 2-28501 | recorded in Paris, La Chapelle Des Lombards, 1979. Also issued as Ruf 1354, Free Bird 209/FLY06, Pläne 88295, Platinum 161354 |
| 1979 | Live | Blue Silver | 3001/3321 | part 2 of the 1979 Paris concert. also on Blue Sky/Buda |
| 1980 | Time | Paris Album/Buda | 2-28505 | |
| 1984 | Lets Have a Natural Ball | JSP | 1077 | |
| 1984 | Life is a Bitch | Encore!/Melodie | 131 | Blind Pig 2287 (1987) in the U.S., retitled Serious |
| 1985 | Here I Come | Encore!/Melodie | 133 | |
| 1987 | Rich Man | Ruf | 8001 | also RFR 1005, Charly CRB 1227 |
| 1991 | More from Berlin | East West | LACD 1991-2 | live, 1989 |
| 1992 | Hand Me Down My Moonshine | Inak/Ruf | 1047 | acoustic |
| 1992 | Bercy 92 (Johnny Hallyday) | Philips | 514 400 | electric guitar on one title. Recorded live at the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy |
| 1994 | Soul Fixin' Man | Alligator | 4820 | Ruf 1021 in Europe, retitled Bad Love |
| 1995 | Blue Streak | Alligator | 4834 | Ruf 7712 in Europe |
| 1996 | Live ’89: Let's Try It Again | Ruf | 1028 | recorded in Berlin, May 1989 |
| 1996 | Live in Montreux - Where Have You Been? | Ruf | 1008 | recorded 1976-1994 |
| 1997 | Reckless | Alligator | 4849 | Ruf 1012 in Europe |
| 1999 | Live in Chicago | Alligator | 4869 | Ruf 1042 in Europe, recorded 1995-97, 2-disc set |
| 1999 | Standing at the Crossroad | Black & Blue | 421.1 | recorded 1977 in Paris. also Night & Day 210, Blues Reference |
| 2002 | Pay It Forward | Ruf | 1060 | recorded 1984-1994 |
| 2007 | Underground | Ruf | 1132 | recorded c. 1968 |
| 2009 | Songs from the Road | Ruf | 1157 | CD+DVD recorded in Montreal, 1997 |
| Year | Title | Label | Number | Notes |
| 1995 | Sweet Home Chicago | Charly | BM-37 | |
| 1996 | The Motown Years, 1972-1976 | Motown/Universal |
| Year | Title | Label | Number | Notes |
| 1998 | Live In Paradise | Ruf | VHS | recorded on La Reunion Island, April 1997. also DVD (2001) |
| 2009 | Songs from the Road | Ruf | 1157 | CD+DVD recorded in Montreal, 1997 |