Bernard Allison
Encyclopedia
Bernard Allison is a blues
guitarist based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
His father, Luther Allison
was a Chicago blues
musician. Bernard Allison is the youngest of nine children, and had many different musical influences while growing up, including Albert King
, Muddy Waters
and Freddie King
, and later, Stevie Ray Vaughan
and Johnny Winter
.
in the early 1970s. There he was introduced to Muddy Waters, Hound Dog Taylor
and Albert King, amongst others. After graduating from high school, Allison began playing with Koko Taylor
in her touring band. He stayed with her until 1985, when he appeared at his own gigs as Bernard Allison and Back Talk. Allison spent time in Canada with his first band, but later rejoined Taylor and her Blues Machine for another two years in the late 1980s.
After joining his father in Europe for a live recording, Allison was asked to join his father's touring band and become his European bandleader. At Christmas, 1989, while both were living together in Paris, the elder Allison arranged studio time to allow Allison to record his debut album, The Next Generation. It was recorded for Mondo Records
using musicians from his father's band. His other foreign record label
releases include Hang On, No Mercy, and Funkifino.
Allison released his US debut, Keepin' the Blues Alive in early 1997, receiving critical acclaim. On his tour of clubs around the US in the latter half of 1997, Allison was joined by the drummer Ray "Killer" Allison (no relation) and Greg Rzab. Luther Allison died in August that year.
Times Are Changing followed a year later. In mid 2000, Across the Water was released.
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
guitarist based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
His father, Luther Allison
Luther Allison
Luther Allison was an American blues guitarist. He was born in Widener, Arkansas and moved with his family, at age twelve, to Chicago in 1951. He taught himself guitar and began listening to blues extensively. Three years later he began hanging outside blues nightclubs with the hopes of being...
was a Chicago blues
Chicago blues
The Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois, by taking the basic acoustic guitar and harmonica-based Delta blues, making the harmonica louder with a microphone and an instrument amplifier, and adding electrically amplified guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums,...
musician. Bernard Allison is the youngest of nine children, and had many different musical influences while growing up, including Albert King
Albert King
Albert King was an American blues guitarist and singer, and a major influence in the world of blues guitar playing.-Career:...
, Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
and Freddie King
Freddie King
Freddie King , thought to have been born as Frederick Christian, originally recording as Freddy King, and nicknamed "the Texas Cannonball", was an influential African-American blues guitarist and singer. He is often mentioned as one of "the Three Kings" of electric blues guitar, along with Albert...
, and later, Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stephen Ray "Stevie Ray" Vaughan was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. He was the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan and frontman for Double Trouble, a band that included bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton. Born in Dallas, Vaughan moved to Austin at the age of 17 and...
and Johnny Winter
Johnny Winter
John Dawson "Johnny" Winter III is an American blues guitarist, singer, and producer. Best known for his late 1960s and 1970s high-energy blues-rock albums and live performances, Winter also produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for blues legend Muddy Waters...
.
Biography
Allison accompanied his father to blues festivalsMusic festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
in the early 1970s. There he was introduced to Muddy Waters, Hound Dog Taylor
Hound Dog Taylor
Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor was an American Chicago blues guitarist and singer.-Career:Taylor was born in Natchez, Mississippi in 1915 . He originally played piano, but began playing guitar when he was 20...
and Albert King, amongst others. After graduating from high school, Allison began playing with Koko Taylor
Koko Taylor
Koko Taylor sometimes spelled KoKo Taylor was an American Chicago blues musician, popularly known as the "Queen of the Blues." She was known primarily for her rough, powerful vocals and traditional blues stylings....
in her touring band. He stayed with her until 1985, when he appeared at his own gigs as Bernard Allison and Back Talk. Allison spent time in Canada with his first band, but later rejoined Taylor and her Blues Machine for another two years in the late 1980s.
After joining his father in Europe for a live recording, Allison was asked to join his father's touring band and become his European bandleader. At Christmas, 1989, while both were living together in Paris, the elder Allison arranged studio time to allow Allison to record his debut album, The Next Generation. It was recorded for Mondo Records
Mondo records
Mondo Records is a trance record label created and owned by Darren Tate. It was set up in 2000 to help promote young producers of electronic music as well as find the best unknowns. Some of the most famous names on the label include Flash Brothers, The Green Martian, Hemstock and Jennings, Corderoy...
using musicians from his father's band. His other foreign record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
releases include Hang On, No Mercy, and Funkifino.
Allison released his US debut, Keepin' the Blues Alive in early 1997, receiving critical acclaim. On his tour of clubs around the US in the latter half of 1997, Allison was joined by the drummer Ray "Killer" Allison (no relation) and Greg Rzab. Luther Allison died in August that year.
Times Are Changing followed a year later. In mid 2000, Across the Water was released.
Discography
- 1990 – The Next Generation (Teldec Recording ServiceTeldecThe Teldec is a German record label in Hamburg, Germany. Today the label is a property of Warner Music Group.-History:...
) - 1994 – No Mercy
- 1995 – Funkifino (Ruf RecordsRuf RecordsThe motto of the blues label is "Where Blues Crosses Over". The company's office is located in Lindewerra, Germany. As of 2008 Ruf has produced 120 releases, sold over 1 million albums, received two Grammy nominations and ten Blues Music Award nominations....
) - 1997 – Born With The Blues (Ruf Records)
- 1997 – Keepin the Blues Alive
- 1998 – Times Are Changing (Ruf Records)
- 2000 – Across the Water (Tone-Cool)
- 2000 – Storms of Life (Tone-Cool)
- 2002 – Hang On (Ruf Records)
- 2003 – Kentucky Fried Blues (live album) (Ruf Records)
- 2005 – Higher Power (Ruf Records
- 2005 – Triple Fret (with Larry McCray, Carl Weathersby & Lucky Peterson)
- 2006 – Energized – Live in Europe (CD + DVD) (Ruf Records)
- 2007 – Chills & Thrills (Jazzhaus Records)
- 2010 – The Otherside (Jazzhaus Records)