1. Luther Sylvester Allison was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.
21 Facts About Luther Allison
1. 2.
Luther Allison moved with his family to Chicago in 1951 and attended Farragut High School where he was classmates with Muddy Waters' son.
3.
Luther Allison taught himself guitar and began listening to blues extensively.
4.
Luther Allison played with the bands of Howlin' Wolf and Freddie King, taking over King's band when King toured nationally.
5.
Luther Allison worked with Jimmy Dawkins, Magic Sam and Otis Rush, and backed James Cotton.
6.
Luther Sylvester Allison was born on August 18,1939, in Widener, Arkansas, the fourteenth of 15 children.
7.
Luther Allison's family moved to Chicago when he was 12, in search of better opportunities.
8.
Several of Luther Allison's siblings sang in a gospel group called the Southern Travellers.
9.
From 1954, Luther Allison jammed with his brother's band, the Ollie Lee Luther Allison Band.
10.
Luther Allison worked the club circuit in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
11.
Luther Allison signed a recording contract with Delmark Records in 1967 and released his debut album, Love Me Mama, the following year.
12.
Luther Allison 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.
13.
Luther Allison was known for his powerful concert performances, lengthy soulful guitar solos and crowd walking with his Gibson Les Paul.
14.
Luther 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.
15.
The album Soul Fixin' Man was recorded and released in 1994, and Luther Allison toured the United States and Canada.
16.
Luther Allison won several Living Blues Awards and was featured on the covers of blues publications.
17.
Luther Allison's son Bernard Allison, at one time a member of his band, is a solo recording artist.
18.
The younger Luther Allison made his first venture into the music business at age 13, when he performed on a live album with his father.
19.
Luther Allison was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1998.
20.
Luther Allison was a strong influence on many young blues guitarists, such as Chris Beard and Reggie Sears.
21.
Luther Allison is buried at Washington Memory Gardens Cemetery in Homewood, Illinois.