BERNARD ALLISON
BIO: Allison is the son of the late blues great Luther Allison.
ALBUM: "Higher Power"
LABEL: Ruf
RELEASE DATE: Feb. 22, 2005
PRODUCER: Allison
GUESTS: Bruce McCabe, Paul Diethelm, Jellybean Johnson, Brian Johnson.
TRACKS: "I've Learned My Lesson," "Raggedy and Dirty, " "Standing on the Edge of Love," "Stay With Me Tonight," "Too Cool," "It's a Man Down There," "New Life I'm In," "Woman Named Trouble," "Time Flies By," "Stakes Have Gone Up," "Into My Life," "Next 2 U," "Ami."
HEAR HERE
ALBUM DISCOGRAPHY: "Hang On!" (Peter Pan, 1994); "No Mercy" (Inakustik, 1996); "Keepin' the Blues Alive" (Cannonball, 1997); "Next Generation" (Celluloid, 1998); "Times Are Changing" (Ruf/Platinum, 1998); "Across the Water" (Tone-Cool, 2000); "Hang On!" live (Ruf, 2001); "Storms of Life" (Tone-Cool/Artemis, 2002); "Kentucky Fried Blues Live" (Ruf, 2003); "Higher Power" (2005).
TOUR DATES HERE
WEB SITE: www.bernardallison.com
PAUSE & PLAY: How do you go about selecting the songs you want to cover?
ALLISON: "I normally ask my mom, brothers (3), sisters (5) their top three of my dad's tunes, then I take the top two vote-leaders to decide. Other artist tunes, I try to cover tunes that I believe were overlooked because they were most likely on a CD with stronger tunes."
P&P: How does "Higher Power" stack up against your past albums?
ALLISON: "I believe that it's no different than any of my CDs musically. The big difference is that I produced this CD, and I also used my touring band. Also this CD is very personal because most of the songs explain the ups and downs that I've been through since the death of my dad. To explain it all in
one word, I would have to say it's more mature."
P&P: What do you remember most about your early days with Koko Taylor?
ALLISON: "The time spent with Koko, I believe, it's where it all began for the fact that I joined the band as a sideman, which taught me how to play in a section behind a vocalist. Also she taught me about the road life, the do's and dont's and how to manage my money. Koko is like my second mother and I believe that if I didn't have that chance to play with her, I most likely wouldn't be in the position that I am currently in now."
P&P: What's the best advice you ever got from your father?
ALLISON: "My dad always said to 'go out and give 100 percent everytime you get the chance to get on stage, and don't go out and try to be me or anyone else but yourself. Use what you have learned from others and try and find your way from there. Also don't play just traditional 12 bar blues because you know much more than that and don't let them label you like they labeled me. Also make yourself available to your fans. Leave your ego, play the music, love the
people.' "
P&P: Does the blues change with the times, or has it changed little over the years?
ALLISON: "I believe the blues changes everyday and I believe that's what it's going to take to stay alive; the younger generation has to focus on younger people and find a way to reach them. I believe the way to do this is to use rock, soul, rap, country, jazz, etc., and show them that it all comes from the
blues."
P&P: Are young people getting exposed to it?
ALLISON: "Yes, I believe younger kids are starting to search really what is blues with the help of artists like Jonny Lang, John Mayer, Ronnie Baker Brooks, only to list a few. And hear that the blues can be played with many different influences."
P&P: Out-of-left-field question: If Barry Bonds is found to have used steroids, should his records stand?
ALLISON: "I believe that his records should be deleted if he is found guilty, only from the date of use, not records he set prior."
P&P: What's the first record you ever bought?
ALLISON: "Cameo. I have always been a big fan of this group. Larry Blackman, the lead singer, just had that special voice for me and the arrangments are always stong."
P&P: What's the first concert you ever went to?
ALLISON: "Luther Allison, Ann Arbor Festival 1972. Artists included Muddy Waters, Hound Dog Taylor, Otis Span, Sun Ra, Bonnie Raitt, Freddie King and many more. There's a photo in my 'Next Generation' CD booklet with my mom and I viewing my dad's performance at this festival."
P&P: What's the worst job you've ever had?
ALLISON: "I've only had one job, stocking beer at a 7-Eleven store during our state fair in Peoria, Ill., and I really was just seeing what it was like to
work. That lasted only one week, but it was very funny to me at the time. Other than that, I have always played music."
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