Well– my grail, anyway…
OK… One of my grails…
(freakin’ nitpickers… :rolleyes: )
Anyway, I grew up in the ’70s, a hideous time to grow up despite what the alarming proliferation of “Classic Rock” radio stations might seem to indicate. So I did the logical thing: I resigned (culturally speaking) from My Generation, and looked around for alternatives. One of these alternatives was blues– real blues— not the pack of Eric Clapton wannabees that claimed to be “bluesmen”. …
When I was 16, I saw an album reviewed in Guitar Player Magazine called Night Life by Luther Allison. The review intrigued me, and I went down to the local record store to special order a copy from that huge yellow book of album releases they used to have (does anyone know if anyone still uses that?). Being 16 in the 1970s, I was a moron, and didn’t know who all the session musicians were, but I knew I really liked this album. The musicians listed in the credits included (but were not limited to) Mac Rebennack (Dr. John, who– if I remember correctly– also produced), Alain Toussaint (piano), David “Fathead” Newman (who plays all the sizzling saxaphone tracks on the album), John Lee(bass), Gerry Brown(drums), Brecker Brothers(horns) and Steve Kahn(rhythm guitar).
(if anyone out there still has the liner notes from this one, by all means– send them to me!!!)
The album was realeased on Gordy (as in the Motown founder) records, and they had no idea how to market this guy, because Luther Allison was a Chicago Blues man, and Gordy was used to handling souls acts. The record died in the market, and has been out of print for literally decades. I lost the album in Life’s Eternal Shuffle™, and have been trying to find another copy ever since.
Well, last night, I found it in mp3 format, and broke one of my computer security rules: never to download from one of those virus-infested torrent sites. So I made sure my anti-virus files were up-to-date, and downloaded the album. And here it is:
Opening Track, Side 2: Night Life, written by (the then largely unknown) Willie Nelson
Track 2, Side 2: Full Speed Ahead
Track 4, Side 2: Bloomington Closing, by Freddie King
So there you have it– an introduction to the music of the late great Luther Allison.
Enjoy!
excellent choice.
You were very brave going to those nice sites!! 😀 but it was worth the risk, I think!! 😀 Thanks for sharing, that was a find for me, I like it a lot!! :up:
Thanks for your coment. I tried to write what I felt. However, I also enjoy your blog to a great degree. I read your comments in few places. You know, you possess a great character and it charmed me a lot. You take care my friend and keep in touch.
Hi there! Please go to http://www.musicstack.com and order as many copies as you want.