This month Jim Clark checks out a man who, although no household name, still stepped into blues legend Freddie King’s shoes on the Chicago scene.
Luther Allison had his big break with blues legend Howlin’ Wolf after hanging outside the blues clubs of Chicago as a young man. It was there he took over the great Freddie King’s job in the house band, allowing him to cut his teeth, jamming with the likes of Magic Sam and Otis Rush, until he scored his own recording deal in 1967.
He would later go on to sign with Motown in 1970, being one of the only blues artists ever to join that label. This allowed him to tour Europe in the mid-70s and establish a wider fan base, resulting in him relocating to France towards the end of the decade.
Luther became known for his fiery style of playing, accompanied by soulful vocals. His marathon live shows were often full of lengthy solos, with encores that were almost as long as the preceding gig. This made him a hugely popular live act and led to him receiving a slew of awards from various blues music associations. In fact, he swept the board in the 96’s WC Handy Blues Awards where he walked off having won in six categories.
This story is from the September 2019 edition of Guitar Techniques.
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This story is from the September 2019 edition of Guitar Techniques.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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