Bernard Allison

Bernard Allison, the son of legendary blues guitarist Luther Allison, performs as a guitarist, singer, and songwriter with a commanding stage presence. Based in Paris, he matches his father's intensity as a live performer, a steady maker of recordings, and a tireless traveler who has logged as many as 250 shows in a single year. His approach blends older and contemporary strains of Chicago and Texas blues with elements of R&B and roots rock. The Next Generation marked his first album in 1990. From Funkifino in 1995 through Energized: Live in Europe in 2006, nine of his releases came out on Ruf Records, where he also appeared as a guest on multiple projects. Separate efforts arrived on Tone Cool with Across the Water in 2000 and on Cooking Vinyl with Storms of Life in 2002. Jazzhaus issued Chills & Thrills in 2007 and, six years later, Express, the latter recorded jointly with Cedric Burnside. Ruf welcomed him back for Let It Go in 2018. After pausing live work during the COVID-19 pandemic, he completed Highs & Lows in 2022. In January 2024 Ruf issued Luther's Blues, a double-length set that Allison personally assembled by selecting twenty of his father's songs drawn from his own earlier recordings; the thoroughly remastered collection reached stores that same month.

Born in Chicago in 1965, Allison shuttled between the Windy City and Florida alongside his father. While still attending grade school he traveled with Luther to blues festivals, encountering Muddy Waters, Hound Dog Taylor, and Albert King. Luther maintained an extensive record collection, and Bernard drew from both his father's holdings and those of his brothers, absorbing classic blues and gospel. He learned guitar on his own in Florida during the 1970s while Luther toured abroad. At age twelve he performed for his father for the first time. Impressed, Luther presented him with a Fender Stratocaster yet insisted he finish school. Once Bernard turned eighteen, Luther permitted him to share the stage at the 1983 Chicago Blues Festival. Around that period Johnny Winter, whom Bernard had known since childhood, and Stevie Ray Vaughan both offered further guidance.

Immediately after high-school graduation he auditioned successfully for Koko Taylor's touring band and remained until 1985. He then struck out independently with Bernard Allison & Back Talk, spending considerable time in Canada before rejoining Taylor and her Blues Machine for two additional years in the late 1980s. After traveling to Europe with Luther for a live recording, Bernard was invited to serve as music director and bandleader for his father's European tours. Luther spent several years schooling his son in stagecraft directly from the bandstand. At Christmas 1989, while sharing an apartment in Paris, Luther secured studio time for Bernard's debut album, the most valuable present a young musician could receive. Next Generation was tracked for Mondo Records with musicians drawn from Luther's band. Bernard next released No Mercy for In-Akustik in 1994 and entered a long-term though non-exclusive arrangement with Germany's Ruf Records, which put out Funkifino in 1995.

In December 1996 Cannonball Records founder Ron Levy reached Bernard in Chicago during a family visit; he had traveled without guitars or gear. Levy requested straightforward electric blues together with several high-energy guitar pieces aimed at newer listeners. The resulting U.S. debut, Keepin' the Blues Alive, appeared in early 1997 and drew widespread praise. On the subsequent club tour across the United States, drummer Ray "Killer" Allison (unrelated) and bassist Greg Rzab from Buddy Guy's band joined him among others. He returned to Ruf the following year for Times Are Changing. In mid-2000 Tone Cool, based in Minnesota, released Across the Water.

Settled permanently in Paris, Allison benefited from the abundance of blues venues and festivals throughout Europe. He sustained a heavy schedule of concerts and recordings, appearing regularly across Europe, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and the United States. Hang On! came out on Ruf in 2002, while Cooking Vinyl issued the widely praised Storms of Life the same year. Kentucky Fried Blues: Live followed in 2003. Higher Power, his last studio album for Ruf in that initial stretch, appeared in 2004. JSP released the collaborative Triple Fret with Larry McCray, Carl Weathersby, and Lucky Peterson in 2005. Jazzhaus brought out Chills & Thrills in 2007, and CC Entertainment followed with The Otherside in 2010. Throughout these years he rarely stopped traveling, filling prominent slots at international blues festivals while also routing tours through the States, Europe, and Japan.

Allison and guitarist Cedric Burnside issued Express on Jazzhaus in 2013 and circled the globe together. Bernard resumed solo touring in 2016. Let It Go, released in February 2018, signaled his return to Ruf and led to an international tour that introduced him to Vanja Sky and Mike Zito; the three later appeared on the audio and video package Blues Caravan 2018 on Ruf. Songs from the Road, drawn from a German concert, surfaced in February 2020 just before pandemic restrictions halted most performances. Highs & Lows arrived in March 2022, again for Ruf, marking his return to studio work. The eleven-track album moved among modern blues, funk, and R&B and featured guest appearances by Bobby Rush and Colin James; Allison played both Hammond B-3 organ and lead guitar. To mark Ruf Records' thirtieth anniversary the label invited Allison to create something distinctive. He chose twenty of Luther's compositions that he had recorded at various points in his own career, sequenced them, and sent the material to Pauler Acoustics (Stockfisch Records) for meticulous remastering. The resulting collection, titled Luther's Blues after his father's celebrated album, was released in January 2024.