Mose John Allison, Jr. (born
November 11, 1927) is an American
jazz pianist and singer.
Early life
He was born in
Tallahatchie
County in the
Mississippi
Delta. He played piano in grammar school and
trumpet in
high school.
He went to
college at the University of Mississippi
and Louisiana State University
. He received a
BA in
English with a
minor in
Philosophy. After serving in the
U.S. Army, he moved to
New York
City
and launched his jazz career.
Legacy
He has been called "the
William
Faulkner of Jazz". His music has influenced many
blues and
rock artists,
including
The Rolling Stones,
The Yardbirds,
John Mayall,
J.
J. Cale and
The Who, who made "Young Man Blues" a staple
of their live performances.
Blue Cheer
also recorded a version of his song "
Parchman Farm" on their debut album.
The Yardbirds and
The Misunderstood both recorded versions
of his song "I'm Not Talking".
His song "Look Here" was covered by
The
Clash on their album
Sandinista!.
Leon
Russell covered Allison's song "Smashed!" on his album
Stop
All That Jazz.
Van Morrison
released an album of his songs entitled
Tell Me Something:
The Songs of Mose Allison, and
Elvis Costello recorded "Everybody's Cryin'
Mercy" on his album
Kojak
Variety and "Your Mind Is On Vacation" on
King of America (Bonus Tracks).
Frank Black of the
Pixies claims that the song "Allison" off the album
Bossanova is about Mose Allison.
He also states this at the beginning of the video for the song. His
song "Monsters of the Id" was recorded by Stan Ridgway on his 2004
album "Snakebite: Blacktop Ballads And Fugitive Songs".Allison has
stated over the past few years that he would not be recording any
new albums, but as of October 5th, 2009, his website states that a
"New album Produced by Joe Henry" is "COMING SOON!"
Tributes
Americana singer/song-writer
Greg Brown wrote and performs the song
"Mose Allison Played Here" on his 1997 album,
Slant 6
Mind.
Alternative Rock band
Pixies wrote the song "
Allison
" as a tribute to Mose Allison.
Personal
He is the father of country songwriter Amy Allison.
Awards
Mose Allison was inducted into the
Long Island Music Hall of
Fame in 2006.
Discography
- 1957 : Back Country Suite (Prestige 7091)
- 1957 : Local Color (Prestige 7121)
- 1958 : Young Man Mose (Prestige 7137)
- 1958 : Ramblin' with Mose (Prestige 7215)
- 1959 : Autumn Song (Prestige 7189)
- 1959 : A Modern Jazz Premiere (Columbia)
- 1959 : Transfiguration of Hiram Brown
(Columbia/Legacy)
- 1960 : I Love the Life I Live (Columbia/Legacy)
- 1961 : V-8 Ford Blues (Epic/Legacy)
- 1961 : Take to the Hills (Epic)
- 1962 : That's Jazz (Atlantic)
- 1962 : I Don't Worry About a Thing (Atlantic),(Rhino)
- 1962 : Swingin' Machine (Atlantic)
- 1963 : Mose Allison Sings (Prestige 7279)
- 1964 : The Songs of Mose Allison (Atlantic)
- 1964 : The Word from Mose Allison (Atlantic)
- 1965 : Wild Man on the Loose (Atlantic)
- 1965 : Mose Alive! (Atlantic)
- 1965 : Down Home Piano (Prestige 7423)
- 1965 : Mose Allison Plays for Lovers (Prestige
7446)
- 1968 : I've Been Doin' Some Thinkin' (Atlantic)
- 1969 : Hello There, Universe (Atlantic)
- 1971 : Western Man (Atlantic)
- 1972 : Mose in Your Ear [live] (Atlantic)
- 1972(?) : Retrospective (Columbia)
- 1976 : Your Mind is on Vacation (Koch)
- 1978 : Pure Mose [live] (32 Jazz)
- 1982 : Middle Class White Boy (Discovery)
- 1982 : Lesson in Living [live] (Elektra)
- 1987 : Ever Since the World Ended (Blue Note)
- 1988 : The Best of Mose
Allison (Atlantic)
- 1989 : My Backyard (Blue Note)
- 1993 : The Earth Wants You [live] (Blue Note)
- 1994 : Creek Bank (1958 recordings from 2 different
sessions) (Prestige Records)
- 1994 : Allison
Wonderland Anthology (Rhino Records)
- 1996 : Tell Me Something:
The Songs of Mose Allison (Verve
Records)
- 1997 : Gimcracks and Gewgaws (Blue Note)
- 2001 : The Mose Chronicles: Live in London, vol.
1 (Blue Note)
- 2002 : The Mose chronicles: live in London, vol.
2 (Blue Note)
References
External links
Wikis
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