Bernard Allison, son of legendary Chicago blues musician Luther Allison, talks about his career ahead of Ruf Records' 30th anniversary show at the Arcada Theatre

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

Ruf Records certainly has done its part to keep the blues alive.

The independent record label was founded in 1994 by Thomas Ruf, the manager of Chicago blues legend Luther Allison, to help promote Allison's career.

The label is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a tour featuring several of its artists, including Luther Allison's son, Bernard Allison, who has made his own musical impact.

Allison along with Samantha Fish, Canned Heat, Mitch Ryder and Ghalia Volt’s One Woman Band will perform Nov. 10 at the Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles.

The show starts at 5 p.m. and tickets are available at arcadalive.com.

I had the chance to talk to Allison about the upcoming show.

 

Q – So it must be extra special for you to be part of this tour, given that the label was founded in 1994 by your dad's manager, Thomas Ruf, to promote Luther's career. 

Yes, we did the European leg of the 30 year anniversary tour Jan. 17- Feb. 7 with Katie Henry, Alley Venable and The Bernard Allison Group, which are all current Ruf Records artists. We had performances in Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Holland and France.

 

It was a beautiful and magical tour across Europe. 

 

Q – And of course, you released "Luther's Blues" in January, which features 20 of your dad's songs that you have remade. What were you looking to do in remaking the songs? Was it just the right time to release the album?

 

I thought it would be a perfect album to release for the tour, considering that my dad basically started the label and laid the path for all the following artists.

 

I hand selected tunes from my previous albums where I put my own twist on my dad's tunes. Thomas Ruf and I agreed that it would be perfect for the anniversary tour.

 

It debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart, which was a good sign that people were digging it.

Q – I understand that you promised your mom that you would always include at least one or two of your dad's songs on every album. How did you go about choosing what songs to put on "Luther's Blues"?

 

Correct. I always ask my mom which songs of my dad's I should record. Going through all my recordings, it was not easy to select which tracks to include. 

 

So I kinda went from my early albums to the more recent ones. It was important for me to make sure the dynamics flowed smoothly from track to track.

 

I think it was a good choice, considering I’ve recorded more of my dad’s songs on other albums.

Q – You lived in Paris for 12 years. How would you compare the audiences in Europe to the audiences in the United States?

 

I spent a lot of time performing all over Europe as my dad’s band leader. That led to me touring the same circuit with own group.

 

Which is pretty cool because I grew up with my dad’s European fan base. For me, the European fan base allowed my dad and I to be ourselves,without putting a label on us both.

 

I find the United States really tries to put a label on an artist.

 

My dad always told me, "Don’t let them put a label on you. Play what you grew up with and make it your own."

 

So I stuck to that concept and play blues, funk, gospel, soul and R&B.

 

Q – You were born in Chicago and have many connections to the city. Right before graduating from high school in 1983, you played with your father at the Chicago Blues Fest. What was that experience like and what did you learn from the experience?

 

Yes, the Chicago Blues Fest was the beginning of a dream come true, to be on stage with my dad at a very young age, as well as perform in front of a very large crowd of blues lovers.

 

Q – What was it like being the lead guitarist in Koko Taylor's band? Do you think the experience helped shape you into the musician you are today?

 

Yes I always give credit to Koko & Pops Taylor. They both taught me the rules of the road considering I was not old enough to be in the clubs.

 

So my parents gave them permission to do so. Being with Koko taught me how to play behind a leader as opposed to starting as a front man.

 

I learned how to play rhythm and support the leader, which made me the player I am today and also led me to become my dad's band leader. 

 

Q – I would imagine there are some people who expect you to be exactly like your father. How have you tried to distinguish yourself from your father?

At the beginning, everyone expected me to be a carbon copy of my dad. My dad had his idols like Otis Rush, B.B. King, Magic Sam, Chuck Berry and Otis Redding.

 

So you could hear them all in his playing and vocals. I, on the other hand, studied all of them as well as Johnny Winter and Stevie Ray Vaughan and funk and R&B. We are two different players and vocalists.

 

I have a lot of him in me naturally, but also have found my own path. Today, people can hear the difference in both of us, but also hear the similarities in us.

 

It's in my blood.