Episode 14 Happy Birthday Robert Cray and Luther Allsion

Episode 14  Happy Birthday ROBERT CRAY and LUTHER  ALLISON Aug 25   

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Welcome to a new feature addition to Brown Shoes Blues that will recognize two blues artists who have birthdays each month. The shows will be shorter than the regular episodes that discuss one artist in depth.

 This episode is a Happy Birthday shout out to Robert Cray and Luther Allison.

 The titles of my releases on my label Big Guitar Music the songs are taken from in this episode include Southern Style and Classic Live Performances Volume 3 featuring Greg “Fingers” Taylor on harmonica.

 The musicians featured in the tracks on this episode are Bruce Jones, Gene Brandon, Fingers Taylor, Nick Connolly, Mark Hallman, Paul Junior, Stephen Bruton, and Steve Kilmer.  I am on vocals and guitar.

 Visit my website for more info  www.omarandthehowlers.com

 Thank you to Matthew Garza (Upwork.com) for his work mastering this podcast.

Transcript

Episode 14 HBD Robert Cray and Luther Allison   

Omar Dykes: Welcome to a new feature edition to the Brown Shoes Blues lineup. Today I am going to recognize two blues artists who have birthdays this month. The August birthdays celebrated in this episode are Robert Cray and Luther Allison, both of whom I had the pleasure to play with many times.

Robert William Cray was born on August the first, 1953 in Columbus, Georgia, while his father was stationed at Fort Benning. Robert's family moved around extensively because of his military family background. Cray was surrounded with music in his young childhood. He was classically trained in piano while in Germany, and his parents filled the house with music. The Cray household listened to artists like Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughan, Sam Cooke, and many other pop singers. Cray's musical beginning goes back to when he was a student in high school where he played in his first band, the One Way Street.

Cray's music blends blues with elements of soul, R & B, gospel and rock, creating a unique and recognizable style. Robert first picked up a guitar after seeing the Beatles on TV. Then, having witnessed Jimi Hendrix perform in Seattle, determined that he was destined to follow on a similar path. By the age of 20, Cray had seen his heroes, Albert Collins, Freddie King, and Muddy Waters in concert, which led him to form his own band. In 1974, he formed the Robert Cray Band. In the 1978 film, National Lampoon's Animal House, Cray was the uncredited bass player in the house party band Otis Day and the Knights.

Robert Cray's first album is titled Who's Been Talking. It came out in 1980. It marked his debut as a recording artist and showcased his blues-infused style and his soulful vocals. The album is a mix of original compositions and covers, including the title track, which was a rendition of the blues standard, originally written by Chester Burnett Howlin' Wolf. Who's Been Talking laid the foundation for Craig's future success and established him as a promising talent in the blues genre. Cray was signed to Mercury Records and in 1986 released his fourth album Strong Persuader, which received a Grammy Award while the crossover single "Smoking Gun" gave him broader appeal and name recognition.

I played with Robert in Dallas and took my wife Lyn with me because she was a huge fan of Robert Cray's music. She wanted Robert to sign her Strong Persuader cd. I sent word to Robert through his road crew guys that I was there, and my wife wanted him to sign her cd. Robert was very gracious. We went backstage after his band finished their show and Robert said for us to come back to see him immediately. They didn't even have time to rest from getting off stage, and he'd already asked us to come back. I thought that was really great. Lyn was so nervous, she was shaking and overwhelmed over meeting Robert Cray. Robert said, "Don't be nervous. I'm just Omar's buddy." She got her CD signed and never forgot the kindness of Robert Cray. Neither one of us forgot. He's so gracious.

Cray has generally played Fender guitars, Telecasters and Stratocasters, and there are two signature Robert Cray Stratocaster models available from Fender. And let me tell you, I'm a big fan of Robert's guitar playing. He keeps it low key. He don't waste a note. Cray's favorite guitar is a Fender Stratocaster that he fell in love with when he was at a concert featuring Buddy Guy's brother Phil. Cray said it sounded unlike anything he had ever heard before, and he was soon on a personal mission to buy a Stratocaster. He got his first Strat in 1979 and has played one ever since. He said in a 1989 interview for the Guitar World magazine about the Stratocaster, "It's just a good, honest workhorse. You basically set it and forget it and the rest is up to you. It's got everything I want, and it's also helped me to create the sound that people recognize." I would have to say I agree with what he says completely. He got that sound, and it's a Fender. The official release of the first Robert Cray design Fender Stratocaster model was 1990. The design incorporated several of Cray's preferences, such as a Rosewood fret board and vintage-style frets. He designed a second Fender Strat later on that also bears his name.

Cray had the opportunity to play alongside John Lee Hooker on his album Boom Boom, playing the guitar solo in the song, "Same Old Blues Again." He is also featured on the Hooker album, The Healer. He plays a guitar solo on the song "Baby Lee." The entire Robert Cray band backs Hooker on the title track of his 1992 album, Mr. Lucky, where Cray plays lead guitar, sings, and banters with Hooker throughout the song. The band also appears on two songs on B. B. King's 1993 duet album, Blue Summit, the duet between King and Cray, which was written by Cray and Dennis Walker specifically for the project called "Playing With My Friends" and the duet between King and John Lee Hooker, "You Shook Me."

In August, 1990, Cray played with Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan, and Stevie Ray Vaughan at Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, Wisconsin, performing "Sweet Home Chicago." This was Stevie Ray Vaughan's final performance before he died in a helicopter accident later that night.

Robert Cray has won five Grammy Awards. In 2011, Cray was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame and received the American Music Lifetime Achievement Award for his performance in 2017. The Robert Cray Band currently consists of Robert Cray on guitar and vocals, Richard Cousins, who I know very well, I love Richard, Richard Cousins on bass, Dover Weinberg on keyboards, and Les Falconer on drums. You know I feel All Right Live in Chicago 85 is his most recent album, released in 2024. 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of Cray's career of touring and recording. A lifelong career led to Cray’s enjoying phenomenal success, including multiple platinum and gold records with Strong Persuader and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark being the most highly acclaimed. At the age of 72, he continues to record and tour extensively throughout Europe, the United States, and everywhere. His touring schedule posted on robertcray.com has a relentless and grueling list of shows that would be a challenge for anyone.

"Ton of Blues" is a song I wrote with Robert Cray in mind. It is from my release Southern Style.

Another artist I hold dear to my heart is Luther Sylvester Allison, and he was born on August the 17th, 1939, being the 14th child out of 15 children. He was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was born in Weidner, Arkansas. His family was interested in music and as a child, Luther and several family members toured in a family gospel group during the late 1940s called the Southern Travelers.

He moved with his family to Chicago in 1951 in search of a better life. He was self-taught in playing the guitar and became an immediate fan of the blues. His idol was Otis Rush, which makes perfect sense given Luther's playing style. I love Luther's guitar playing. Woo. He's the best. Allison started hanging around outside blues clubs, hoping for an opportunity to play. He worked the club circuit in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Chicago's West side, jamming with Otis Rush and Freddie King. Now that's, that's a treat. Allison played with Muddy Waters, Sunnyland Slim, Robert Nighthawk, and Freddie King, taking over King's house band gigs when King was on tour. He worked with Magic Sam, Otis Rush, Jimmy Dawkins, and also backed James Cotton. Chicago Reader has called him ‘the Jimi Hendrix of blues guitar.’

In 1957, Howlin' Wolf called Luther to the stage to jam, which became Allison's first big break. He recorded his first single in 1965, signing a recording contract with Delmark Records. The following year, he released his debut album, Love Me Mama. He performed at the 1969 Ann Arbor Blues Festival and as a result, began touring nationwide. In 1972, he signed with Motown Records becoming one of the label's very few blues artists. In the mid-1970s, he toured Europe and moved to France in 1977. Allison played the bar circuit in the United States and spent eight months of the year in Europe at prestigious venues, including the Montreux Jazz Festival. Thomas Ruf, founder of Ruf Records in Germany, became Allison's manager and European agent in 1994. Signing with Ruf Records, Allison launched a comeback to the United States in partnership with Alligator Records. Luther's album Soul Fiction Man was released in 1994, and Allison toured the United States and Canada winning four W.C. Handy Awards that year.

While on tour in 1997, Allison checked into a hospital to find out he was suffering from a tumor on his lung that spread throughout his body. He fell into a coma and died in Madison, Wisconsin on August the 12th, 1997, 5 days before his 58th birthday. Allison is buried at Washington Memory Garden Cemetery in Hollywood, Illinois. Luther Allison was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1998. Luther's youngest son, Bernard Allison played at his father's. Luther's youngest son Bernard Allison played on one of his father's live albums when he was 13 years old. Now Bernard is a successful solo blues recording and touring musician. I was, fortunate enough to get to play some with Bernard. Another great guy.

When Omar and the Howlers began touring the East Coast in the late seventies, we were able to play shows with Luther in Alexandria, Virginia, the Washington DC area, Baltimore, Maryland, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and other places. I also played with him in several cities in upstate New York. Besides Luther's talents as a guitarist and a singer, I was astounded by his abilities as a deluxe showman. During an interview Luther said, "I put out until they pulled the plug." I can tell you he did that. He gave every show everything he had, sometimes even playing during the intermissions. Any attempt to keep up with Luther Allison meant you had your work cut out for you.

Several years after performing with him on the East Coast, I was able to play multiple shows with him in France where he was then living, and in Switzerland, Belgium, and Holland. After reconnecting with Luther in Europe, he was still a dynamo and undeniable contender. Playing several shows with Luther on the tour, it wasn't lost on me that Luther always stayed and signed CDs until every fan had been greeted. He stayed until there was nobody left in line, being friendly, cordial, and smiling. I tried to keep that in mind and follow his attention and accommodating nature towards my fans, and it has served me well. Thank you, Luther.

I realized having signed a contract with Ruf Records that Thomas Ruf was not only a huge fan and friend of Luther's but also had management and recording connections with him. Those connections led to many lengthy conversations about the greatness of Luther Allison. It was an honor to have the opportunity to work with such an amazing artist.

This is a song from my release, Classic Live Performances Volume 3 called "Give Me Back My Wig." That was a hit for Luther Allison on Alligator Records.

Check out Antone's Record Shop for vintage, hard to find, and current music in all formats. They'll take good care of you. Visit them in person or online at antonesrecordshop.com.

I hope you've enjoyed this Happy Birthday episode of Brown Shoes Blues. Happy Birthday to Luther Allison, whose music continues to inspire people to love the blues, and to Robert Cray who continues to rock the house every night. Be sure to join me again for the next episode of this podcast. The next episode will be a Blues Master in-depth broadcast about the legendary B.B. King.

Don't miss it. Thank you.