Luther Allison: A 1996 Interview With Solo Guitar Performances (Podcast)

Our Wide-Ranging Conversation in a San Francisco Hotel Room

Conducted in a San Francisco hotel room on September 3, 1996, this in-depth interview features Luther Allison talking about his life in the blues. In addition to answering questions about his career, recordings, guitar playing, gear, musical inspirations, and other topics, Luther brilliantly sings and plays songs and solos on an unplugged electric guitar. The first of these occur around the 25:00 mark. At 44:00 Luther demonstrates the differences between his version of “Goin’ Down” and those of Eric Clapton and Freddie King. He then goes into his own “Should I Wait.” Thrilling stuff!

Born in Benedict Township, Arkansas, on August 17, 1939, Luther Allison moved to Chicago when he was 12 years old. He first came to prominence as one of the architects of Chicago’s “West Side” sound during the late 1950s and 1960s. In time, he became one of the most visceral guitarists on record – he often played as if his very soul hung in the balance. After recording for Delmark and Motown, he moved to Europe and released a handful of CDs on various labels before returning to the States to work with producer Jim Gaines on the Soul Fixin’ Man and Blue Streak albums.

During our conversation, Luther discusses his recordings through the years, his recent work with Alligator Records, and why he feels it’s finally his time to succeed in the U.S. He explains what it was like when he first came to Chicago and details his experiences with Earl Hooker, Freddie King, Magic Sam, Otis Rush, Hubert Sumlin, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Little Walter, and Buddy Guy. We also talk about his guitar and amps, his son Bernard, why players should stay away from drinking alcohol, and other topics. Here’s the link to the audio, which was done with a DAT recorder:

Luther Allison: A 1996 Interview With Solo Guitar Performance

Portions of this interview were published as “Luther Allison: Confessions of a Soul Fixin’ Man" in Guitar Player magazine’s December 1996 issue. After our interview, Luther Allison went on to win several W.C. Handy Awards and Living Blues Awards. He passed away less than a year later on August 12, 1997.

I hope you enjoy this unique recording, and be sure to check out my other historic interviews on the Talking Guitar YouTube channel. Thanks to engineer/producer Nik Hunt for filming the intro and outro and enhancing the sound of the 27-year-old master tape. To help us continue producing podcasts, please become a paid subscriber ($5 a month, $40 a year) or hit that donate button. Thank you!

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