Bernard Allison

Does the name sound familiar? It should. Bernard Allison is the son of the late blues guitar superstar, Luther Allison, and yes, "he inherited the goods." The younger Allison has spent the last 16 years of his life honing his skills to become a great guitarist in his own right, as well as a stellar vocalist and songwriter.


From his memorable duet with his father at the 1983 Chicago Blues Festival to his years spent with Koko Taylor's Blues Machine and Willie Dixon's band, Allison has grown into a mature, self-assured front man. The stage is his medium and his live performance showcases the young gun's scorching guitar licks, thick tone and mature vocals.


With the torch of blues being handed shakily from one generation to the next, Allison seems the heir apparent to his father with his mixture of traditional and new styles. Perhaps Allison himself sums it up best in his autobiographical song, "Young Boy Blues": "I'm not Muddy Waters. Don't mistake me for that. I'm just a young boy, who knows where it's at."

This artist appears in Jubilee #502: Bernard Allison.