Musician Bernard Allison says local fest is “like home ”

Author’s note: I interviewed Bernard Allison at his home in the Minneapolis suburbs. Bernard is the headliner of the 10th Annual Boundary Waters Blues Fest coming up on July 29-August 1 in Grand Rapids. We sat on his back deck, under the watchful eye of two boxers that had enormous heads and barked a lot during the interview. He plugged his guitar into a small amp and shared with me music and stories of what’s been happening since the last time we saw each other. It was fascinating to watch the way he used the guitar to communicate. He is an amazing talent. I hope you enjoy! - Mike

M.J.: Today we have with us none other than Bernard Allison, the son of blues legend Luther Allison. And I’m going to let him take it from there. How did Bernard Allison decide he was going to play the blues?

B.A.: Well I knew right away when I was younger I wanted to be like dad you know, so I just started weeding through all of his recordings and listening to all of his idols and the playing. I basically started at 10.

M.J.: You were 10 years old?

B.A.: Yep 10 years old. I played for three years before my dad even knew I was playing. He’d come home off the road, and I would literally unpack the vehicle, sneak the guitars, learn a little bit of each instrument, and pack it back away before he woke up. And I did it for three years until he finally got me (laughter). His time schedule kind of changed around and I saw his feet coming down the stairs. You know, I heard his footsteps, and he basically walked in and I had no time to stop and he caught me.

M.J.: And were you able to play a little bit at that time?

B.A.: I could play, um...his first recording, Love Me Mama, I could play every song note for note by then.

M.J.: Without him knowing?

B.A.: Yep. My mom, sisters, brothers, nieces, everyone knew but him. I wanted to be able to play something in full to let him know. It was just bound to happen ‘cause I had set my goal to learn that record and I had done it. He just happened to walk in (laughter).

M.J.: And what did he have to say about that?

B.A.: He kind of looked at me, and it was like, “So you want to play guitar?” And I’m like, “Yeah.”

He said, “Well you be playin’ like that, you been playin’ a while.” I said, “Yeah, three years.” And he said, “Wow! So, tonight, you come and record my record with me.”

This is 1979 in Peoria, Illinois recording a live album called Safari. So he got me out there and I was shaking like a leaf at first. And I realized, you know, I had no strength in the fingers to bend any notes at all but I could note ‘em. He actually used a photo from that night as the back of the album cover. Me with a Big Lucille guitar which was bigger than me and my dad playing harmonica standing next to me.

M.J.: And you are what? 13 or 14? You’re a kid.

B.A.: Yeah, I had just turned 13.

M.J.: You were a band leader for KoKo Taylor for a while, correct?

B.A.: Yeah, two days out of high school I got a call from KoKo Taylor and she asked if I wanted to be her lead guitarist in the Blues Machine. And I was like, “Huh? Well... yeah, okay.” Because, at the time I knew that there were other guitar players that were more qualified to play with KoKo Taylor. But it was the relationship between my dad and KoKo (that did it). You know, I always credit KoKo for where I stand with my guitar playing today.

M.J.: Well that opened a lot of doors for you I’m sure.

B.A.: Yeah, and not only that, on the player side of it, I walked into something where I wasn’t the leader.

I had to focus on rhythm guitar playing, rather than solo and that knowledge has taken me a long way. After KoKo , when I joined my dad you know, I was a rhythm player first, and at this point, I can solo, but I have the knowledge to respect the singer or the harmonica player. But if I hadn’t joined KoKo, I would have probably been more of a soloist and been like, hey, I’m going to play all the time.

M.J.: And there’s a lot of guys like that too.

B.A.: Yeah, they’re out there and that’s a matter of choice, but I knew that at some point I would be the front man. I’m just very happy and thankful that KoKo called me and gave me that knowledge to learn how to play behind.

M.J.: It gave you a good base.

B.A.: Yeah, so I have a solid base. I’m able to solo and play rhythm. Without KoKo, I would only have the soloing part. I mean, you can’t just be on stage and just solo and play nothing else you know? (laughter).

M.J.: You mentioned Europe and that brings up an interesting point. It seems they have a solid blues scene there. What’s it like in Europe versus the United States?

B.A.: It’s huge. My popularity (there) is almost triple what it is here. Part of that is my fault, because I only tour the summer here in the states. But they have a real appreciation of the music, and they don’t really label you like they do here. M.J.: You mean in a genre?

B.A.: Yeah. They try to lock you in this bag in the states. They say, “Okay, you’re related to Luther Allison so automatically you’re a blues guy.” So if I play anything rocky, (they say), “Aww, that’s not the blues.” But you have to understand, sure Luther Allison is my father, but the knowledge of the music has changed from year to year. I was one of the blessed ones because in my household, we heard very little blues. We would hear gospel, we heard rock, I mean, I’m the baby of nine (and) each sister and brother had their own style of music and so that’s what I use today.

I can’t be Luther Allison, I can only be myself. And I think I’ve gained the respect in Europe and over here. At first, when I returned back to the states, everybody came to see how close I was to my father. It’s natural. Sure, I could play every song he’s ever recorded, but I have my own idea where the music is going. I’m taking it to a different level. If he (Luther Allison) was alive today, he would be at another level. He really wanted to do a jazz album. You know, just sit down, not (like) the crazy Luther Allison everybody knew. That was a strong side of him, and that’s the reason he moved to Europe, because they respected his choice of music and it allowed him to be Luther Allison.

These are fans that he created from 1976 until the day he died. I was exposed to the same audience being three years his band leader. So now for me to look at my audience today, I see the kids of the kids that were there, and the blessed thing about it all is that Luther Allison’s European tours were always fixed. And I was handed down the tours. So we’ve all grown together, and it’s like family.

It’s very similar to the Boundary Waters (Blues Fest) and the way we met. It’s a family thing. If you can have me every year, hey, I live right down the street you know. So it’s just a blessing for me to be able to be a part of the 10th anniversary. And I see a lot of good names out there. A lineup just as good as any other festival I’ve seen, but for me it’s all about having fun. There is no true backstage, and if the artists want to go out... and me...you know me...I walk around, and I’m talking to everybody, you know?

I’m there early to see other bands and support them as well. It’s just a good time, you know? I see a lot of festivals that are really strict and sure, they’re great to play, but you have to get in and get out. Next band... next band...the boundary Waters Blues Fest is like home. It’s relaxed. It’s all about having fun and walking away and saying, “I’ll see you next year.”

M.J.: You know, the only place I looked when it came time for me to choose a 10th anniversary headliner for the festival was to you.

B.A.: That’s just a blessing. When I first met you and you first explained to me the idea of your festival and we had a chance to talk... That’s what I like...to see somebody that really loves the music and is willing to bring it to the people. You can tell that you’re true to the heart. That’s what I am. True to my guitar. I’m true to my family. I’m true to my friends. Like I say, I’ve played so many festivals around the world. And I can honestly say that the Boundary Waters (Blues Fest) is one of my favorites. I see lots of friends and the minute I arrive it’s like home. You know the first one I stayed a couple days and went fishing (laughter) so it’s just a great vibe, you know.

M.J.: We’ve got a new location, and you’ve got some new music.

B.A.: Yeah we got some new music.

M.J.: Tell us about it. What have you got going?

B.A.: A little bit of blues, a little bit of rock, a little bit of funk. But I focused this album mostly on songwriting. There are some really good songs on it. A lot of people will listen first and say wow, he’s changed. But not really if you listen to the previous albums.

I start the album like this (Bernard breaks into a funky guitar riff) or like this (he changes to a more traditional blues rock style on the guitar). You know, so there’s bits and pieces of each side of Bernard Allison. The title of the album is The Other Side, and I wrote the title on the tour bus. I talk about traveling on the road on the tour bus watching traffic and all these things, trains, windmills, and everything… I didn’t think it was going to be a song until we could record it and I heard it back and thought (about it).

Nothing is going to be the same. Lots of surprises. I like to highlight my band.

M.J.: And the band is who now?

B.A. We’ve got Eric Ballard on the drums from Minneapolis. A young kid, amazing drummer. José James plays saxophone, percussions and vocals and a lot of people know José from Ipso Facto. He’s been around. Excellent player. And Jason Wilber on bass, Jason has been with me for 10 years, he’s the godfather of the group. Then I’ve got my high school buddy Rusty Hall on keyboards and we’re all about having fun. I always tell my guys, you know the songs so let’s have fun with them. Let’s not make it a box. It’s a totally different feeling (on stage) when I can lean over and crack a joke. It’s not like in the studio where it will mess up your recording.

M.J.: You definitely have fun on stage.

B.A.: That’s what it’s all about man, you know, this thing here, man (Bernard looks at the guitar in his hands). It’s my getaway…but my true motivation comes from the people. I can see in their eyes (Bernard breaks into a slow soulful riff) you know a song like that, I can see the women literally...people will cry or whatever, you know, where I can play like this (breaks into an upbeat blues riff) you know, I can set the moment. I play what I know how to play, and I try to play everything. My dad always told me. Don’t overdo it. Don’t attempt something until you know where you’re going with it. So, I am a perfectionist when it comes to my music. I like tight arrangements and I like smiles going on and I like movement and the people read that and I vibe off that.

I can start the show at 110%. But if I see that the people are with me, that level meter just goes up and my heart gets going. But if you want to relax and sit back, I’ll sit you down and go back (Bernard then breaks into an old Robert Johnson type song).

M.J.: So, when you look 10 or 15 years down the road, what do you think you’ll be doing?

B.A.: I think I’ll still be playing but I’m actually ready to start producing some bands. I’m going to be producing a kid named Sean Kellerman. A Canadian guy and a killer guitar player. I was floored when I heard him. He told me, “I really like the sound you get when you record, can you please produce my next album?” And I said sure. I want to give back what little knowledge I know of the instrument and how I look at it, to the kids coming up, and hopefully they can take it to the next level. But I’m feeling good. I’m happy with my band members. Every night is just a blast. I just love to play.

End of interview

Bernard Allison will be the headlining act on Saturday, July 31, at the Boundary Waters Blues Festival in Grand Rapids. This will be Bernard’s fourth appearance at our festival, which will run July 29-Aug. 1.

Michael Jankovec, President, Boundary Waters Blues Festival Inc., 127 East Sheridan, Ely, MN 55731, 218-365-2440 Studio, www. RangeBlues.com.