Mose Allison
November 11, 1927 – November 15, 2016
Mose Allison was a revered jazz and blues pianist and singer whose influence reached beyond his idioms and into rock and blues. Over the past four decades his songs have been recorded by the likes of the Clash, the Bangles, Leon Russell, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison, Robert Palmer, Bonnie Raitt, the Yardbirds, and most famously, the Who, whose version of “Young Mans Blues” reached the masses via their classic Live At Leeds album, and remained a concert staple ever since. Born and raised on his grandfather’s Mississippi farm, Allison spent his formative years picking cotton while learning to play the piano and trumpet. He was just 13 when he wrote his first song. After spending a couple of years in the Army, Russell completed college and then moved to New York City to launch his music career. While performing with such jazz luminaries as Gerry Mulligan and Stan Getz, he recorded his debut album, Black Country Suite, which was released by Prestige in March of 1957. Difficult to classify, one label tried marketing him as a pop artist, while another tried blues, and yet another, jazz. Regardless of any difficulties they might have had, his fanbase grew with each album. Throughout his career, Allison received countless honors including the prestigious Jazz Master award by the National Endowment For The Arts in 2013. Mose Allison was 89 when he died of natural causes on November 15, 2016.
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