Allison learned piano in grammar school, followed by trumpet in high school. He went to college at the University of Mississippi and Louisiana State University. He received a BA in English with a minor in Philosophy. After serving in the U.S. Army, he moved to New York City and launched his music career.
Allison's first exposure to blues on record was through Louis Jordan recordings, including "Outskirts of Town" and "Pinetop Blues." Allison credits Jordan as being a major influence on him, and also credits Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller. He started out on trumpet but later switched to piano. In his youth, he had easy access, via the radio, to the music of Pete Johnson , Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis . Allison also credits the songwriter Percy Mayfield , "The Poet Laureate of the Blues," as being a major inspiration on his songwriting.
After a stint in college and the Army, Allison's first professional gig was in Lake Charles, LA, in 1950. He returned to college to finish up at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where he studied English and Philosophy, a far cry from his initial path as a chemical engineering major.
Allison began his recording career with the Prestige label in 1956, shortly after he moved to New York City. He recorded an album with Al Cohn and Bobby Brookmeyer , and then in 1957 got his own record contract. A big break was the opportunity to play with Cohn and Zoot Sims shortly after his arrival in New York, but he later became more well known after playing with saxophonist Stan Getz. After leaving Prestige Records, where he recorded now classic albums like Back Country Suite (1957), Young Man Mose (1958), and Seventh Son (1958-59), he moved to Columbia for two years before meeting up with Nesuhi Ertegun of Atlantic Records. He recalled that he signed his contract with Atlantic after about ten minutes in Nesuhi's office. Allison spent a big part of his recording career at Atlantic Records, where he became most friendly with Ertegun. After the company saw substantial growth and Allison was no longer working directly with him, he became discouraged and left. Allison has also recorded for Columbia (before he began his long relationship with Atlantic), and the Epic and Prestige labels.
Allison's discography is a lengthy one, and there are gems to be found on all of his albums, many of which can be found in vinyl shops. His output since 1957 has averaged at least one album a year until 1976, when he finished up at Atlantic with the classic Your Mind Is On Vacation. There was a gap of six years before he recorded again, this time for Elektra's Musician subsidiary in 1982, when he recorded Middle Class White Boy. Since 1987, he's been with Bluenote/Capitol. His debut for that label was Ever Since the World Ended. Allison has recorded some of the most creative material of his career with the Bluenote subsidiary of Capitol Records, including My Backyard (1992) and The Earth Wants You (1994), both produced by Ben Sidran. Also in 1994, Rhino Records released a boxed set, Allison Wonderland.
Although his boogie woogie and bebop-laden piano style is innovative and fresh sounding when it comes to blues and jazz, it is as a songwriter that Allison really shines.
His music has influenced many blues and rock artists including The Rolling Stones, John Mayall, JJ Cale and The Who, who played his song Young Man Blues on several tours. Allison is the subject of the Pixies song Allison and Greg Brown song Mose Allison played here. His song Look Here was covered by The Clash on their album Sandinista; and Blue Cheer famously covered Parchman Farm but renamed or misspelled it as Parchment Farm. Van Morrison released an album of his songs entitled Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison.
He is the father of country songwriter Amy Allison.
Mose Allison was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006.
Am I Blue
Mose Allison Lyrics
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Waiting on the weary shore
I'm just a woman who's only human
One you should feel sorry for
It was a morning, long before dawn
Without a warning I found he was gone
How could he do it, why should he do it
Am I blue, am I blue
Ain't these tears in these eyes telling you
How can you ask me am I blue
Why, wouldn't you be too
If each plan with your man
Done fell through
There was a time
When I was his only one
But now I'm the sad and lonely one, lonely
Was I gay, until today
Now he's gone, and we're through
Am I blue
The lyrics of Mose Allison's song Am I Blue depict a woman who has lost her lover and is now left alone on the shore. The first stanza establishes the woman's loneliness and suggests that the listener should feel sorry for her. The second stanza reveals that the woman's lover has left her, and she is questioning why he did so. The chorus repeats the title question of the song, "Am I blue?" The woman's tears suggest that she is indeed saddened by the breakup, and the final lines of the chorus question the listener's ability to empathize with her situation. In the final stanza, the woman reflects on the past, when she was happy with her lover, but now she is alone and feeling blue.
The song Am I Blue was originally written by Harry Akst and Grant Clarke and was first featured in the 1929 movie "On with the Show!" Since then, the song has been covered by various artists, including Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, and Elvis Presley. Mose Allison's 1959 version of the song is particularly notable for his unique style, which blends blues, jazz, and country music.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm just a woman, a lonely woman
I am a female who exists by myself and without company or companionship.
Waiting on the weary shore
I am standing by the edge of the ocean waiting for something or someone to arrive.
I'm just a woman who's only human
I am simply a person, flawed and capable of making mistakes.
One you should feel sorry for
You ought to pity or commiserate with me.
It was a morning, long before dawn
The occurrence took place in the early hours of the day, well before sunrise.
Without a warning I found he was gone
He departed without alerting or notifying me of his departure.
How could he do it, why should he do it
I am unsure as to the reasons or motivations behind his actions.
He never done it before
He had never previously perpetrated such behavior.
Am I blue, am I blue
Am I sad or despondent, do I feel melancholic or hopeless?
Ain't these tears in these eyes telling you
Are not the physical signs of my emotional distress clear to you?
How can you ask me am I blue
Your inquiry as to my emotional state is redundant, given the visible evidence of my sadness.
Why, wouldn't you be too
If you were in my position, would not your emotional condition also be affected in a similar way?
If each plan with your man
If every arrangement you made with your significant other
Done fell through
Has failed to materialize or been unsuccessful.
There was a time
At some point in the past
When I was his only one
I was the sole recipient of his love and affection
But now I'm the sad and lonely one, lonely
Presently, I am the unhappy and solitary one.
Was I gay, until today
Was I content and happy in my situation until the current moment
Now he's gone, and we're through
Now that he has left me, our relationship has ended.
Am I blue
Do I possess a feeling of sadness or disappointment?
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GRANT CLARKE, HARRY AKST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind