TRIBUTE TO LUTHER ALLISON
Cat
Jogging T-Shirt
July
1985
at
the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland). I first met the man
who to these days remain not only my
friend,
but
also a great Blues, Funk, and Soul Guitar Singer. He was so humble and
so kind that in 1995
in a interview for a Wisconsin's newspaper he said
"Open up man. We don't need a ghetto"
This is the U.S.A.
Forget about it . There is enough space for everybody.
To tell you how humble he was although he was named
entertainer of the year in 1994, and 1995 at the W.C, Handy Blues
Awards held by the
non-profit
Blues Foundation. He still wanted to do better and he cared about his
public, who were the reason
of his success.
He became the first musician, who I sponsored through Peavey equipment
and he came in person to Geneva all the way from Paris, to pick up his
amplifier. He could have asked me, to send it to him but wanted to do
it
himself instead of imposing on me.
In 1987 he invited me to his Paris apartment to celebrate Christmas day
with his band and his friends. His music
was
part of his family with his wife Rocky, his
band, and his close friends. Over the years, I had many opportunities to work with
him, and also to see Luther on stage at the Famous Montreux Jazz
Festival (Switzerland), and also in Zurich, Basel, Germany and many other cities in Europe
where he was loved, not only for his music, but also for his great personality
as a human being and a great musician.
Through I got out of the music business in 1990 due to changes in my life, and to
work with electronics as an "on site"
System Technician". I remained in contact with Luther Allison and saw
him for the last time in Zurich, Switzerland in 1991. I then left Switzerland for Miami
Florida, to begin a new life.
One night in 1996, I met a woman at the Taurus (Gloria Pierce) who told me that she was going to a
Blues Festival in Chicago. When she came back, she
told me that she not only had seen big stars, but also met a
fantastic Guitar singer, who was also a wonderful person. When she told me his
name I couldn't believe it. YES it was
LUTHER ALLISON.
I couldn't imagine that after 6 years, Luther
Allison had finally left Europe to come back
to his country. He was
more successful then ever in the United States. She showed me
pictures taken with him, and told me stories about how he was and that he was coming
to Ft.Lauderdale
Florida, at the South River Blues
Festival in November 1996. I couldn't wait to see my friend again and did not
know that it would be the very last time I would see him.
He died July 1997 in Madison Wisconsin, from lung cancer, and
brain tumors.
His wife Rocky wrote me a letter telling me the sad news about what happened, and I was devastated.
She wrote in her letter the following.
"Dear
Alain. Keep Luther in your heart when you are Cat Jogging, He'd like that!
Cat
Jogging was a print on a T-shirt of two Cats making love that
I was wearing the first time I met Luther Allison, and Rocky at the
Montreux Jazz Festival.
I
MISS AND LOVE YOU LUTHER AND YOU'LL ALWAYS BE PRESENT IN MY HEART, MY MIND AND SPIRIT
FOREVER!.
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