Mose Allison Trio

Mose Allison was born on his grandfather's farm on the eastern rim of the Mississippi Delta in 1927. At the age of five or six, he was teaching himself blues and boogie tunes on the piano and, from then on, music played a leading role in his life. After graduating from Louisiana State University with a BA in English and philosophy, he performed in nightclubs across the southern United States. With the blues of his childhood, he blended piano influences of the time (John Lewis, Thelonius Monk and Al Haig) in a southern vocal style (influenced by blues singers Percy Mayfield and Charles Brown). He received his first recording contract in 1957, only a year after trying his hand at the New York music scene.

Since then, Mose Allison has written over 150 songs. His profound, often humorous lyrics, combined with his Delta-born-blues feel, has influenced generations of musicians, from beatniks to UK pop artists. His songs have been covered by John Mayall, The Who, The Clash, Eric Clapton and the Yardbirds, Elvis Costello and Bonnie Raitt, to name a few. Van Morrison, one of Allison's biggest fans, recently recorded Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison.

If you listen closely, you will hear bebop, Delta blues, boogie-woogie, tinges of jazz and the dramatic sophistication of classical music-a lively combination, to say the least. Mose's gift for injecting deadpan humor and scathing wit into his almost-therapeutic lyrics has put him at the top of the heap as a songwriter and performer.

Joining Mose Allison are Richard Kilburn on bass and Tom Doran on drums.