Luther Allison
Love Me Papa
Black & Blue Records |

In the mid 1970s, Luther Allison was
frustrated with his career path, or lack thereof.
Signed to Motown’s Gordy subsidiary in 1972, he
appeared on the way to bigger things, a potential
crossover to the pop/rock genre. However, he quickly
grew frustrated with his producers and the lack of
promotion that the label gave his releases, which
made little impact at the time.
In 1976, Allison made his first trip to Europe,
to appear at the Montreux Jazz Festival, where he
was a huge success. The next year, he returned to
tour France, backed by Black & Blue Records, who
also recorded Allison’s Love Me Papa while he
was there. Allison fell in love with the city of
Paris, its people and culture. In Europe, he reached
that star status that had eluded him in his home
country.
Love Me Papa is made up of nine tracks
(three bonus cuts that weren’t on the original
release). The six covers are songs associated with
Little Walter (“Last Night,” “Blues With A
Feeling”), Big Bill Broonzy (“Key To The Highway”),
Freddie King (“Goin’ Down”), Junior Parker (“Feelin’
Good”), and Elmore James (“Standing at the
Crossroads”). Allison plays a ton of slide guitar on
these tracks to great effect (he was taught slide by
the legendary Robert Nighthawk), and even breaks out
a harmonica for “Blues With A Feeling.”
Allison’s own songs are impressive as well,
baring his soul for the listener. The moving title
track, in essence a response to the title track of
Allison’s Delmark release from several years
earlier, Love Me Mama, has lyrics that he
made up on the spot. “It’s Too Late” is a frank song
about a troubled relationship. “Luther’s Boogie” is
a funky West Side-flavored instrumental.
In fact, the West Side sound permeates these
tracks, more so than on a lot of his other albums.
This set is more blues-oriented with less of the
rock influences that are often present on his
tracks. Not that it’s gone completely, just less out
in front than on previous and subsequent releases.
Not long after Love Me Papa was released,
Luther Allison settled in Paris, where he remained
for many years, entertaining scores of European
fans, who loved his fervent vocal style and his
ferocious guitar, received him like a rock star. He
eventually returned to the U.S. in the mid ’90s and
reached the same level of popularity with the blues
audience before tragically succumbing to cancer in
1997.
--- Graham Clarke
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