Biography

Mose Allison

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Born in Tippo, MS, in 1927, jazz pianist Mose Allison has managed to bridge the gap between jazz and blues with more than 30 albums that cover both genres. He learned to play the piano as a child in the Mississippi Delta. When he came of age he enlisted in the army and played in the Army Band. Upon his discharge he attended Louisiana State University, earning a B.A. in English in 1950. In 1956 he moved to New York City to pursue a career as a musician, and played with such jazz figures as Zoot Sims, Gerry Mulligan, Bob Brookmeyer and Stan Getz. He recorded albums for a variety of labels, including Prestige, Columbia and Atlantic, where he stayed for 16 years. He left that label in 1978 and in 1982 signed with Elektra, where he put out two albums before moving over to Blue Note-Capitol Records.

Mose Allison died at his home in Hilton Head, SC, on Nov. 15, 2016.
- IMDb mini biography by: frankfob2@yahoo.com

He picked cotton as a child, and started taking piano lessons in the first grade.
Born in Mississippi, he eventually moved to New York and worked as a sideman for such jazz legends as Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan. He recorded his first album, "Back Country Suite," the first of over 30 albums.
He attended the University of Mississippi for a year, then enlisted in the military and played in the Army band. After returning to "Ole Miss" for a short time, he formed a trio and went out on the road. He completed college at Louisiana State University, where he graduated in 1952 with a degree in English and philosophy.
Father of singer-songwriter Amy Allison.
He was a pianist and singer whose style was a unique blend of boogie-woogie blues, jazz and country. His music has been covered by Van Morrison, The Who, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, The Yardbirds and The Clash.

At this point, I don't listen to other people too much. I'm not really that affected by anyone.
I been getting good crowds. It only took 50 years.
I have no idea what I'm doin'. I've never seen me.
I've always had a category problem, that's for sure. There's a lot of blues in what I do. It's still primarily jazz, but there's a lot of influences thrown in there.
There was always a piano in the house. My dad was a stride player, playing ragtime-type stuff. My mother sent me to a good piano teacher in the Mississippi Delta, and I took lessons for a few years. But as soon as I realized I could pick out things by ear, I quit taking lessons.

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