MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2017 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Tollison, Chassaniol, Dearing, Fillingane, Simmons (12th), Simmons (13th), Barnett, Jackson (32nd)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MISSISSIPPI DELTA MUSIC LEGEND MOSE ALLISON OF TIPPO, MISSISSIPPI.
WHEREAS, Mose Allison, a Pianist and Singer whose witty, southern-accented lyrics delivered over a backdrop of boogie-woogie blues and jazz piano won fans and influenced musicians across a wide spectrum, passed away on November 15, 2016, at the age of 89; and
WHEREAS, Allison was a Pianist, Singer and Songwriter, and has been called the best jazz vocalist of his time. He was influential to many musicians, including Jimi Hendrix, The Who and Tom Waits. "He was especially revered by 1960s English rockers who idolized the blues and who saw in his example an accessible ideal," The New York Times wrote; and
WHEREAS, heavily influenced by jazz and by the blues he grew up listening to deep in the Mississippi Delta region, Allison had a style difficult to define: too blue to be jazz, too jazz to be blues, with a little bit of country thrown in for good measure; and
WHEREAS, originality and iconoclasm was at the core of Mose's appeal. Allison was known for his work ethic and kept a busy touring schedule until recent years. He was also a frequent audience member at The Jazz Corner on Hilton Head, where he resided. Mr. Allison began his professional career as a Piano Player, at a time when his style, percussive and jaunty, carried along by a percolating beat, suited the sound of the jazz mainstream. In addition to leading his own trio, he worked with some of the major small-group bandleaders of the late 1950s, including Saxophonists Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan. He found greater success, and a singular niche, as a singer of his plain-spoken, pungently observant songs, beginning in the early 1960s. For the next 50 years, he worked almost exclusively as the leader of his own groups. Mr. Allison used his cool, clear voice to conversational effect, with an easy blues inflection that harked back to his upbringing in rural Mississippi. Backing himself at the piano, he favored a loose call and response between voice and instrument, or between right and left hands, often taking tangents informed by the complex harmonies and rhythmic feints of bebop. His artistic persona, evident in his stage manner as well as his songs, suggested a distillation of folk wisdom in a knowing but unpretentious package; and
WHEREAS, his mournful playing and tales of love and loss won him legions of devoted fans during a career that stretched over 60 years. He received the prestigious National Endowment for the Artists Jazz Masters Honor in 2013. With his molasses and whisky-tinged voice and rollicking tunes, he also had major crossover appeal. His music has been covered by many, including Van Morrison, The Who, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, the Yardbirds and even the Clash; and
WHEREAS, Allison is survived by his wife of 65 years, Audre Mae, and four children: Alissa, Amy, John and Janine, and two grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Mose Allison has served as an unofficial Ambassador for the Music of Mississippi and we pay tribute and cherish fondly the memory of this most-talented citizen of Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby pay tribute to the memory and legacy of Mississippi Delta Music Legend Mose Allison of Tippo, Mississippi, and extend our sympathy to his bereaved family.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That that this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Mose Allison, forwarded to the Mississippi Grammy Museum and the Mississippi Blues Museum, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.