Randy McAllister

Last updated

Randy McAllister
Born Dallas, Texas, United States
Genres Blues, Americana [1]
Occupation(s)Drummer, harmonicist, singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Drums, harmonica, vocals
Years activeLate 1980s–present
Labels JSP Records, others
Website www.randymcallister.com

Randy McAllister [2] is an American blues and Americana drummer, harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He was nominated for a Grammy Award [3] for his 2002 album, Givers and Takers. [1] [4]

Contents

Living Blues noted that McAllister is a "first rate drummer, harmonica player and potently soulful singer. His well crafted songs reveal a depth of creativity not only in the storytelling, social commentary and word play, but also in the sophisticated arrangements and blurring of stylistic boundaries. With an expressive vocal register falling somewhere between the soulful effervescence of Al Green and the blunt hammer of Johnny Taylor, a shrewd wit and admirable turn of a phrase, McAllister cements himself as a blues bard archetype". [5]

To date he has released 13 original albums and two compilations. In concert, McAllister has been known to simultaneously sing, plays drums while barefoot, plus manage washboard and harmonica. [6] [7]

Life and career

Born in Dallas, Texas, United States, McAllister was raised in small-town Novice, Texas. [8] [9] He is a fifth generation Texan, whose father was a fireman and part-time blues drummer. [9] The young McAllister purchased his first drum-kit for $40 having earned sufficient funds from mowing neighbor's lawns. By his early twenties, he graduated from the drums to playing the harmonica while stationed in Bedford, Massachusetts, [8] when serving in the United States Air Force. [9] He finished his tour of duty and moved back to Texas in 1984. [8] Having taken further advice and tuition from Earring George Mayweather, McAllister relocated in 1989 to Alaska and spent three years playing in various local bands. He moved back to Texas in 1992, establishing a reputation as a harmonicist, vocalist and a songwriter. [6] In the Dallas, Texas blues scene at that time, McAllister was compared by one author to a young Charlie Musselwhite. [10]

He became friends with Mike Morgan, Andrew "Jr. Boy" Jones and Robin Sylar. McAllister sometimes fronted Morgan's band, The Crawl, both playing harmonica and singing. Through Jones affiliation with the British record label JSP Records, in 1997 McAllister signed his own recording contract and went on to release four albums with them. McAllister's debut album, Diggin' for Sofa Change, was produced by Jones who also played guitar. [6] [9] [11] McAllister's songwriting has been noted to contain heartbreak, humor, and tall tales. [7]

His trio of JSP releases were completed by Grease, Grit, Dirt & Spit (1998) and Double Rectified Bust Head (1999). Various other following albums were released through McAllister's own label, Freedom First Records. [12] In June 2001, McAllister performed at Jazz in June in Norman, Oklahoma. [13] He was nominated for a Grammy Award [3] for his 2002 album, Givers and Takers. [1] [4] In 2008, McAllister provided guitar work on Mike Morgan's album, Stronger Every Day (Severn Records). [14]

In 2013, McAllister issued the compilation Crappy Food No Sleep a Van & Some Great Songs, which introduced his road band on disc for the first time. They are dubbed the Scrappiest Band in the Motherland. Gristle To Gold (2015) followed with a similar backing arrangement. [6]

Fistful of Gumption (2016) on Reaction Records was McAllister's 11th original album. All but one of the tracks was written by McAllister, although the second track, "Time for the Sun to Rise," was penned by Earl King. The final cut, "East Texas Scrapper," includes the prophetic lyrics "You can't outlast me / You can't wear me down / My super power is persistence / And I keep on sticking around." [15]

Discography

YearTitleRecord label
1997Diggin' for Sofa Change JSP Records
1998Grease, Grit, Dirt & SpitJSP Records
1999Double Rectified Bust HeadJSP Records
2002Givers and TakersFreedom First Records
2006Flying High While Staying Low Down (compilation album)Freedom First Records
2007Temporary FixesFreedom First Records
2007A Little Left of Centre(Import)
2007Dope Slap SoupReaction Records
2008Ain't Like the MoviesReaction Records
2010Be Like Water(Import)
2013Crappy Food No Sleep a Van & Some Great Songs (compilation album)JSP Records
2015Gristle to GoldReaction Records
2017Fistful of GumptionReaction Records
2016Triggers Be TrippinReaction Records
2021Paperbag SalvationReaction Records

[12] [16] [17] [18] [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Cheer</span> American rock band

Blue Cheer was an American rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009. Based in San Francisco, Blue Cheer played in a psychedelic blues rock or acid rock style. They are also credited as being some of the earliest pioneers of heavy metal, with their cover of "Summertime Blues" sometimes cited as the first in the genre. They have also been noted as influential in the development of genres as disparate as punk rock, stoner rock, doom metal, experimental rock, and grunge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Mayall</span> English blues musician (1933–2024)

John Brumwell Mayall was an English blues and rock musician, songwriter and producer. In the 1960s, he formed John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among its members some of the most famous blues and blues rock musicians. A singer, guitarist, harmonica player, and keyboardist, he had a career that spanned nearly seven decades, remaining an active musician until his death aged 90. Mayall has often been referred to as the "godfather of the British blues", and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the musical influence category in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Keltner</span> American drummer (born 1942)

James Lee Keltner is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Taylor</span> American drummer

Arthur S. Taylor Jr. was an American jazz drummer, who "helped define the sound of modern jazz drumming".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Sugar (band)</span> Canadian band

Big Sugar is a band formed in Toronto in 1988 by Gordie Johnson, the band's lead singer, lead guitarist and main songwriter. Between 1996 and 2016, Big Sugar was among the top 25 best-selling Canadian bands in Canada. They are still active today, releasing new music, vinyl re-releases and touring.

JSP Records is a British record label, founded in 1978 by John Stedman, releasing recordings by blues musicians such as Professor Longhair, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Witherspoon, Louisiana Red, Deitra Farr, Charlie Sayles, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Kansas City Red, Eddie Taylor, and Big John Wrencher. The label is based in London, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Cotton</span> American blues singer-songwriter (1935–2017)

James Henry Cotton was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, who performed and recorded with many fellow blues artists and with his own band. He also played drums early in his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Clark (drummer)</span> American drummer (b. 1946)

Michael Jeffrey Clark is an American drummer. He gained worldwide recognition as one of America's foremost jazz and funk drummers while playing with Herbie Hancock in the early 1970s. His incisive playing on Hancock's song "Actual Proof" off of the 1974 album Thrust garnered him an international cult following and influenced generations of drummers throughout the world.

Louis David Cennamo is an English bass guitarist, who has recorded and/or toured with a number of important British rock/blues/progressive bands, including The Herd, Renaissance and Colosseum.

Billy Harper is an American jazz saxophonist, "one of a generation of Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists" with a distinctively stern, hard-as-nails sound on his instrument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972 in jazz</span> Overview of the events of 1972 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1972.

Michael Robert Morgan is an American Texas and electric blues musician. He has released 14 albums to date, on various record labels including Rounder, Black Top and Severn Records. The majority of his releases have featured his long standing backing band, The Crawl. Morgan has played alongside Darrell Nulisch, Lee McBee, Gary Primich, and Randy McAllister.

The Doughboys are an American rock band from Plainfield, New Jersey, United States, who were active in the mid-1960s, and re-formed in 2000. They have been active ever since, and have cut three albums of newly recorded material since their reunion.

Little Mike and the Tornadoes are an American blues and rock and roll band from New York City. They are known for their high energy blues sound, modeled after the Chicago bands in the 1950s. Since 1990, they have released nine albums on a variety of record labels.

Johnnie B. Marshall Jr. is an American electric blues guitarist, songwriter, and singer. His best known songs are "Found Another Woman" and "98 Cents in the Bank". Discovered by Johnny Rawls in the mid 1990s, Marshall has released three albums and continues as a live performer to the present day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Madcat Ruth</span> American singer-songwriter

Peter "Madcat" Ruth is an American Grammy Award-winning virtuoso harmonica player, who lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. He has been an invited guest performer at many harmonica festivals and workshops in North America, South America, Europe and Asia, and has performed with symphony orchestras, as well as on radio and television advertisements and appearances all over the world. His harmonica playing can be heard on over 130 CD's and LP's, a well as instructional DVD's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallas Hodge</span> American blues rock singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer

Dallas Hodge is an American blues rock singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He has released two solo albums since 2007, with the most recent, Don't Forget About The Music We Made (2019) appearing in the US Billboard Blues Albums Chart. Otherwise, Hodge is best known for his collaborations with Canned Heat and Steve Marriott.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "♫ Givers and Takers - Randy McAllister". Store.cdbaby.com. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Monster Mike Welch discography". RateYourMusic . Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Randy McAllister brings East Texas rhythms to The Matthews March 27". Matthewsopera.com. March 2, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Randy McAllister - Rapid City Summer Nights". Rapidcitysummernights.com. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Randy McAllister at Hay Camp Brewing - Arts South Dakota". Artssouthdakota.org. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Q&A with Texas musician Randy McAllister - roadhouse soul by one of America's true blues/roots originals". Blues.gr. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Versatile Texas Americana Musician Randy McAllister - July 15 - Cascade Blues Association". Cascadebluesassociation.org. June 25, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 "Randy McAllister Liner Notes". Bluesdfw.com. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Bio : Randy McAllister". Randymcallister.com. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  10. ↑ Govenar, Alan B. (October 9, 2008). Texas Blues: The Rise of a Contemporary Sound. Texas A&M University Press. p. 155. ISBN   9781585446056 . Retrieved May 28, 2018– via Google Books.
  11. ↑ Eagle, Bob L.; LeBlanc, Eric S. (May 1, 2013). Blues: A Regional Experience. ABC-CLIO. p. 377. ISBN   9780313344244 . Retrieved May 28, 2018– via Google Books.
  12. 1 2 "Randy Mcallister - Album Discography - AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  13. ↑ "JazzTimes". JazzTimes, Inc. May 1, 2001. p. 224. Retrieved May 28, 2018– via Google Books.
  14. ↑ Richard Skelly. "Mike Morgan | Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Fistful of Gumption by Randy McAllister (2016) Reaction Records". Fourth Coast Entertainment. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Randy McAllister". Discogs . Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Amazon.co.uk: Randy McAllister: CDs & Vinyl". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Randy McAllister (2) - Gristle To Gold". Discogs . Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  19. ↑ "♫ Fistful of Gumption - Randy McAllister". Store.cdbaby.com. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.