Luther Allison: Live in Paradise

This long-form music video was recorded live at the Theatre St. Gilles, located on La Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, in April 1998. Four months later, Luther Allison died in Madison, Wisconsin. This unfortunate turn of events made this video a collector's item. Allison, who attained blues stardom as an expatriate living in Paris, finally achieved the recognition he deserved in the United States when he won five W. C. Handy Awards in 1996 (including Blues Entertainer of the Year). Spend a couple of hours with Live in Paradise and you'll know why Allison is considered one of the great bluesmen. He had the voice of a juke joint blues shouter and worked a stinging, terrifically articulate lead guitar. The video features an entire Allison set, which means a lot of music (17 songs--mostly original material). Allison was relentless on stage; he routinely wore out backup bands and audiences. The set list includes "Living in the House of Blues," "The Sky Is Crying" and a cover of Jagger and Richards' "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Recommended with wild enthusiasm. Editor's Choice. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Van Vleck)