Composer, poet, pianist, and vocalist Mose Allison will appear in concert on Wednesday, February 15, at 7:30 p.m. in the Bologna Performing Arts Center on the Delta State campus. The venue for the concert titled “DSU Welcomes Mose Allison Home” has been changed from its original location in Jobe Hall to accommodate a larger audience. The concert is free, and doors will open at 7 p.m.
Born in Tallahatchie County where he was influenced by the bluesman that lived and performed on his father’s farm, Allison has long lived in New York City. He has been a major influence on musicians over the last 50 years and has been touring for at least that long. His songs have been recorded by Van Morrison, the Who, Diana Krall, Bonnie Raitt, John Mayall (with Eric Clapton) and Elvis Costello. His singular style, a unique blending of jazz and blues, and his profound lyrical wit mark him as a true American original.
After his performance at Delta State, Allison will be honored in Jackson where the Mississippi Arts Commission will present him with a Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday, February 16, at 1:00 p.m. in Wells Memorial United Methodist Church. The Mississippi Blues Commission will unveil a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in his honor on Friday, February 17, at 1:30 p.m. at the Allison Mercantile Store in Tippo. A reception and program presented by CARE will immediately follow the unveiling ceremony at the CARE building in Charleston. Both the Governor’s Awards and the Mississippi Blues Trail unveiling are free and open to the public.
Malcolm White, who will present the Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award said, “When I became the director of the Mississippi Arts Commission in 2005, there were two individuals who had been nominated by the Commission to receive the Governor’s Award, but who had never come to the ceremony to accept. One was Mose Allison and the other Cassandra Wilson. I promised myself that during the time I was at the Arts Commission, I would see that these two world-renowned musicians and Mississippi artists would come home and be properly honored. Cassandra came in 2009, and now Mose returns in 2012. I have presented, admired, and followed the illustrious and syncopated career of Tippo’s Mose Allison since I first heard his music coming from my stereo in high school. He is a friend, an innovative force in American music, and an original cat.”
Mose Allison’s performance at Delta State is made possible by funding from the Delta State Foundation, Delta Center for Culture and Learning, the Bologna Performing Arts Center, the Tri-State Education Foundation, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Mississippi Arts Commission.
