For blues legend Luther Allison, Madison was not just a stop on a touring circuit — it was a place that shaped his career and kept calling him back.
Born in Arkansas and raised in Chicago, the bluesman called Madison a “second home” and frequently played shows here throughout his career. He passed away in Madison in 1997. He was 57 years old.
Allison, a two-time Grammy-nominated guitarist, found an early foothold in the city in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, most notably through a jam session at the Nitty Gritty, which was at that time a music club. The four-hour session with rock band Jefferson Airplane galvanized Madison’s music scene into embracing Allison and, by extension, the blues and other blues artists…