by Frank Matheis © 2000
Slam Allen couldn’t help but play the blues. His folks had the blues down home in Alabama, and when they came to the cold north with the great migration of African Americans, they brought it up with them. The blues’ve always been there, like a member of the family, through good and hard times, passed on through generations like an heirloom. The family couldn’t shake the blues, just like their distinct Southern way of talking that still carries through today. When Slam greets his audience with “How are ‘ya’ll tonite” it comes straight from the deep south and deep from within the heart. His daddy, Harrison Allen Sr., a superb blues bassist and guitarist and the greatest influence on Slam, taught him how to play. When Slam was growing up, the blues and all other African-American music was all around. His uncle, his cousins, everyone played it. Slam Allen was born with the blues.
On his telephone answering machine, Slam Allen has a simple, but poignant message, “… and remember”, he says, “…there is no black, no white, only the blues”. Actually, his musical repertoire includes far more than “only the blues”. He comfortably encompasses the entire African-American musical spectrum he grew up on, including blues, soul, R&B, funk and even a bit of hip-hop. “I am foremost an entertainer”, says Allen, “I play music, all kinds of music. Not just the blues. My job is to make my audience happy, and I do it well”. That he does, indeed.
Since he first lead his own band in 1994, the musical persona that is Slam Allen has been multi-faceted. A soulful singer, a versatile guitarist with lightning fast speed when he wants it, he prefers a warm feeling and a tight groove over show-off guitar theatrics. His emphasis lies more in a good overall band sound- cohesive, full and exciting. Slam Allen is equally at home in a variety of styles and he reflects the entire range from Memphis to Chicago, from blues to soul, from the gritty inner city to the heart of the country blues on which it is all based.
For Slam Allen, it’s all about the show for the people. When he talks about “entertaining” he means it. They call Slam Allen “The Working Man” for a reason. He works harder than anyone to please an audience. He knows how gives it all up for his listeners as he coaxes, caresses and charms the crowd with his earnest ear-to-ear smile that comes from truly and totally enjoying what he does. He works the crowd as if he was the reincarnate of Louis Armstrong; he solicits their call and response, and he sings and plays until the sweat pours off him profusely- always with a giant smile on his face. He loves what he does and it shows, as he spins out buoyant, cheerful melodies, with a tinge of funky blues and pop, soul, gospel and R&B. Slam’s walks out to the audience for the personal, up-close and intimate portion of the program moving people with his lilting harmonies and irresistibly snappy, knee slapping rhythms. He shakes hands and touches hearts while kicking out some of the best blues imaginable. His sound is fresh and eminently listenable both for the hard core blues audience and newcomers. Another reason for his appeal maybe that Slam Allen’s songs are of the “happy blue” variety. No heavy torment and pain, no gut-wrenching deep wailing moans, no death letters or killing floors.
Slam Allen makes an impression, and the prevailing response is overwhelming. People love his show. They know that they’ve enjoyed a world-class act, equal or better than anyone they’ve ever heard, worthy of comparison to the biggest acts in the blue scene , today or yesterday. Put him next to B.B. King, Freddie King, Albert King, Albert Collins, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett or James Brown and Slam Allen would not be intimidated. He delivers! He knows how to work hard and he has the right stuff. Slam Allen puts on as good as a show can get. Period. Nobody who’s ever seen his show will deny that.
Audiences all over the country will attest that Slam brings down the house, be it in festivals, clubs and concert halls from Chicago’s ‘Rosa’s Lounge’ to ‘Warm Daddy’s’ in Philadelphia, ‘B.B. King’s Blues Club’ in Memphis, as he spreads his good-news sound all the way down to key West, Florida.
His combination of showmanship and guitar virtuosity, heartfelt entertainment and superb musicianship is Slam Allen’s trademark, but his legacy may well be the substance of his songs – the strength of his songwriting. In 1995 he was voted “Best New Soul Blues Artist” by the Manhattan Blues Alliance. His critically acclaimed 1998 release on the RaveOn label “Things Sho’ Done Changed” raised eyebrows among blues aficionados and established Slam Allen as the blues act to watch, a singer/songwriter and bandleader destined to ascend.
His new release “Still Working” on the Level B label, has Slam Allen fronting a new band and touting a new sense of independence. As brilliant and heartfelt as Slam Allen’s past work was, this new record surpasses even Slam’s highest expectations.
Here is a musician in his prime, one of the most exciting and promising contemporary blues players with the sparkle in his eyes. Slam Allen is his own man, charting his own destiny and believing in the inevitable success that is due to a man who has paid his dues, over and over, and who puts out 110% for everything he does. He’s still waiting for the big train to pull into the station, but he can already hear that whistle blowing.