Bernard Allison - Loving You

Bernard Allison throws the studio doors wide open on Loving You, a family-and-friends blues record pressed on 180-gram vinyl.

The son of Chicago blues great Luther Allison, Bernard came up in his father's shadow, soaked up Johnny Winter and Stevie Ray Vaughan, then spent more than thirty years building his own name on both sides of the Atlantic. This 2026 album on Ruf Records feels like a celebration of that long road, with seven originals, three well-chosen covers and a guest list that reads like a party invitation.

4 O'Clock In The Morning finds Victor Wainwright sharing lead vocals and pounding the piano, and Time Traveler brings Larry McCray in for a fiery guitar summit. Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo gets a muscular reworking with Matthew Curry as a tribute to Rick Derringer, while the title track welcomes Devon Allman on guitar.

The family ties run deep, too, with Jasper and Lyndsey Allison adding backing vocals, and rhythm guitarist Stevie J Blues co-writing much of the material. Underneath it all is a tight band that blends blues with funk, R&B and rock.

Loose, generous and full of fire, it is the sound of a seasoned bluesman thoroughly enjoying the company he keeps.