On Tuesday, Fat Possum Records announced that they will release If You’re Going to the City: A Tribute To Mose Allison on November 29. To go along with the announcement, the first single from the album was unveiled, Loudon Wainwright III’s cover of “Ever Since the World Ended.”
Videos by American Songwriter
With Allison’s daughter, Amy Allison, leading the project alongside producers Don Heffington and Sheldon Gomberg, the record will feature Wainwright, Jackson Browne, Chrissie Hynde, Iggy Pop, Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, Robbie Fulks, The Tippo Allstars feat. Fiona Apple, Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite, Richard Thompson, Peter Case, Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin, Anything Mose!, Frank Black and the younger Allison herself with Elvis Costello.
“For many years I made a point of going to see Mose Allison play wherever I could,” Wainwright said. “I considered his gigs essential listening and going for me was, not to get too highfalutin’, a pilgrimage. When I nervously would approach to say hello to him after a show I was always thrilled that he seemed happy to see me. Mose’s cover version of my song ‘I’m Alright’ was an unparalleled highlight of my career and I can only hope he would have approved of my stab at ‘Ever Since The World Ended.’”
Born in 1927 in the Mississippi Delta, Mose Allison grew up listening to jazz and blues and learned to play piano at a young age. After moving to New York in 1956 to perform his songs as the leader of a trio, Allison got the opportunity to play with jazz legends like Stan Getz, Zoot Sims and Gerry Mulligan. Developing his own distinctive writing style that blended jazz and blues with succinct lyrics, Allison has been cited as an influence on many iconic artists, such as Van Morrison, The Who, The Clash and more. Allison passed away in 2016 at the age of 89.
Being released in CD, LP and digital formats, If You’re Going to the City will also benefit a good cause. Part of the proceeds will go towards Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, a nonprofit that provides assistance to career musicians who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability or age-related problems. Serving a variety of musicians of all genres, the organization helps with medical and living expenses, including insurance premiums, prescriptions, medical treatment and procedures, housing and food costs, utilities and other basic necessities.
Check out the tracklist of If You’re Going to the City: A Tribute To Mose Allison and listen to Loudon Wainwright III’s Version of “Ever Since The World Ended” below:
If You’re Going to The City Tracklist:
- Taj Mahal – Your Mind Is On Vacatio
- Robbie Fulks – My Brain
- Jackson Browne – If You Live
- The Tippo Allstars featuring Fiona Apple – Your Molecular Structure
- Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite – Nightclub
- Chrissie Hynde – Stop This World
- Iggy Pop – If You’re Going to the City
- Bonnie Raitt – Everybody’s Crying Mercy
- Loudon Wainwright III – Ever Since the World Ended
- Richard Thompson – Parchman Farm
- Peter Case – I Don’t Worry About A Thing
- Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin – Wild Man On the Loose
- Anything Mose! – The Way of the World
- Frank Black – Numbers On Paper
- Amy Allison with Elvis Costello – Monsters of the Id
