Ricky Allen
Encyclopedia
Richard A. "Ricky" Allen (January 6, 1935 – May 29, 2005) was an American
blues
singer from Chicago
.
He was born in Nashville, Tennessee
and began his singing career as member of a church choir in his home town. He relocated to Chicago
in 1960, and received a recording contract
one year later at Age Records. He had a local hit
with "You Better Be Sure" and in 1963, his hit "Cut You A-Loose" reached #20 in Billboard
s R&B
chart
. Some of his recordings
of the 1960s such as "It's A Mess I Tell You" and "I Can't Stand No Signifying," portended the emerging soul-blues style of the 1970s. After his retirement from the music industry in the early 1970s, he conducted a laundry and a limousine service.
In 2001, he performed at the Mönsterås
Festival in Sweden
, and the following year at the Chicago Blues Festival
. He died in 2005, aged 70.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
singer from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
He was born in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and began his singing career as member of a church choir in his home town. He relocated to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1960, and received a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
one year later at Age Records. He had a local hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
with "You Better Be Sure" and in 1963, his hit "Cut You A-Loose" reached #20 in Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. Some of his recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
of the 1960s such as "It's A Mess I Tell You" and "I Can't Stand No Signifying," portended the emerging soul-blues style of the 1970s. After his retirement from the music industry in the early 1970s, he conducted a laundry and a limousine service.
In 2001, he performed at the Mönsterås
Mönsterås
Mönsterås is a locality and the seat of Mönsterås Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 4,744 inhabitants in 2005.Mönsterås is associated with the Swedish poet Carl Boberg, particularly his 1885 writing of the lyrics for the eminent hymn "O Store Gud" .- References :...
Festival in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and the following year at the Chicago Blues Festival
Chicago Blues Festival
The Chicago Blues Festival is an annual event held in June that features three days of performances by top-tier blues musicians, both old favorites and the up-and-coming. It is hosted by the City of Chicago Mayor's Office of Special Events, and always occurs in early June...
. He died in 2005, aged 70.