Johnny Allen RIP

[Mark Stryker]

Detroit jazz great Johnny Allen, a pianist-arranger you probably don't know by name if you're not from here, has died at 96. An amazing breadth to his career, from pre-war big bands to proto-bop, staff arranging jobs at Motown and Stax and a Grammy w/Isaac Hayes for their arrangement of "Shaft."

http://www.freep.com/article/20140131/ENT04/301310148/1035/ent/Detroit-pianist-arranger-Johnny-Allen-dies-96

Edited February 1, 2014 by Mark Stryker

[JSngry]

Didn't have any knowledge of the guy specifically, but the name Johnny Allen is one that I recolonize from records here and there over the years. Quite a life, it appears, and contributions made.

R.I.P.

[paul secor]

Read the title and thought that it was about the rockabilly musician. Don't know if he's still living.

[Big Beat Steve]

Read the title and thought that it was about the rockabilly musician. Don't know if he's still living.

Same here.

"Louisiana" Johnny Allen was born in 1938 and his Wiki entry lists him as living in retirement in Lafayette, LA. So hopefully he still has some good mileage left.

BTW, "Motown" Johnny Allen is mentioned in Bjorn/Gallert's book "Before Motown - A History of Jazz in Detroit 1920-1960" - mainly for his Club Congo big band, so those from outside Detroit who've read the book will have come across his name too.

Edited February 1, 2014 by Big Beat Steve

[sgcim]

I remember there was some controversy about who really wrote the Shaft theme arrangement when it first came out.

I still read 'Downbeast' at that time, and some guy had written a letter saying that he had actually done that genius (IHMO) arrangement, and Isaac Hayes took all the credit for it. Was that Johnny Allen, or someone else?

[JSngry]

I remember there was some controversy about who really wrote the Shaft theme arrangement when it first came out.

I still read 'Downbeast' at that time, and some guy had written a letter saying that he had actually done that genius (IHMO) arrangement, and Isaac Hayes took all the credit for it. Was that Johnny Allen, or someone else?

No, that was Superfly, Curtis Mayfield, and Johnny Pate.