Joe Allison
Encyclopedia
Joe Marion Allison was an American
Hall of Fame songwriter, a radio and television personality, a record producer, and a country music
business executive.
Born in McKinney, Texas
, Joe Allison worked as a commercial artist before embarking on a career in the entertainment industry, first as a disc jockey
on a Paris, Texas
radio station. In 1945, after a few years on radio, Allison took a job as the emcee for the North America
n tour of country music singing star Tex Ritter
. While working on tour, he offered Ritter a song he had written which the singer turned into a No. 1 hit on the country music charts. This success ultimately led to Allison moving to a radio station in Nashville, Tennessee
where he remained until accepting an offer from a station in Pasadena, California
.
While working on radio and television on the West Coast
, Allison continued writing music, many of which were co-authored with his first wife, Audrey. He scored a success with a song recorded by country singer Faron Young
and a major hit when teen idol
Tommy Sands
recorded his song, Teen Age Crush. In 1959, Allison wrote his most famous song for Jim Reeves
. He'll Have to Go
would become not only a platinum record for Reeves, but a song that would be recorded successfully by more than one hundred other artists including Elvis Presley
, Bing Crosby
, Tom Jones
, Eddy Arnold
and even big band
leader Guy Lombardo
. That same year, Allison was hired by Liberty Records
to create their country music department. At Liberty he signed Willie Nelson
to his first recording contract.
In 1965, Allison returned to Nashville as head the country music department at Dot Records
. After two years with the Dot label, he took over as the head of Capitol Records
country music department where he stayed until 1974. During the late 1960s Allison recorded five-per-week one-hour Country Music radio programs for the American Forces Radio Service. The programs were distributed on 33-1/3 RPM transcription disks which were "bicycle networked" (broadcast on one AFRS station and then sent forward) from one military base/US ship to another. In 1974, semi-retired, he then set up his own part-time business to produce records while dabbling in a passion with his wife as a dealer of paintings and antiques
.
During his time in the music business, Joe Allison won seven ASCAP awards for record producing and five BMI
performance awards. In 1976, he was elected to the Disc Jockey Hall of Fame and two years later was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
. An active promoter of the industry, Joe Allison was a founding member of the Country Music Association
and served as President of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI).
Joe Allison died in Nashville in 2002 and was interred there in the Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Hall of Fame songwriter, a radio and television personality, a record producer, and a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
business executive.
Born in McKinney, Texas
McKinney, Texas
McKinney is a city in and the county seat of Collin County, Texas, United States, and the second in population to Plano. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 131,117 The Census Bureau listed McKinney as the nation's fastest growing city from 2000 to 2003 and again in...
, Joe Allison worked as a commercial artist before embarking on a career in the entertainment industry, first as a disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
on a Paris, Texas
Paris, Texas
Paris, Texas is a city located northeast of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex in Lamar County, Texas, in the United States. It is situated in Northeast Texas at the western edge of the Piney Woods. Physiographically, these regions are part of the West Gulf Coastal Plain. In 1900, 9,358 people lived...
radio station. In 1945, after a few years on radio, Allison took a job as the emcee for the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n tour of country music singing star Tex Ritter
Tex Ritter
Woodward Maurice Ritter , better known as Tex Ritter, was an American country music singer and movie actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter family in acting...
. While working on tour, he offered Ritter a song he had written which the singer turned into a No. 1 hit on the country music charts. This success ultimately led to Allison moving to a radio station 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...
where he remained until accepting an offer from a station in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
.
While working on radio and television on the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
, Allison continued writing music, many of which were co-authored with his first wife, Audrey. He scored a success with a song recorded by country singer Faron Young
Faron Young
Faron Young was an American country music singer and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s and one of its most successful and colorful stars...
and a major hit when teen idol
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
Tommy Sands
Tommy Sands
Tommy Adrian Sands is an American pop music singer and actor.-Early life:Born into a musical family in Chicago, Illinois, Sands' father was a pianist and his mother a big-band singer. While still young, he moved with his family to Shreveport, Louisiana...
recorded his song, Teen Age Crush. In 1959, Allison wrote his most famous song for Jim Reeves
Jim Reeves
James Travis Reeves , better known as Jim Reeves, was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well-known for being a practitioner of the Nashville sound...
. He'll Have to Go
He'll Have to Go
"He'll Have to Go" is an American country and pop hit recorded on October 15, 1959 by Jim Reeves. The song, released in the fall of 1959, went on to become a massive hit in both genres early in 1960.-Background:...
would become not only a platinum record for Reeves, but a song that would be recorded successfully by more than one hundred other artists including Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
, Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
, Eddy Arnold
Eddy Arnold
Richard Edward Arnold , known professionally as Eddy Arnold, was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called Nashville sound innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more...
and even big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
leader Guy Lombardo
Guy Lombardo
Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo was a Canadian-American bandleader and violinist.Forming "The Royal Canadians" in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert, and Victor and other musicians from his hometown, Lombardo led the group to international success, billing themselves as creating "The Sweetest...
. That same year, Allison was hired by Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
to create their country music department. At Liberty he signed Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
to his first recording contract.
In 1965, Allison returned to Nashville as head the country music department at Dot Records
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen...
. After two years with the Dot label, he took over as the head of Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
country music department where he stayed until 1974. During the late 1960s Allison recorded five-per-week one-hour Country Music radio programs for the American Forces Radio Service. The programs were distributed on 33-1/3 RPM transcription disks which were "bicycle networked" (broadcast on one AFRS station and then sent forward) from one military base/US ship to another. In 1974, semi-retired, he then set up his own part-time business to produce records while dabbling in a passion with his wife as a dealer of paintings and antiques
Antiques
An antique is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age , beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features...
.
During his time in the music business, Joe Allison won seven ASCAP awards for record producing and five BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
performance awards. In 1976, he was elected to the Disc Jockey Hall of Fame and two years later was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is uniquely associated with music community in the city of...
. An active promoter of the industry, Joe Allison was a founding member of the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
and served as President of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI).
Joe Allison died in Nashville in 2002 and was interred there in the Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery
Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery
Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 660 Thompson Lane in Nashville, Tennessee. It is one of the largest cemeteries in Nashville.Among those interred or entombed in the cemetery, there are many prominent members of the country music genre and their families.-List:Use the following...
.
External links
- http://www.nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com/fame/allison.html
- http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608003616/Joe-Allison.html