Ricky Allen

Who was Ricky Allen?

Richard A. "Ricky" Allen 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 Number 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.