Allyson's Bio and Reviews
"From time to time, if you're very fortunate, you get to experience a truly transcendent musical performance. I think it takes a rare combination of such tremendous technical proficiency at one's instrument that expressing one's heart and soul becomes at once effortless and dazzling. It's more than chops and it's more than soul. I suppose the closest, but still inadequate description, is virtuosity. One thing for sure, when you experience it, you never forget it. You had to be there last night to hear Allyson Paige. It is beyond comprehension why this incredible talent isn't playing stadiums and pulling down record deals. Perhaps it's because her talent is so great it defies genre categories. She's not a blues singer, a jazz singer or a pop singer. She is a voice that knows no boundaries. Every time she would hit one impossible crescendo and you'd say, "damn, how'd she do that?" the next phrase would just bury the one before. She just seems to will her voice to say what she feels and it does so despite whatever technical difficulty might be standing in the way." - Vince Caminiti, Golden Gate Blues Society
Allyson Paige has made a name for herself throughout the San Francisco Bay Area as a result of her powerful voice and exceptional ability to deliver table-pounding performances and raw emotional power to any song that she sings. The inherent beauty and soulfulness of her voice lends itself to ALL styles of music. The first business cards she created for herself as a teenager said, "Allyson Paige. I can sing it." Simply stated, truth in advertising. Allyson hails from the Sonoma County wine country north of San Francisco where her roots in classic rock led her talents into a successful career, which has cut across many musical swaths including: classic rock, blues, folk, jazz and country. Allyson has performed at many of the San Francisco Bay Area's premier clubs including: Slims, Bimbos 365, Great American Music Hall, The Sweetwater Saloon, The Last Day Saloon, and the Mystic Theater, just to name a few.
Allyson counts Joni Mitchell, The Stones, The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt, Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Bonnie Raitt, and Elton John among some of her major influences and personal heroes - just to start - and their legacies resonate throughout her music. Allyson has been writing and singing songs for more than half her life, breathing passion into each performance with a mesmerizing voice that can be both beautifully tender and stunningly intense, with a raw, go-for-broke rock 'n' roll roadhouse abandon.
"A 5 foot 10-inch woman with Viking blood and a voice that could fill most clubs without amplification, sweetly conquering all within earshot." - Jeff Kaliss, San Francisco Chronicle
Allyson first made a splash in the storied San Francisco Bay Area music scene as the lead vocalist for The Chris Cobb Band. In addition to working with songwriters Alex Call (Huey Lewis, Pat Benatar) and Andre Pessis (Bonnie Raitt, Mr. Big), she has shared the stage with Narada Michael Walden (Producer/Drummer, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder), the late Clarence Clemons (Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band), Eric Martin (Mr. Big), Angela Strehli, Tommy Castro, Roy Rogers, Norton Buffalo, Earl Thomas, Raz Kennedy (founding member of Bobby McFerrin's Voicestra), The Waybacks, and Bob Weir (The Greatful Dead).
Allyson has released three independently produced CD's: Inspire, a collection of popular songs with a positive message by some of her favorite contemporary artists. Her second CD Blue Horizon showcases not only her blues and rock singing virtuosity and versatility but also her talent as a songwriter. Some of the Bay Area's best offered to lend their talents and gifts to this unique project including: Jon Evans (Tori Amos), Larry Cragg (Neil Young), and Max Butler (Red Meat, Chuck Prophet), Geoff Perlman, Michael Bluestein, and Kevin T. White (all formerly with Shelby Lynne). Her lastest EP Little Girl Lost shows her softer side with a beautiful mix of folk and country with poignant lyrics that paint a vivid picture and music that touches the heart. Little Girl Lost was a joint collaboration with songwriter/guitarist Jesse Brewster.
In addition to her solo work, Allyson has several other projects including a Joni Mitchell tribute band called Foni Mitchell, which includes bandmates, Chris Stafford, Edo Castro, Michael Gill and Brad McKeague. The band is available for shows and private parties. Allyson also works closely with her good friend singer/songwriter Jesse Brewster on his solo projects and the two have toured extensively as well as playing regularly throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.