Dexter Allen (born July 10, 1970) is an American blues musician, singer, songwriter and

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

. Formerly the lead guitarist for the Airtight Band and blues musician

Bobby Rush Bobby Lee Rush (born November 23, 1946) is an American politician, activist and pastor who served as the U.S. representative for for three decades. A civil rights activist during the 1960s, Rush co-founded the Illinois chapter of the Black Pa ...

, he received a

Jackson Music Award Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

in 2008 for Male Vocalist of the Year. That same year, he debuted his first album titled ''Bluezin My Way''. His work on the album resulted in another Jackson Music Award in 2009 for Entertainer of the Year. Allen then released a

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

CD in December 2009 called ''Hello Ms. Santa Claus''. In 2011, he released his second album, ''Bluezin for Life''. In 2014, he released an album entitled ''Bluez of My Soul''. His accomplishments included being signed to Bobby Rush’s record label,

Deep Rush Records Deep or The Deep may refer to: Places United States * Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia * Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah * Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania * Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary), C ...

, and appearing as a guitarist in the 2014 James Brown biopic, '' Get On Up.'' In 2015, Allen released an album titled ''Trilogy of My Bluez''. In 2018, he released a live album titled ''Dexter Allen: Live From Ground Zero Blues Club''.

Early life

Allen was born in

Crystal Springs, Mississippi Crystal Springs is a city in Copiah County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,044 as of the 2010 census, down from 5,873 in 2000. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography U.S. Route 51 runs through the ...

, to Willie Lee Allen (father) and Ruthie Mae Allen (mother) on July 10, 1970. Allen has three sisters, Olivia Ann Allen, Phalethia Lundy and Sara Allen, and one brother, Corey Allen. He was brought up on a farm, where he helped raise crops and livestock to sell. His father was the pastor of Christian Open Door Church, a non-denominational assembly, where his grandfather, Calvin Dixon, was also a deacon. His mother worked for Farm Bureau Insurance and retired after 30 years of employment. His father was also the member of the gospel group The Christian Travelers, and Allen began playing

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and s ...

for the group at age 12. Other groups he played for at that time include The Dixon Singers and The Robinson Brotherhood.

Career

1995–2008

In 1995, Allen decided to elevate his musical career by moving to

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

, the state capitol. At that point, he signed with his first record company, the independent label Airtight Records. He sang and played with the

Airtight Band A hermetic seal is any type of sealing that makes a given object airtight (preventing the passage of air, oxygen, or other gases). The term originally applied to airtight glass containers, but as technology advanced it applied to a larger categor ...

in addition to sharing his talent at local churches. This exposure led to him becoming the lead guitarist for blues musician

. While in Rush's band, Allen was exposed to what blues has to offer worldwide. The experience gave him a chance to travel and perform internationally for hundreds of thousands of blues fans, and to learn what it took to succeed in the blues music industry.

2008–present

In 2008, Allen won the 2008 Jackson Music Award for Male Vocalist of the Year. It was at this point when Allen decided to strike out on his own and record his first album entitled ''Bluezin My Wa''y, an album with themes such as love, lust and deception. He was awarded for his efforts once again with the 2009 Jackson Music Award for Entertainer of the Year. Most recently, Allen portrayed a bass guitarist in the 2014 film, '' Get On Up'', a biopic about the life of the late entertainer James Brown. In September 2014, Allen was in a music video for his song from the album ''Bluez of my Soul'', "Coming Home to Mississippi." Some of Allen's performances throughout North America were at the following: * Chicago Blues Fest, Chicago, Illinois * King Biscuit Blues Festival, Helena, Arkansas * Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, Davenport, Iowa * South Side Shuffle, Missasaugua, Canada * Beauport Blues Fest, Quebec, Canada * Ameristar Casino, Vicksburg, Mississippi * Hard Rock Cafe, Memphis, Tennessee * Ground Zero Blues Club, Memphis, Tennessee Five of Allen's songs were listed on the Roots Music Report's Weekly Top 50 Mississippi Song Chart for the week of July 20, 2014. Allen's 2018 live album, ''Dexter Allen: Live From Ground Zero Blues Club,'' was filmed in HD video - including club owner

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...

introducing him to kick off the show. UK's ''Blues & Rhythm Magazine'''s review described Allen as "a supremely gifted guitarist and singer" and wrote that "incredible notes seem to fly effortlessly from his guitar." His upcoming tour schedule includes the sold-out Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise.

Equipment

Allen performs on a

Fender Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuous ...

guitar.

Philanthropy

After being inducted into the Mississippi Artist Roster, Allen now provides workshops through the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame in area schools and works with children with autism in summer programs in order to continue promoting heritage blues music.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Bluezin My Way'' (2008) * ''Hello Ms. Santa Claus'' (2009) * ''Bluezin for Life'' (2011) * ''Bluez of My Soul ''(2014) * ''Trilogy of My Bluez'' (2015) *''Dexter Allen: Live From Ground Zero Blues Club''

Honors and awards

* In 2008, he received the Vocalist of the Year award from the Jackson Music Awards Association. * In 2009, he received the Entertainer of the Year award from the Jackson Music Awards Association. * On February 4, 2014, he received a resolution from the city of

for his accomplishments in the blues genre. * In 2014, he received House Concurrent Resolution No. 54 from the Mississippi Legislature for Accomplishments in Blues Music. The resolution was adopted by the House of Representatives on February 28 and the Senate on March 4.

References

External links

* DexterAllen.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Dexter 1970 births Living people