Alexis Marie Nucklos-Allen (born October 2, 1967), better known by her stage name Lexi Allen, is an American gospel

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

, producer,

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audience dir ...

television personality Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

, and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

Early life

Alexis Marie Nucklos was born in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

, where she grew up singing in her grandfather's church.J.J. Thompson. "BG singer to release album". ''The BG News April 13, 1990'' (1990)
BGSU Student Newspaper. Book 5071, pg. 3. Nucklos is daughter of physician Dr. Ruby Nucklos. She attended and graduated from

Bowsher High School E.L. Bowsher High School was constructed in the early 1960s at the intersection of Glanzman and Detroit in Toledo, Ohio. Its replacement (opened 2009) is at the corner of Arlington and Detroit, north of the original site. It is part of the Toledo ...

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, O ...

. Nucklos later attended

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research ...

, where she majored in communications."Lexi is back on the gospel scene with a new urban-edge album"
''Toledo Blade'', January 22, 2000, pg. 8. During her freshman year in college, she was awarded the Ms. Bronze Pageant.Jared O. Wadley. "Women vie for 'Bronze'. ''The BG News April 16, 1986'' (1986). BGSU Student Newspaper. Book 4517, pg. 5.
/ref> In 1989, she became a member of

Zeta Phi Beta Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. In 1920, five women from Howard University envisioned a sorority that would raise the consciousness of their people, encourage the highest standards of scholastic achi ...

Career

For a time she sang background vocals for, among others,

Gerald LeVert Gerald Edward Levert (July 13, 1966 – November 10, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and producer. Levert was best known for singing with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon of the vocal group LeVert. Levert was also a ...

Vanessa Bell Armstrong Vanessa Bell Armstrong ( Bell; born October 2, 1953) is an American gospel singer who released her debut album '' Peace Be Still'' in 1983. Armstrong is an 7x Grammy Award Nominee, Stellar Award Winner, and a Soul Train Award winner. She has wor ...

and

Fred Hammond Frederick William Hammond (born December 27, 1960) is an American gospel singer, bass guitar player, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most popular figures in contemporary gospel music. He is known for using a variety of differe ...

.Lexi: Malaco - Gospel
After the release of her debut album ''Call Her Lexi'' (1990) she stepped away from music, instead studying and working as a teacher, before renewing her singing career a decade later. Nucklos also married a music producer Michael Allen, who helped managed her musical career. During their marriage, Allen captured the attention of former boxing champion

Evander Holyfield Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed champion at cruiserweight in the late 1980s and at heavyweight in the early 1990s, and is the o ...

, who had set up the record label

Real Deal Records Real Deal Records, LLC was an American recording company founded February 11, 1999 by boxer Evander Holyfield and business partner Rochester Johnson Jr. Musicians signed to Real Deal Records include rapper/producer Cuttboy G Dinero, rapper/actress ...

. While signed onto Holyfield's label, Lexi released ''Lexi & That's the Way It Is'' (2002), ''A Praise in the Valley'' (2004) and ''What Heaven Hears'' (2005). The 2004 album earned her a Stellar Gospel Music Award nomination. In 2006, Allen became the public face of

The Word Network The Word Network, also known as The Word, is a religious broadcasting network. The Word is the largest African-American religious network in the world. It was founded in February 2000 by Kevin Adell who also owns WFDF, a local urban-talk radio st ...

, where she presents the regular program "The Word Network Church with Lexi". She also hosted ''The Lexi Show'', aired by

, on which she has interviewed such guests as

B.Slade Anthony Charles Williams II (born May 16, 1975), better known by his stage name B. Slade, formerly known under the gospel moniker Tonéx ( ), is an American singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, dancer, producer, and activi ...

(then known as Tonex),

Carlton Pearson Carlton D'metrius Pearson (born March 19, 1953) is an American minister and gospel music artist. At one time, he was the pastor of the Higher Dimensions Evangelistic Center Incorporated, later named the Higher Dimensions Family Church, which was o ...

Shirley Caesar Shirley Ann Caesar-Williams (born October 13, 1938), known professionally as Shirley Caesar, is an American gospel singer whose career has spanned seven decades. She has won 11 Grammys in addition to Dove Awards and Stellar Awards; Caesar is k ...

DeWayne Woods DeWayne Lamont Woods (born November 9, 1975) is an American gospel musician. He started his music career, in 2003, with the release of, ''The Poets, The Psalms, and the Psalmists'', that was self-released. His second album, ''Introducing DeWayn ...

and many others.The Word Network Announces The Return Of “The Lexi Show”
thelightnc.hellobeautiful.com; accessed March 22, 2018. In 2010, ''The Lexi Show'' was suspended for nearly a year, soon after an interview in which Tonex spoke candidly about his same-sex attraction and his views on sexuality in general. The show returned in 2011, and later after a three-year hiatus, in 2015. Her 2012 album ''Phenomenal'' was produced after she signed with Malaco Music Group. The singles "Burn It All Down" and "Abide" from this album hit the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs charts, peaking at #20 and #14 respectively. Allen appears regularly on ''The Yolanda Adams Morning Show'' with the segment "Inside Inspiration with Lexi". On her

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

channel, she has created comedy videos dealing with subjects such as church culture, African-American culture, and parodies of well-known TV shows. She also runs ALX Hair, a business selling hair extensions.

Personal life

Michael Dwayne Allen, her husband, was diagnosed with cancer and ultimately succumbed to the disease on October 5, 2004.Michael Allen , Biography
All Music Guide. Retrieved on February 17, 2019 Lexi has a son, Michael Alexander Osaze Allen,
GospelFlava.com; accessed March 22, 2018. by her late husband Michael.

Discography

;Albums * ''Call Her Lexi'' (1990) * ''Lexi & That's the Way It Is'' (2001) * ''Somewhere Different'' (2002) * ''A Praise in the Valley'' (2004) * ''What Heaven Hears'' (2005) * ''Phenomenal'' (2012) * ''Just Listen'' (2018)

Filmography

Television * ''The Word Network Church With Lexi'' (2006) * ''The Lexi Show'' (2010-2011; 2015) YouTube Shows * ''Holy Ghost Enforcers'' (2012–present) * ''Ghetto Bewitched'' (2015–present)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Lexi 1967 births 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesswomen 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Actresses from Columbus, Ohio African-American actresses African-American women artists African-American businesspeople African-American Christians 20th-century African-American women singers African-American television talk show hosts American television talk show hosts American gospel singers American television journalists American women television journalists American YouTubers Bowling Green State University alumni Comedy YouTubers Living people Musicians from Columbus, Ohio Singers from Ohio Songwriters from Ohio African-American women in business 20th-century American businesswomen African-American songwriters 21st-century African-American women singers