NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Amy Allen is a
blues-accented country, pop and Americana singer-songwriter who has sung on
three continents, appearing at venues ranging from the White House and the
Ryman Auditorium to the Garden Hotel in Machakos, Kenya.
The
artist is re-launching her music career with the "Someday Is Today" CD and national tour. The album,
which was recorded in Nashville, features 11 original songs inspired by
real-life experiences. The first single (the album's title track) recently hit
number 15 on the STS Main Country Chart, and the album was featured as
"New and Noteworthy" on iTunes. Selections from the "Someday Is
Today" CD are airing on country and Americana radio stations around the
world. Her latest single, "Josie Rae", is climbing the charts, including the Music Row Country Breakout Chart.
Amy's
soaring country ballads, bluesy pop songs, and honky-tonk rockers entertain
while bringing hope and change to a disconnected world. Listeners laugh, cry,
dance and sing knowing that the someday they've always longed for can begin
today. Amy describes her sound as a versatile mix of blues-accented country,
pop and Americana. She brings passion and energy to the stage with hints of
Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Elton John, Eva Cassidy, and Patsy Cline -- yet
with a powerful sound that is all her own.
"Every
note I sing or every note or chord I strum is given with all of the love I have
for the song I am performing," the singer-songwriter says. "My voice
is the voice of someone who has been down many different roads."
Amy
was only 20 years old when she was first "discovered" in an Arkansas
honky-tonk by a music industry executive. Her rendition of Tina Turner's
"Proud Mary" led her to the footsteps of Shoney's on Music Row and
eventually a contract with an independent record label. With stars in her eyes,
she recorded her first album with some of Nashville's top musicians.
Then
came heartbreak. At age 22, Amy experienced a mild heart attack after going on
a strict diet and losing more than 100 pounds. Although Amy was her ideal
weight, she was told she must have plastic surgery to keep her contract. Amy
faced a hard decision. She could continue to pursue her dreams under very
difficult circumstances or return home to marry and raise a family. As her car
climbed the ramp onto Interstate 40, she thought her days as a songwriter and
singer in Nashville were over.
Some
years later, while going through a very difficult divorce, Amy heard a
12-year-old girl singing songs from
her first album, "Night Vision".
"It
was as simple as that," Amy adds. "Somehow, every emotion flooded
through my body at that very moment, as well as the first realization that my
musical story was not over. I wrote a song as a gift for that
teenager. That experience is what led me back to Nashville."
Amy
is returning to the national stage with the help of noted producer Denny
Martin,
the Nashville Songwriters Association International, and others. Her
passionate, high-energy performances entertain, while helping people overcome
past challenges, believe in themselves, appreciate the love of family, and
discover their God-given talents.
The
artist took the stage for the first time at age 4 as a singing angel in the
children's choir at First Christian Church in her hometown of El Dorado, Ark.
With her grandmother's encouragement, she spent her childhood years soaking in
recordings by artists such as BB King and The Rolling Stones. She was only 12
when she joined the Down Home Band as a vocalist and pianist, giving her first
professional performance at the American Legion Club. The band played dozens of
bars across Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. She joined the Ralston Girls country
duet at age 15, opening for country artists such as John Conlee, Patty Loveless and Brooks &
Dunn.
While attending South Arkansas Community College and the University of
Arkansas, she sang and played guitar and piano for the band Spare Change.
Amy
joined the Winchesters and began her solo career after moving to Nashville in
the 1990s. The group appeared at tourist bars on Broadway and at festivals in
Arkansas and Tennessee. She also served as a studio singer for Warner Music
Nashville
and performed at major shows as a solo artist at the Statue of Liberty, the White House, the Ryman
Auditorium,
Disney's Magic Kingdom, and Vanderbilt University.
Since
the release of her first album and return to Arkansas, she has performed
regularly at Fayrays restaurant; the South Arkansas Arts Center; hundreds of
house parties and charity events; Timberlane Health and Rehab; and numerous
churches.
"I
can sing the blues as well as put a tear in my beer with country music,"
Amy notes. "I have been blessed with diversity and the ability to touch
people with different musical styles.
In
2012, she returned to Nashville to record her second album, "Someday Is
Today".
The album includes performances by an all-star cast of Nashville musicians.
Amy's "Someday Is Today Tour " will include stops in Arkansas,
Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Texas.
"I
produce a lot of artists in my studio, and Amy is truly an original,"
raves producer Denny Martin. "Her natural-given voice is stunning in its
clarity and expressiveness. Her sense of humor and joyful personality come
through in her writing and her singing. I consider myself extremely fortunate
to know her, to write with her, and to produce her. The world is about to hear
what I've been hearing for more than two years."
The
artist's musical rebirth has inspired the creation of original acrylic,
watercolor and mixed-media artworks reflecting her healing journey. She plans
to show some of those works on her national tour.
Amy
graduated from El Dorado High School and attended South Arkansas Community
College and the University of Arkansas. She is currently pursuing certification
in the Education for Licensed Ministry program from
the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn. She is a professional member of
ASCAP and the Nashville Songwriters Association International.
The
singer-songwriter performs at concert venues, arts centers, nightclubs, art
galleries, hotels, casinos, festivals, assisted living centers, and churches. A
portion of the proceeds from album and concert ticket sales will benefit local
non-profit charities that provide the support and resources people need to
discover their dreams. Recent appearances include the South Arkansas Arts
Center in El Dorado, Ark., and The Row in Nashville. She will perform at a
number of prominent venues during her "Blue Ridge Mountain Tour" in
September 2014.
Allen
is represented in the United States by Bill Wence Promotions, Whiting Publicity
and Promotions,
and Music City Artist Management, and in Europe by Hemifran.
For
more information about the CD or booking Allen for an upcoming event, call
(870) 918-4403, send an email message to info@TheAmyAllen.com, or mail
correspondence to Wormwood Records, 736 Bodenhamer Drive, El Dorado, AR 71730.
To learn more about the artist, visit http://www.TheAmyAllen.com. Media and
management-related inquiries may be directed to Arts@WhitingPublicity.com or by
calling (615) 423-9857.
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