Weaned on music from the Buck Owens and Porter Waggoner TV shows of his parents and CCR, Beatles and Cream records his brother brought home, Mike had a wide variety of musical influences from the beginning in the small East Texas town of Conroe.
Mike received his first guitar for Christmas when he was 14. He became consumed with the guitar and began playing lead professionally at 16, working for the Little Walter Price Blues Band. Switching to country in 1980, he spent years on the road playing for Jeff Hord and the Texas Fullhouse Band, Hatfield and McCoy, Phoenix, and others. Mike has opened for and played shows with Toby Keith, Dixie Chicks, Johnny Rodriguez, Gene Watson and many more.
Always a writer, he had the first song he ever kept, Whiskey and Tears, recorded in 1984 by The Bootleg Country Band, receiving moderate airplay and regional success. Mike finally recorded his first full CD of original songs, Good For Something in 2000. By 2010, Mike was getting tired of the road and the honky tonk scene and decided to concentrate full time on his writing, recording and performing acoustic shows.
As of now, Mike has 6 CD's out, Good For Something, A Mile Of Bad Track, Pieces Of Me, Texas Soul, The Cowboy Way and The Best Of Mike Allen.
As well as receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021 and the Fair Play Award in 2022 at the FPCM Red Carpet Awards Of Holland, he has been nominated for Most Appreciated Studio and Americana/Original Music in 2020, Songwriter Of The Year in 2020 and 2021and Producer of the Year and Musician of the Year in 2021. He has also been nominated for Songwriter of the Year for the Josie Music Awards in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and Producer of the Year in 2019. Also for Mixer/Engineer of the Year at the ISSA Awards for 2019, 2020 and 2021.
It’s been a long, strange road, but the trip is far from over. Hell, we’re just stopping for gas.
See ya down the road...