Dexter Allen:

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Dexter Allen has been bridging the lines between blues, soul and R&B for several decades, winning numerous awards, including being the 2019 recipient of the prestigious Mississippi “Jus Blues Entertainer of the Year” Award. He has been headlining many tours, major festivals, and has released over a half dozen acclaimed albums. Growing up in the deep south in the town of Crystal Springs, Mississippi, Dexter Allen cut his chops on the gospel music of his parents church, Bobby Bland’s soul, Little Milton’s soaring guitar, as well as the timeless pop sounds he heard on the radio from artists such as the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin. His early years were captivated by Southern Soul and Delta blues while serving for seven years as the lead guitarist for the legendary blues man and multiple GRAMMY winning musician Bobby Rush. “Back in my days touring the world with Bobby, we’d be on the bus or the plane listening to all kinds of different music from the likes of Frank Sinatra, B.B. King, Etta James and Howlin' Wolfe. So at a show fans might hear me introduce a B.B. King or an Albert Collins guitar riff. And those shows contained raucous and steamy sets that also drew crowds whose tastes in music ranged from rock to funk and jazz, so I was even able to slip in all kinds of crazy licks”. Dexter Allen inhabits the tunes he performs, delivering every nuance and turn of phrase. His own songs are also illuminated with lyrical melodies that go right to the heart, such as his powerful ode to a love gone bad in his tune “Tired”, or his most recent Blues Charts topping track “Keep Moving On”. In 2024 Dexter won a GRAMMY.