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| Harley "Red" Allen Photo Courtesy of The Bluegrass Museum.org |
Bluegrass Pioneer - Red Allen -
Born on This Date!
Harley Allen (February 12, 1930–April 3, 1993), better known as Red Allen, was an American bluegrass singer and guitarist known for his powerful tenor voice. Red Allen had a voice that personified "the high lonesome sound," making him an ideal Bluegrass lead singer.Harley (Red) Allen was a member (with Bobby and Sonny Osborne) of the trio that conceived and first recorded in the "high lead" vocal harmony format in 1956-58. These recordings are recognized today as among the most emulated and significant in the bluegrass music genre.
Allen, born in Pigeon Roost Hollow, near Hazard, Kentucky, grew up in the music-rich hills of eastern Kentucky, and in the early 1950s began performing in and around Dayton, Ohio. He first came to broad public attention in 1956, when he signed on with the Osborne Brothers to fill out one of the most influential vocal trios in the history of country music.
Allen left the Osborne Brothers in 1958 and resettled in the Washington, D.C. area. There, with the innovative mandolin player Frank Wakefield, he formed the Kentuckians. Among his protégés was mandolinist David Grisman, the inventor of "dawg music," who said that by hiring him for the Kentuckians, Allen gave the younger man "a college education in bluegrass music."
HONORS:
Harley "Red" Allen was inducted into the IBMA Bluegrass Hall of Fame - 2005
Here are two short clips showing "Red" Allen with the Bluegrass Reunion Band
Unfortunately the songs are not featured in their entirety.
"Red" sings lead on "Down Where The River Bends"
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Thanks to Richard Hawkins of the Ireland Bluegrass Blog for locating these videos of Red Allen
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