As he stepped on stage for the first time, he was full of nerves, excitement and anticipation to see the reaction of the judges. Then he began to sing and strum… “It’s where I drank my first beer. It’s where I found Jesus. Where I wrecked my first car. I tore it all to pieces…” Brooks and Dunn’s “Red Dirt Road” was the song he chose, while adding a signature Ben Allen twist on it.

By the end of the second line, Blake Shelton had already turned his chair to see who the man behind this incredible voice was. Shortly after, Gwen Stefani eagerly turned her chair, followed by John Legend. In the end, Ben decided to go with team Blake and moved on to learn and be coached by one of the greats… throughout this journey he would not only learn the ins and outs from the country star, but he would switch teams and join Gwen later on. The ability to be coached by several coaches only helped him to grow his gifts and stage presence.

If you are a fan of The Voice, you may have seen this guy make his TV debut as a standout country artist. As three out of the four coach’s chairs turned around, Ben knew his life would never be the same from that point on.

Ben grew up in Tennessee before moving to Florida in 2009.  He describes his life back in Tennessee as “relatively normal.”  Ironically, even though he grew up in the country capitol of the USA, music never was a huge part of his life apart from singing in children’s choir and during some school events.  He lived outside of Nashville for a long time, but his journey with music didn’t really begin until he moved south. Florida had a lot of changes for Ben’s life, including his wife Laura. Laura is an amazing interior designer who is also Ben’s biggest fan and supporter. The two of them have created an amazing life here as he begins his future in music.

As Ben began get settled in the area, he stumbled upon his old guitar that he’d had for years. He never had too much interest in it but started to fiddle around and it became a serious hobby very quickly. Before he knew it, he had a new passion and found himself attending his first open mic night. He went for the experience just to see how other people played. But that night he got pushed into doing it himself. Turns out, he was the only one there, and would get a chance to have an evening of getting that stage experience with his mini solo concert.

 

“I got some experience behind a microphone for the first time. And it scared me death. And I loved it, for that reason. It has been a journey since then!”

 

That Moment When Things Changed

There seems to be “that moment” for every artist when they realized that things could change; That one performance where singing became more than a hobby and started to resemble a future.

Ben’s moment came when he got booked for Celebrate Bonita in 2013. He found out that he would be opening for the well-known and award-winning country band, Thompson Square. There were close to 10,000 people there that day as Ben and his acoustic duo partner performed for nearly an hour and a half. When they left the stage, people chanted, “One more song!”

All of a sudden, Ben found himself surrounded by crowds of fans, signing autographs. Quite the change from his normal chill audience of 80.

 

“It felt like the world had shifted on its axis while I was on stage that night.”

 

The Next Big Step

Right in the middle of pandemic, Ben decided to take another risk that would officially change everything in his life – He decided to audition for The Voice. It was a moment of asking, why not now? Why not me? It was as good a time as any to take the plunge and chase his dreams.

Thoughts started racing through his head! What song should I sing? Is this really the right move? What will the judges be like? Without a crowd, how will the experience be? As fans, we think these things without having the pressure of taking part in it! But what is better than an inside scoop from someone who is there? If you have been wanting to know what it is like for these contestants who took part in this popular show during a worldwide pandemic, here are some views from the eyes of Ben Allen.

 

What is something you want people to know about the judges?

“They are just real people, working on something we all love. The show gets built up with fanfare, as expected, but they truly are just amazing people who love music and are doing their jobs. Once we get past the fact that they are celebrities, we have normal conversations and develop those real relationships. They take it all very seriously and are working hard for us and to produce great content for the show.”

 

What was your favorite moment on The Voice?

“When I sang, There Goes My Life, By Kenny Chesney. That felt the best to me out of any of the songs I got to sing. I love a good ballad.”

 

What was the experience like, not singing in front of a live audience?

“I always have the mentality of practice like you’re playing a live show. When I was in rehearsal, I gave 100% and had to bring that energy like there was a crowd in front of me. It was rough not having that energy back, but I had the mindset that they were there, and I had to envision everyone at home! I wanted to bring the party. I’m talking lamp shades on the head and breaking coffee tables at home! I wanted everyone to just have a great time each time I sang, and I had to channel that each time I was on stage.”

 

What did you learn from the show?

“I learned that I need to embrace this life as being an entertainer, not just a musician. More than just those short moments on stage, I need to understand and embrace the entertainer kind of mindset. I want to give people an experience that they want to keep coming back to.”

Overall, Ben’s experience on The Voice was absolutely incredible and has launched him into quitting his day job and pursuing music full time. As far as future plans go, he has BIG ones! He recently just performed at a sold out show at Hertz Arena and has plans for new venues in the Southwest Florida Area.

On April 2nd, the band will be playing at The Ranch Concert Hall and Saloon, in fort Myers. You can purchase your tickets here: https://theranchfortmyers.com/events/ben-allen-band/

According to Ben, there are some awesome rebrands happening in the area that have the perfect setting for some live music! The band has been doing some writing and also plans on doing some shows this summer so be sure to keep an eye on Ben’s Facebook page for tour dates and concerts coming up. Ben Allen is a local favorite and now the world has had a chance to see what he can do. This is just the beginning, and the future looks bright!