Author: Jim Allen

Jim Allen's night job is fronting country band The Ramblin' Kind, rock band Lazy Lions, and working as a solo singer/songwriter. His day job is writing about other people's music. He has contributed to NPR, Billboard, RollingStone.com, and many more, and written liner notes for reissues of everyone from OMD to Bob Seger, but his proudest achievement is crafting a completely acceptable egg cream armed only with milk, Bosco, and a SodaStream seltzer maker.

charlie gracie

by Jim Allen April 24, 2023 Comments13

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Charlie Gracie: He Beat Elvis to The Punch

Teenager Charlie Gracie was an early pioneer whose name may not be so familiar. But he likely beat Elvis to the first rockabilly record.

by Jim Allen December 25, 2022 Comments1

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2022 Singer/Songwriter Albums You Need to Know

For fans of singer-songwriters, 2022 was a great year. Check out these artists –some new, some familiar –before the year ends.

Bubble

by Jim Allen October 24, 2020 Comments0

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Are Bubble The Beatles of 2020?

“The arrival of Other Broken Dreams… provides an answer to the question, ‘What if The Beatles were a 2020 indie band from NYC?'”

Bob Dylan 1978 courtesy of Express/Getty

by Jim Allen August 20, 2020 Comments6

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The Other Side of the Pen: Songs About Songwriters

For many songwriters, inspiration strikes in the form of…another songwriter. Here are some who turned the tables on a hero or colleague.

janis joplin

by Jim Allen June 17, 2020 Comments3

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What If These Rock Stars Had Lived?

There are way too many music legends who left us before age 30. From Hank to Hendrix, what might these artists have achieved had they lived?