The "Moon and Stars" CD has a wide range of Ervin Allen's songwriting and performing abilities. You will hear country, rock, folk, and Americana. His unique rhythms and uses of different instruments make this the best CD to listen to.

12 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Country Folk, FOLK: Folk Blues



Details:
Ervin Allen is a singer-songwriter currently based in Linden, Wisconsin. Erv is a baby boomer born in 1949 and has lived the evolution of American music.

Since the early fifties he has listened to the songs that have influenced todayâs music.

Raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Erv remembers the local talent, like Bobby Rice and his sister how had a local TV show on Channel 3 in Madison, Wisconsin. âI would never miss their show.â âI realized even back then that they were playing country music.â âA lot of my favorite artists like Roy Orbison and the Everly Brothers, were country folk singers.â During the early sixties Erv started to listen to Roger Miller, Johnny Cash, Johnny Horton and Hank Snow.â Today, some of his favorite folk artists are Sara Pace, John Prine, Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie and his son Arlo.â

âIt tickles me to here DJâs referring to the songs I grew up with as oldies! The fifties and sixties were a wild time for music and I feel privileged to have lived that experience."

Ervâs own music career began in 1974 when he taught himself how to play the guitar and began to write songs. âYouâre in My Memory,â his first song, was completed in 1976. Between 1976 and 1980 Erv enjoyed being the front man for several bands. âMy job was to play rhythm guitar and sing lead vocals. Everyone else I performed with was too shy and someone had to do it!â In 1980, while at Fort Benning Georgia, he met Jody Powers. Erv credits Powers, a staff writer for the House of Cash, for helping him develop his talents. âJody didnât realize how much influence he had on me. He taught me a great deal about songwriting.â By 1981 Erv, along with a back-up band known as Stage Dust, had eight songs published and recorded.

In August, 1982 Erv was medically retired from the Army. He found himself attending the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh to start a second career in teaching Special Education. It was a decision that was close to his heart as he discovered he was dyslexic during this time of his life. His career as a teacher continued until he retired in June 2004 only to pick up where he left off with songwriting and performing. âI owe this move to my loving wife Kim and good friend Sara Pace.â

Since September 2004 Erv has appeared at over 70 open micâs in the Madison area to get a feel for the audiences and to establish himself and his music. Because of favorable audiencesâ responses and enthusiastic encouragement from Adam Gregory Pergament, Erv has recorded âMoon and Stars,â his first CD.

Erv is excited and looking forward to recording his second CD with Bear Productions and performing in larger venues in Madison and Southwest Wisconsin.