Jimmie Allen’s uniqueness among current country radio mainstays lies more in his being from rural Delaware than being a Black man in a genre where—Darius "Hootie" Rucker excepted—lighter performers get most of the airplay. There has been a significant, if intermittent, African American presence in country since The Grand Ole Opry’s earliest days. Country singers hailing from Joe Biden’s old stomping grounds, however, are considerably rarer.
Demographics and geography aside, it’s neither his heritage nor point of origin that first drew country listeners to Allen. It was his voice. Allen possesses a buttery smooth, intimately youthful instrument befitting his handsome visage as well as his female-friendly material that has been downloaded and streamed millions of times. And though Allen currently stylistically veers toward the more pop-oriented side of country, the way he can deliver the goods with rootsier material, too.
Regardless of how he next decides to present himself, Allen has been about the business of extending his brand and doing some good along the way since his 2018 debut. Authoring an empowering children’s book, raising money for charity on Family Feud and organizing a music festival in his little New England hometown are all admirable pursuits. But none of them will be what fills seats at Summerfest. It will be his voice. As well it should be.
