COUNTRY STAR OF THE MONTH: JIMMIE ALLEN

Two months ago Jimmie Allen came to La Crosse and performed the last outdoor concert at Logger Field. He has become a busy man these last few years and has been VERY busy as of late with touring and being on Dancing With The Stars. As he said at the concert, “I go from wearing tight shoes all week to wearing tight pants. My legs need a break!” But before that Jimmy knew what it meant to work hard for his dream and suffer through tough times. He was born and raised in Delaware and made the big jump to Nashville in 2007. He led the life of taking gigs where he could and being hungry and poor living out of his car for some time. As most stars are doing, he took a shot at getting more exposure on American Idol in the 10th season. He got cut before the live rounds, but he made good friends with that season’s eventual winner, Scotty McCreery. Jimmie also took a shot at America’s Got Talent, but didn’t get past the preliminary rounds. He wouldn’t be an unknown artist for much longer.

In 2018 Jimmie hit it big with the release of his debut single “Best Shot”. It rocketed up the charts and he became the first black artist to debut at number one on the charts. Things artists like Charlie Pride and Darius Rucker never did. It was a history making moment in music. He attributed the song’s inspiration to his grandmother and his young son. “Best Shot” really put him in the spotlight and he got back with his friend Scotty McCreery to go on tour together. In 2019 he followed his hit with his next single “Make Me Wanna”which also made it to number one on the charts. 2020 slowed Jimmie and everyone else down due to the pandemic, but he came back firing as 2021 started to see things turn back around. Not only was he touring again, but he got invited to be on the 30th season of Dancing With The Stars where he has been repeatedly scoring top marks in his performances. He also released a new single “Freedom Was A Highway” where he teamed up with Brad Paisley to put out what is slowly becoming another hit for him as it steadily climbs the charts this month. So he could have another hit on the radio while also winning the biggest dance competition on television.