Born in 1987, R&B and soul musician Allen stone originates from the state of Washington. Stone describes himself as a “hippie with soul.” Stone’s mother was an OB/GYN nurse. His father was a preacher, and it was in his church (at age three) where Allen Stone began his musical career.
By age 14, he had learned to play the guitar. He attended community college for a semester, and then spent a year studying at Moody Bible College in Spokane. He soon moved to Seattle to pursue music. Stone’s music has been described as “socially conscious,” as some of his songs deal with social and political issues. He credits his musical influences to The Meters, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Jamie Lidell, and James Morrison.
Stone has released two albums to date (2013) under the label ATO Records; they are Last to Speak (2010) and Allen Stone (2011). The latter saw his career climb quickly; the album peaked at #2 on the R&B/Soul charts (iTunes) and reached #9 and #35 on the Billboard Heatseakers, along with R&B/Hip-Hop Album charts. In a piece written by a USA Today reporter, Stone was described as a “pitch-perfect powerhouse.” In January 2013, Stone appeared on the Ellen Degeneres Show and sang, “Sleep.”
