A native of Auburn, Alabama, Allen was exposed to blues and R&B at an early age. Moving into jazz and fusion in his teens, he attended Berklee College of Music and shortly after moved to Los Angeles on a scholarship through Guitar Player Magazine to attend Musicians Institute, where he has remained on staff to the present.

Allen has five solo CDs under his name with a sixth, The Good Fight, released in early 2024. Allen’s music can be heard on Spotify as well in many cable TV shows such as “Sons of Guns,” “Pawn stars,” “National Geographic Specials” and many more.

Besides a solo career, and being a regular featured artist in Guitar Techniques, The Guitarist and other magazines, Allen has instruction books available, including “Liquid Legato” through Hal Leonard, “Melodic Improv” on Truefire and “Fusion Blues Soloing” available at Fundamental Changes.