Rex Allen Jr

The beauty of the American Dream is that it waits for each of us to find it in our own way, in our own time. For some, it shines atop the distant, shimmering mountain. For others, it remains patient, like the grains, growing golden up from the fertile heartlands. For Rex Allen Jr. the Dream was found in the songs and voices of the fabled American West, which gave him hope and direction as a young man. And as he continues to draw life from those icons and inspirations, he finds his Dream ever ready, for the next song, the next stage, and the next adventure. America’s great promise is that all men can be kings, and Allen’s legacy is indeed royal. The namesake heir of Hollywood’s last singing cowboy and a revered narrator, Rex the younger shares his father’s greatest gift- his voice. Choosing to chart a new map for himself, however, he found his own ghost towns, broken hearts and unseen trails to illustrate for his loyal, decades-long fanbase. The new millennium has well rewarded that loyalty. Building off his television successes in the ‘90s, including The Statler Brothers Show and Yesteryear, 2000’s Me, Myself & Irene allowed Allen to give a heart-felt homage to his father, narrating the beloved Jim Carrey/Renèe Zellweger feature. Allen has rekindled his musical flames as well: “I lost the music in me for about five years. I have been so disappointed in the current country music… I thought people weren’t interested in hearing ‘good’ songs anymore.” Eight albums in the last seven years- with no sign of slowing down- have eased Rex’s doubts that real songs will always find real listeners- regardless of wherever those listeners may live. “It will always be a feather in my cowboy hat to be the first performer ever allowed to sing on the Great Wall of China”, Allen recounts with a humble joy. The Great American Cowboy China Tour of 2006 brought the pioneering spirit of the Old West to the world’s largest country, opening more than a few cross-cultural doors along the way. “And all are a part of my memories now…” Honored in 2008 with induction into the Western Music Hall of Fame, Rex was again deeply affected when “Arizona”, his loving nod to his adopted homeland, was declared the alternate state song and official theme of Arizona’s Centennial celebrations, by Arizona’s State Legislature, in 2012. Arizona will continue to show its love October 5th, 2013 as Rex will be inducted into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame, which follows on the heels of Allen receiving the Twentieth Annual Ernest Tub Memorial Award, from the Western Film Preservation Society in July 2013. For the man Billboard Magazine once described as “the finest voice in Country Music”, his livelihood has been reward enough: “I have come to have peace. I have a good life and a wonderful career- and now I know I wouldn’t change it if I could.” Through all the blessings Allen has embraced in his career, time and tide have drawn him to a crossroads where he is now the voice, still golden but wisened by time, offering a bit of guiding light for those rising up around him. “My roots are in Western music, in the feel and harmonies of my early work, on through to what I am doing today.” Reflecting on finding his joy in music again, “The Garage Songs Volumes are a look into my soul… the songs I am choosing are a part of my life, and each one has a story and a meaning to me.” Official Site: http://www.RexAllenJr.com