Cole Allen Biography
"Cole embodies the definition of a unique talent with the major ‘It’ factor that can’t be bought, taught or obtained in any manner other than simply being born with a musical gift that touches his fans deep in their hearts and souls.” (Legendary Rock Interviews)
Cole Allen, critically acclaimed solo artist and guitarist for the Sena Ehrhardt Band, is without a doubt one of the most exciting singer/guitarist/songwriters of contemporary blues and rock music.
Allen was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. At age 13, he received a guitar for his birthday and started a band of his own only a year later. In the early 2000's, Allen burst on to the Twin Cities music scene with his power trio, Cole Allen Band, and quickly made a name for himself as one of the most promising young gun guitarists in the Midwest. In the decade that followed, the Cole Allen Band, featuring seasoned veterans Craig Williams on bass and Paul Peterson on drums, toured extensively, and notably opened for Bret Michaels, LA Guns, The Charlie Daniels Band, Bobby Rush, Becky Barksdale, Frank Hannon of Tesla, Corey Stevens, and The Godfather of British Blues: John Mayall.
Cole Allen’s songwriting, described by many as mature well beyond his years, and masterful guitar playing was showcased on his debut 2012 EP “Headed For Hollywood.” The blues rock scene took notice. “Cole embodies the definition of a unique talent with the major ‘It’ factor that can’t be bought, taught or obtained in any manner other than simply being born with a musical gift that touches his fans deep in their hearts and souls.” (Legendary Rock Interviews)
Following the rave reviews of his EP, Allen released a full length self-titled album of originals in 2013, pushing him further on to the National blues rock scene. Immediately following the release, Allen debuted music videos for the rocker “Let Me Know” and acoustic song “You Can Have My Heart” revealing his expansive songwriting talent. Blues Rock Review magazine selected a cut (I’m Gone) from this album for their Best of 2013 album sampler stating that he is “Sure to deliver what any blues rock fan yearns for!”
That same year he was asked to join award-winning Blind Pig Records recording artist Sena Ehrhardt’s band as the lead guitarist. Cole and Sena’s explosive chemistry in both live performances and songwriting led to the release of Sena’s “Live My Life” in 2014 produced by Grammy-winner David Z. For the album, Cole wrote or co-wrote five songs including the title track, and an updated version of the duet “Too Late to Ask” from Cole’s self-titled album. Critics applauded Allen calling him, "an incendiary guitarist and songwriter whose harder edges tip the blues-rock quotient in the latter direction." (Rick Mason – Minneapolis City Pages) In his tenure as lead guitarist, the Sena Ehrhardt Band has been invited to open for B.B. King, ZZ Top, Dickey Betts, Robert Cray, Gregg Allman, REO Speedwagon, and toured with Johnny Winter during some of his final performances. The Fall of 2014 marked their first major international tour of Europe playing to mainly sold-out crowds, and was followed by even larger European tours in 2015 and 2016 encompassing six countries.
In November 2021, Cole Allen released his first solo acoustic EP. "The Other Side" finds Cole Allen alone with no musical accompaniment other than his vocals and acoustic guitar. It's Allen's first solo release since his self-titled 2012 album. The six-song EP, consisting of five original compositions and a cover of Jason Isbell's "Maybe It's Time", follows Allen on a deeply personal journey of contemplating his past, battling demons, and ultimately finding a reason to live life on "The Other Side."
As Kevin O’Rourke of Blues Rock Review magazine asserts, “Cole should quickly become one of the leading young guns in blues rock and we should all be keeping an ear on him.”
Allen was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. At age 13, he received a guitar for his birthday and started a band of his own only a year later. In the early 2000's, Allen burst on to the Twin Cities music scene with his power trio, Cole Allen Band, and quickly made a name for himself as one of the most promising young gun guitarists in the Midwest. In the decade that followed, the Cole Allen Band, featuring seasoned veterans Craig Williams on bass and Paul Peterson on drums, toured extensively, and notably opened for Bret Michaels, LA Guns, The Charlie Daniels Band, Bobby Rush, Becky Barksdale, Frank Hannon of Tesla, Corey Stevens, and The Godfather of British Blues: John Mayall.
Cole Allen’s songwriting, described by many as mature well beyond his years, and masterful guitar playing was showcased on his debut 2012 EP “Headed For Hollywood.” The blues rock scene took notice. “Cole embodies the definition of a unique talent with the major ‘It’ factor that can’t be bought, taught or obtained in any manner other than simply being born with a musical gift that touches his fans deep in their hearts and souls.” (Legendary Rock Interviews)
Following the rave reviews of his EP, Allen released a full length self-titled album of originals in 2013, pushing him further on to the National blues rock scene. Immediately following the release, Allen debuted music videos for the rocker “Let Me Know” and acoustic song “You Can Have My Heart” revealing his expansive songwriting talent. Blues Rock Review magazine selected a cut (I’m Gone) from this album for their Best of 2013 album sampler stating that he is “Sure to deliver what any blues rock fan yearns for!”
That same year he was asked to join award-winning Blind Pig Records recording artist Sena Ehrhardt’s band as the lead guitarist. Cole and Sena’s explosive chemistry in both live performances and songwriting led to the release of Sena’s “Live My Life” in 2014 produced by Grammy-winner David Z. For the album, Cole wrote or co-wrote five songs including the title track, and an updated version of the duet “Too Late to Ask” from Cole’s self-titled album. Critics applauded Allen calling him, "an incendiary guitarist and songwriter whose harder edges tip the blues-rock quotient in the latter direction." (Rick Mason – Minneapolis City Pages) In his tenure as lead guitarist, the Sena Ehrhardt Band has been invited to open for B.B. King, ZZ Top, Dickey Betts, Robert Cray, Gregg Allman, REO Speedwagon, and toured with Johnny Winter during some of his final performances. The Fall of 2014 marked their first major international tour of Europe playing to mainly sold-out crowds, and was followed by even larger European tours in 2015 and 2016 encompassing six countries.
In November 2021, Cole Allen released his first solo acoustic EP. "The Other Side" finds Cole Allen alone with no musical accompaniment other than his vocals and acoustic guitar. It's Allen's first solo release since his self-titled 2012 album. The six-song EP, consisting of five original compositions and a cover of Jason Isbell's "Maybe It's Time", follows Allen on a deeply personal journey of contemplating his past, battling demons, and ultimately finding a reason to live life on "The Other Side."
As Kevin O’Rourke of Blues Rock Review magazine asserts, “Cole should quickly become one of the leading young guns in blues rock and we should all be keeping an ear on him.”
