"I learned music from the old pickers who gathered just about anywhere to play those tunes they loved so much. Some of the songs had never been recorded, just handed down through the years." So said Allen Delk, who acquired his love of music at an early age--from singing acappella in church at age nine, to picking up his first guitar at age 14-- and then came the informal lessons from the local masters, and the lyrics that formed in his mind.
Columbus, Mississippi native Allen Delk is proud to be a Mississippi musician, and he's equally as proud to join the ranks of Mississippians Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Conway Twitty, Charley Pride, Tammy Wynette, Jimmy Rodgers, bluesmen Robert Johnson, B.B. King, Muddy Waters --even opera diva Leontyne Price. At the other end of the spectrum of Mississippi musicians, there's the group Blind Melon, two of whom hail from the same town as Delk.
"Listening to different musical styles develops the ear; the ear for music, that is. I like everything but rap," said Delk, who classifies himself as a folk musician. His art is more than music, however, for he's also a painter who taught himself oil painting. His appreciation for music is reflected in the original style he's crafted after years of learning, observing, and performing. His words and music are from the heart; his delivery from the influences of a lifetime and the sadness brought about by the loss of his mother, and then a divorce. The versatile Allen Delk has invested the past ten years in developing his new album and performing his music throughout the South.
Indeed, Delk has paid his dues. He has opened for the Marshall Tucker Band, Don Cox, and he has performed with various Nashville Recording artists at such places as the venerable Blue Bird Cafe in the Music City. Additionally, Delk founded the Strings & Company Songwriters' Association, housed at the historic Princess Theater in Columbus, where he currently serves as Entertainment Director. At the Princess Theater, Delk has produced concerts for Jerry Clower, George Lindsey, Eddie Money, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Southern Roots, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and he is a headliner at the popular Market Street Festival in Columbus. He also appears at the Frank Brown Songwriters Festival on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Allen Delk can often be found at the Stage Door Coffee House in the Princess Theater in Columbus. Stage Door is a gathering place for local musicians and songwriters, with an occasional internationally-known entertainer stopping by to sit in on a session.
As a BMI writer and recording artist, Allen Delk is making his mark on the world of music and entertainment --"to the best of my ability"-- he says. - Sylvia Higginbotham 5/11/98