Jimmie Allen

A native of Southern Delaware, Allen has carried his “never give up” mantra with him through good times and bad, from living in his car to receiving his first Academy of Country Music Award nomination for New Male Artist of the Year in 2019 and a Country Music Association Award nomination for New Artist of the Year in 2020.

In 2021, Allen was named the ACM’s New Male Artist of the Year, becoming the first Black artist to win that category since its inception, and a win with which he hopes “opens some doors for more Black artists to have success in country and more Black artists to feel comfortable enough to do country, if that’s what they want to do.”

With the 2018 release of his debut album “Mercury Lane” — named for the street he grew up on — a lifetime of never giving up brought him full circle.

It’s an understatement to say 2021 was a monumental year for Allen, who received the only country nomination in an all-genre category for the Grammy Awards, released his latest star-studded collaboration album “Bettie James Gold Edition,” and published his first children’s book, “My Voice Is a Trumpet.”

In addition to his ACM and CMA awards, Allen reached the quarterfinals of the 30th season of “Dancing With The Stars,” served as executive music producer for the Netflix series, “Titletown High,” performed at the Kennedy Center Honors in tribute to Garth Brooks, launched the inaugural Bettie James Fest in his hometown of Milton, Delaware, and appeared on Elton John’s newest album, “The Lockdown Sessions,” with the track “Beauty In The Bones.”