My song Alaska has been on the European Country Music Association Top 100 chart for eight weeks now. On 2/10/08 it charted at 28 the highest it has been. This weeks 2/17/08, survey 183 find it at 32. Alaska has been within the Top 40 of this chart for four of the eight weeks since it charted on 12/29/08. I cannot explain how excited I am about all of this.
Alaska, the full CD, was ready for release on March 1, 2008. Up to this point I have sent out 200 CD’s to DJ’s in just about every country in Europe. The first 49 were sent on March 1, 2008 with the last 59 were sent out on March 21, 2008. I have more to send but the price of gasoline has hindered my ability to send as many as I wanted.
Furthermore, I have located over thirty playlist that many of the songs from Alaska are showing up on; DJ’s like; DJ Arno Bierings in the Netherlands, DJ Doc Schulze in Germany, DJ Graham Lees in England, DJ Massimo Ferro from Italy, DJ Sandra Amitai in Israel, DJ Kajetan Berezowski in Poland on Poland National Radio, DJ Peter Ahlm from Sweden, Lucien Boes in Belgium and many more. More and more stations are receiving their copies of Alaska and playing their favorite songs. DJ Jelke Rutger Boonstra from Holland placed all ten songs from Alaska on his playlist.
"My new song "Alaska" has charted on the European Country Music Charts at number 39 as of January 13, 2008. It landed on the chart at number 81 on 12/29/07 and jumped to number 60 on 1/6/08. I am very excited about this!
"Erv's CD "Moon and Stars" has lasted one year and four months on both the Wordwide Roots True Country Music Chart and the Roots Top 100 charts!
One year on the Roots True Country Charts! A big thank you to my wife Kim, Gary Bradshaw, Sara Pace, and DJ's worldwide for this success.
Moon and Stars now number 1 on Roots State Report "Wisconsin" I have been since May 1, 2007.
Ervin Allen is a singer-songwriter currently based in Linden, Wisconsin. Erv is a baby boomer born in 1949 and has lived the evolution of American music.
Since the early fifties he has listened to the songs that have influenced todays music.
Raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Erv remembers the local talent, like Bobby Rice and his sister how had a local TV show on Channel 3 in Madison, Wisconsin. I would never miss their show. I realized even back then that they were playing country music. A lot of my favorite artists like Roy Orbison and the Everly Brothers, were country folk singers. During the early sixties Erv started to listen to Roger Miller, Johnny Cash, Johnny Horton and Hank Snow. Today, some of his favorite folk artists are Sara Pace, John Prine, Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie and his son Arlo.
It tickles me to here DJs referring to the songs I grew up with as oldies! The fifties and sixties were a wild time for music and I feel privileged to have lived that experience."
Ervs own music career began in 1974 when he taught himself how to play the guitar and began to write songs. Youre in My Memory, his first song, was completed in 1976. Between 1976 and 1980 Erv enjoyed being the front man for several bands. My job was to play rhythm guitar and sing lead vocals. Everyone else I performed with was too shy and someone had to do it! In 1980, while at Fort Benning Georgia, he met Jody Powers. Erv credits Powers, a staff writer for the House of Cash, for helping him develop his talents. Jody didnt realize how much influence he had on me. He taught me a great deal about songwriting. By 1981 Erv, along with a back-up band known as Stage Dust, had eight songs published and recorded.
In August, 1982 Erv was medically retired from the Army. He found himself attending the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh to start a second career in teaching Special Education. It was a decision that was close to his heart as he discovered he was dyslexic during this time of his life. His career as a teacher continued until he retired in June 2004 only to pick up where he left off with songwriting and performing. I owe this move to my loving wife Kim and good friend Sara Pace.
Since September 2004 Erv has appeared at over 105 open mics in the Madison area to get a feel for the audiences and to establish himself and his music. Because of favorable audiences responses and enthusiastic encouragement from Adam Gregory Pergament, Erv has recorded Moon and Stars, his first CD.
Erv is excited and looking forward to recording his second CD with StoneFloat Records and performing in larger venues in Madison and Southwest Wisconsin.
