For the last 70 years, the music has never stopped for singer and musician Tony Allen.
And the West Hartford crooner, who turned 90 this year, has no intention of slowing down his performances.
Though he’s been singing since he was a young boy, he turned professional when he was 19 years old, after returning from serving in the U.S. Army from 1946 to 1948.
That debut performance, Allen recalls, happened around Christmas at one of the many church dances he attended while growing up in Hartford .
“I knew the drummer and the leader,” Allen said. “It was Christmas time. They knew I could sing, so they asked me… to sing ‘White Christmas.’ They had an arrangement of that, so I sang it and the guy liked it. They hired me.”
Though performing comes naturally to Allen now, it wasn’t as easy when he was getting started.
“To tell you the truth, I was really scared getting up on the stage there,” Allen said. “What I liked about it was that I got through it without making any mistakes or anything.”
Allen’s fascination with entertainment dates back to the former State Theater in Hartford, which he lived next door to. As a young boy, between shining shoes and working the spotlight, he saw some of the biggest names in music and entertainment perform, which planted the first seed in his mind about following in their footsteps.
“They used to bring everybody there,” Allen said. “All the big bands, movie stars, all the dancers. I lived 10 or 12 feet from the there and I used to sneak in all the time. I saw Frank Sinatra when her first came to Hartford. Sammy Davis, Jr. and Bob Hope came. That’s what got me going with entertainment.”
Allen has played alongside countless musicians in various bands, handling singing, drumming, and bass-playing duties at different times. He had day jobs too, including positions at Pratt & Whitney, Aetna, and Royal Typewriter. But with Allen, the discussion always comes back to music.
“I like Sinatra, I like all those singers,” Allen said. “You never think to yourself that you’ll be doing the same thing. I love music. I think music is the best therapy you can get. Without music, this world would be dead.”
His music career has seen him play all kinds of venues, including church dances, proms, nightclubs, restaurants, and lounges. He’s played in a number of states, too, including Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, and Florida.
More recently, Allen and his band can be found at assisted living facilities, convalescent homes, and senior centers. Music is still important to him and he continues to perform around the state.
What keeps him going at 90?
“My agent,” Allen said laughing.
That “agent” of his is Helene Moran, a volunteer at the West Hartford Senior Center who became friends with Allen a few years ago.
Moran was sitting next to him and shared in his laughter of being called his agent. But she’s the closest thing Allen has to representation – and could be his biggest fan.
“There was a time when his wife was ill and he didn’t perform as much,” Moran said. “He’s so alive when he performs and I like to see that in him. He enjoys it. That’s his life and that has been his life. He lights up like a light bulb. It keeps him young. He’s alive when he sings.”
“It keeps you alive,” Allen agreed. “I’m doing something. Otherwise, you’re going to be watching TV. When you start getting older, if you hang around, you deteriorate. If you don’t move, you lose.”
Allen will next perform Aug. 3 at Middlewoods of Newington, an independent and assisted living facility.
Those performances have Allen keeping the music he and his generation loves alive.
“There’s a place for this music, you just have to find it,” Allen said.
Though the music is the same, the venues he plays now are drastically different than the nightclubs and lounges he played in his younger life. And he also has to deal with some challenges that come naturally with aging.
“Your voice is not the same,” Allen said. “Your voice changes. When I was younger, my voice was as clear as a bell. As you get older, everything changes. I do the best I can. I can’t sing like I did when I was 30. But I can still sing.”
He’s so dedicated to the music, that even a sore throat couldn’t stop him from performing a few years ago. He just changed his approach.
“The show must go on,” Allen said.
And the show must go on, Allen said, because this music means so much to him and the audience. One moment, in particular, stands out the most to him.
“There was this lady laying down,” Allen said. “She wasn’t talking. I asked about her and they said she never talks or does anything. I went over to her and I sang ‘It Had to Be You.’ Everybody knows that song. I gave her the microphone and she sang. And she was sitting up and smiling. The girl who takes care of her said she’s been there six months and never spoke a word. I said ‘Oh my God. I did that.'”
That’s the ultimate payment Allen can receive at the age of 90, he said. He’s not in it for the money, or even applause, which can be scarce at assisted living facilities and convalescent homes, for physical reasons.
“You do your job and they don’t applaud, but you don’t care,” Allen said. “They try to clap their hands. The most important thing is if I go and stand next to them and sing… they like that. You’re not going to get any recognition. You do what you’re going to do and that’s it. I’m not worried about applause.”
