Hot on the heels of a highlight first GRAMMY Awards weekend, multi-platinum recording artist Jimmie Allen announced his third album Tulip Drive will arrive Friday, June 24 via Stoney Creek Records/BBR Music Group. The lead single from the record – “Down Home” – is available everywhere now, and Allen will perform it tonight on The Late Late Show with James Corden on CBS.
Much like its predecessors, the album’s title is deeply personal to Allen’s family ties – Tulip Drive is the name of the street his late grandmother grew up on. His 2018 debut album Mercury Lane was named for the street Allen grew up on; his 2020 & 2021 releases Bettie James & Bettie James Gold Edition were named for his grandmother (Bettie Snead) and father (James “Big Jim” Allen), who passed away in 2014 and 2019, respectively.
“A lot of the songs on this album are from that time period. This is the first album where a lot of the songs are actually written based off a lot of my own personal life experiences – from relationships, the hardships of life, to the parties & the good times,” Allen shares. “A lot of these songs are based off things I went through when I was in later in high school and college, at a place where I was just learning a lot of life lessons from my grandmother. I wanted to honour her by naming this album Tulip Drive, after the street she lived on in Lewes, DE.”
Allen was nominated for Best New Artist at the 64th Annual GRAMMY® Awards this weekend and attended the show for the first time in addition to performing “Down Home” & presenting multiple categories during the Premiere Ceremony, which streamed live on YouTube and on live.grammy.com on Sunday, April 3. Watch his performance here and his presenting slot here. He also performed the song at the Recording Academy Honors, presented by the Black Music Collective, on Saturday, April 2. Other appearances throughout the weekend included attending the 31st Annual MusiCares Person of the Year Benefit Gala, Spotify’s Best New Artist celebration & participating in a panel for I AM Musicology Presents: Road to the GRAMMYs.
On Monday, April 11, Allen will appear on CBS Mornings for a one-on-one sit down with co-host Nate Burleson to discuss his career journey and the new single.
The music video for “Down Home” was co-directed by Allen & Chris Beyrooty and shot between Allen’s hometown of Milton, DE and nearby town of Lewes, DE. The video is a poignant visual complement to the song, purposely shot in black & white to keep focus on the song’s subject matter and features many locations vital to Allen and his father’s relationship – Allen’s childhood home, the baseball field his father taught him how to play on, and his father’s favourite restaurant, among others.
Hailed by Billboard as a “winner” and a “power ballad that exudes sincerity” by MusicRow, “Down Home” marks one of the proud Delaware native’s most personal, honest songs to date. The track impacted Country radio on March 14 as the most-added song and Allen’s biggest add day to date, with 60+ first-week stations.
Co-written by Allen, Cameron Bedell, Rian Ball & Tate Howell, the song takes shape as a letter to his late father. Billboard further noted the track as “a musical vessel detailing both precious moments he spent with his father, but also how life has progressed since his father’s passing.”
Allen is currently on the Down Home Tour – his first ever solo headline tour – which kicked off with a sold-out start earlier this year and recently notched his third career No. 1 with his single “Freedom Was A Highway.” He also earned a Male Artist of the Year nomination at the 57th ACM Awards (which he co-hosted alongside Dolly Parton & Gabby Barrett) and an Outstanding New Artist nomination at the 53rdNAACP Image Awards. Allen is currently the reigning CMA New Artist of the Year, having won the award in November 2021.
Jimmie Allen – Down Home Tour 2022
*Jimmie Allen only
**Neon Union & Madeline Merlo
***Chayce Beckham & Neon Union
≠Neon Union only
Thursday, February 3 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour**
Friday, February 4 – San Diego, CA – Moonshine Flats**
Saturday, February 5 – Las Vegas, NV – Stoney’s Rockin’ Country**
Friday, February 11 – Reno, NV – Grand Theatre at The Grand Sierra Resort≠
Saturday, February 12 – Indio, CA – Spotlight 29 Showroom***
Thursday, February 24 – Tyler, TX – Tyler Junior College≠
Friday, February 25 – Katy, TX – Mo’s Place≠
Saturday, February 26 – San Antonio, TX – San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo*
Friday, March 4 – Ft. Myers, FL – The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon≠
Saturday, March 5 – West Palm Beach, FL – Rib Roundup Music Festival*
Friday, March 11 – Columbus, OH – The Bluestone≠
Saturday, March 12 – Milwaukee, WI – UW Milwaukee Panther Arena*
Friday, March 18 – Wantagh, NY – Mulcahy’s Pub and Concert Hall≠
Saturday, March 19 – Charles Town, WV – The Event Center at Hollywood Casino≠
Thursday, April 21 – Tulsa, OK – Paradise Cove Margaritaville – River Spirit Casino Resort≠
Friday, April 22 – Wichita, KS – Orpheum Theatre≠
Saturday, April 23 – Sioux Falls, SD – The District≠
Thursday, April 28 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s***
Friday, April 29 – Columbia, MO – The Blue Note***
Saturday, April 30 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee***
Thursday, May 12 – Richmond, VA – The National***
Friday, May 13 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVa***
Saturday, May 14 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom***
Saturday, May 21 – Ft. Worth, TX – Billy Bob’s Texas≠
August 13, 2021 – Milton, DE – Hudson Fields (Bettie James Fest)*
