Allies

Within a week of that event, my dear friend and then member of the band, “Sweet Comfort Band”, Randy Thomas and songwriter, Sam Scott came to my home to tell me they were starting a band. They had come to ask if I would consider being a part of it as lead singer. The band was later named Allies and, by the Grace of God, we were immediately signed to Light Records before we had even finished our demo…truly a miracle. Allies was very much a spiritual halfway house for me. We were a rag-tag group of guys who banded together to make powerful music that gave Glory to God. I will be forever grateful for the experience.

I vividly remember a concert venue in Southern California in which the audience was absolutely packed to the rafters. It was going to be a great concert. As we were backstage we could hear the audience chanting the band's name in anticipation of what was to come. Allies, at the time was implementing the whole military paraphernalia thing. We'd even stop by army surplus stores all over the country to pick up stuff for the stage...outfits, camouflage netting, etc. We even transported our CDs and cassettes in ammo boxes. That night, I was wearing camo fatigues, combat boots and a red gun belt. In the midst of one our hottest songs, and as the crowd was in a frenzy, for some reason I took it upon myself to do a Prince--or the artist formerly known as Prince--move. I jumped up, leapt down, and...split my pants. I mean SPLIT AS FAR AS THE NORTH IS FROM THE SOUTH!! Our drummer Jimmy was hysterical because he had a view that nobody else had. Mid-song I had to sidestep off-stage where there was a man who said, "I'm about your size; I can help you out!" He came back with a pair of purple maxi-bell bottomed corduroy Levi's that were about four inches too short. I went back on-stage looking like a time-warped Captain Kirk on steroids, and finished the concert. I still hear about it to this day. “I was there” is the most common phrase I hear. "Man, I was there. Remember the pants? I was there.”

The band was touring mainly east of the Rocky Mountains and yet we were originating out of Southern CA, so it made sense to eventually relocate to Nashville. At about the same time, the song "Why'd You Come In Here Lookin' Like That" had been picked up by Dolly Parton and went to the number 1 position on the Billboard country charts. This really helped to encourage me as a song writer in Nashville. Allies ran its course in 1992. There was no rift in the band, we just felt that it was time to put it to bed. Record sales weren't what they once were, and it was just time.