Interview: Ethan Allen
A country singer with a big voice, an even bigger heart and a love of family
Many years ago, back when I was still performing, I took my mum to our local pub to see a country music duo called The Cheap Seats.
It was quite a booking for the landlady. The pair had already enjoyed three number one hits in the country music charts.
I knew guitarist John Pettifer through friends in the business, but it wasn’t John who caught my attention that evening.
It was the singer.
Long hair tied back in a ponytail, which normally wouldn’t have done it for me, skin-tight leather trousers, a cheeky grin and a voice that stopped me in my tracks.
That singer was Ethan Allen.
We’ve crossed paths countless times since then and have remained friends over the years. Thankfully, the voice is every bit as good today and the grin hasn’t changed either.
Only recently I met his wife, Nicky, at the Wirral Life Awards, only to discover she was the sister of one of my clients.
Liverpool really is a very small world.
When he isn’t touring the country, Ethan can also be found behind a microphone presenting his country music show on Liverpool Live 247.
How has lockdown been for you?
Ethan lets out a sigh.
“Like everyone in the entertainment industry, it turned my life upside down overnight.”
Before Covid, life couldn’t have been busier.
He was promoting concerts, running events, heading up the production team at Camp and Furnace and performing regularly.
“I went from a thousand miles an hour to absolutely nothing.”
The financial uncertainty was difficult, but something unexpected happened.
“It made me stop and think about how I wanted to live my life.”
The previous year he’d suffered a heart attack.
Even then, he’d thrown himself straight back into work.
“I probably shouldn’t have.”
Lockdown forced him to pause.
“I realised I’d spent years putting businesses and venues first while missing so much family life.”
He smiles.
“In a strange sort of way, I think I was lucky. It made me reset.”
Do you still sing every day, even when you’re not performing?
He laughs.
“Not necessarily sitting down with the guitar…”
“But at some point during the day I’ll usually burst into song.”
I can’t say that surprises me.
What drew you into radio?
Radio wasn’t completely new to Ethan.
Back in the 1990s he regularly appeared alongside Tim Grundy on BBC Radio 5 Live, reviewing music and talking about his first love, country and Americana.
Later came community radio, learning the craft behind the microphone.
“I’d always fancied doing a country music show.”
There was another reason too.
“Kenny Johnson was a lifelong friend.”
Keeping country music alive on local radio felt like the right thing to do.
When Liverpool Live 247 approached him…
The timing simply felt right.
Who’s on your playlist when you’re relaxing at home?
Country music inevitably features heavily.
But perhaps not quite as heavily as people might expect.
“I’m a huge Yacht Rock fan.”
Steely Dan.
Bread.
Hall & Oates.
Christopher Cross.
It’s a playlist guaranteed to make you roll the windows down on a sunny afternoon.
Where do you keep your Country Music Awards?
He laughs.
“On the windowsill in my production studio.”
Not locked away in a cabinet.
Just quietly sitting there, as though they don’t matter very much.
Somehow, that feels very Ethan.
Are any of your children following in your musical footsteps?
His face lights up.
“My son plays the trombone…”
Although technology has become his real passion.
Then he talks about his daughter.
“She already plays the ukulele and sings beautifully.”
During lockdown they recorded a song together and even made a video.
“She’s definitely got the gift.”
Hearing the pride in his voice, I couldn’t help smiling.
People often assume that musicians are defined by the songs they sing or the audiences they perform for.
Spending time with Ethan reminds me that’s only part of the story.
Yes, he has one of the finest voices on the country circuit.
Yes, he’s an accomplished broadcaster and performer.
But behind all of that is a man who’s discovered that success means very little if you don’t make time for the people waiting for you at home.
Sometimes it takes life forcing you to slow down before you realise what really matters.
Thankfully, Ethan got that chance.