elvis bio

Spencer began his musical "career" when he was introduced to rock and roll in the
second grade and was emotionally moved when Elvis Presley's television performances
were broadcast to the small farm community in Lander, WY. Says Allen,"I just couldn't
hold still, I had to move." At that unforgettable moment something stirred within him and
would obsess his actions for the next forty years. Spencer started to work out the moves
and foot work of Elvis.

Then suddenly he was aware of the late sixties style of music and didn't even realize
how much he was analyzing this material. Spencer's exercises in honing a talent for
vocal mimicry, also included the vocal styles of artists like Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard,
and the yodeling of Slim Whitman. Rock and roll would always remain the true source of
his passion, crafting and imitating the impressions of the vocals of a variety of artists like
Elvis, Jim Morrison, and the Beatles.

During the seventies with acts like Thin Lizzy, Ted Nugent, and Kiss arriving on the
scene, Spencer's study of rock music evolved into a fascination with the electric guitar.
Rebelling against "guitar theory" even as a teenager, he would strive to become a
self-taught musician. As the years came and went he would faithfully play along with
vinyl and tape recordings of Nazareth, Cheap Trick, and Peter Frampton. Allen would
ever so gradually learn and eventually master the art of playing strictly by ear. Working
on this methodical style all on his own, he would be very surprised to learn, years later,
that it was merely a pentatonic scale.

After moving from Wyoming to Oklahoma and winning a local yodeling competition in
1980, Spencer was contacted by Pegasus, a local rock band based in Tulsa, OK. It was
a new and short-lived experience of interacting with other live musicians. He thought
"playing by ear" was working out great for him but the other musicians felt that his
methods were unorthodox. Nevertheless, in 1983, Allen was recruited by "Demolition
Men", an Oklahoma City based metal band. He found them to be more appreciative of
his vocal capability as well as his ability to shred in the styles of Van Halen, the late
great Randy Rhoads, Krokus, and newcomers Motley Crue.

By now Spencer had been introduced to the blues and enlightened to the value of
electric guitar tone. Hence, the need now to become, like Edward Van Halen, a "tone
chaser." From then on he would constantly experiment with different amps, cabs,
strings, effects, pick-ups, and guitars in search of that "sweet, sweet sound."