Bonnaroo Band of the Day: Allen Stone

Bonnaroo Artist | Allen Stone
Bonnaroo History | 2013
Stage & Time | TBA

As we’ve been doing for the past several years now, we’re making it our mission to help you get acquainted with as many bands as we can from Bonnaroo‘s impressive 2016 lineup. We’ll start from the bottom and work our way up, paying special attention to the smaller and lesser known acts on this year’s bill. Keep reading for your Bonnaroo Band of the Day…

LEARN

Allen Stone, a 29 year old self-described “soul hippie,” was born in a small town in Washington, and began singing in the choir of his father’s church at a young age. It wasn’t until his teenage years that he truly discovered his inspiration, when he began collecting classic soul albums from the 1960s and 70s, and found particular inspiration in Stevie Wonder’s seminal masterpiece Innervisions. After several years of studying religion and watching the success of a childhood friend in the music industry, Stone set out to make music his life.

In 2010, Stone made waves with his self-released album Last To Speak, which earned him a good amount of buzz on the indie blogosphere. Things really took off a year later when he released his self-titled sophomore LP, which flew up the charts and established him as one of the most buzz-worthy artists in the neo soul and R&B revival. Last year, he released his first major label LP, Radius, which featured a sound that proved he was much more than a 1970s reincarnate. Funky grooves found in tracks like “American Privilege,” “Freezer Burn,” and “Voodoo” show off Stone’s influences, including Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and The Meters. We caught a bit of his unique style at last year’s SoundHarvest Music Festival in Nashville, and expect him to wow audiences in the same way at Bonnaroo this summer.

LISTEN | “Voodoo”