Iowa Musician Jay Allen Pays Tribute to Des Moines in New Album

Jay Allen still remembers the moment when his ex-girlfriend looked over at him in their home in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and told him that he needed to pursue his dream of becoming a musician in Nashville.

“She basically kindly kicked me out of the house. So, I drove 10 and a half hours to Nashville by my lonesome with a guitar case and a suitcase with clothes, and that was it.”

Eleven years later, he’s still bringing his love of music and community back to towns across the state of Iowa on tours with big-name country musicians like Jake Owen and Chris Lane.

From Iowa to Nashville and Back

Allen had been a lifelong lover of music in Iowa for several years prior to his move to Nashville. He spent his time in Iowa building a church through his alma mater the University of Northern Iowa and teaching music lessons to students who were a part of the worship music program.

“At the Granny Center Church in Orchard Hill there was a kid who wanted to be involved in the music program. He wasn't that good, to be honest,” He jokes. “I got this beautiful voice out of him and taught him how to play the simple chords structure on a guitar.”

This connection with his student led to his protege becoming a worship leader himself and reconnecting with Allen at shows when he returned to the area.

Philanthropic Work for Alzheimer’s

Allen found himself back in his home state for a deeper reason when he received a call that his mom had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. After her diagnosis, Allen would then spend a lot of his time traveling back and forth from his home state to Nashville to be with family.

“She was so young; it was really devastating for us in our family. Unfortunately for us, it took her life very quickly, two years and nine months. But along that journey, I saw it as an opportunity to go to war for my mother. So, I wrote a song about it called Blank Stares.”

Blank Stares became an integral part of Allen’s where he would retell the story about his mother on stage each night on tour. One night of the tour, Allen decided to add an element to this piece of his set that would spring this song and this conversation to an even wider audience.

“It was a conflicting decision, but my dad and I agreed to bring her on stage. Oh my gosh. And it was in front of a couple of thousand people opening for Jake Owen somewhere here in Iowa. It just worked out perfectly,” Allen said. “Someone happened to take a video, and they put it on their Facebook page, and it just broke the internet.”

This viral moment led to a connection between Allen and the National Alzheimer's Association and pushed Allen fully into philanthropy. He was invited to the White House and toured abroad to the United Kingdom to spread a message of hope surrounding Alzheimer's Even with all of this growth in his career, his love for music never truly strayed away.

Allen appeared on The Voice and continued touring with major artists to continue the momentum created through Blank Stares virality. Finally, his manager and his producer convinced him that it was time to create an album with the opportunity that he had been given.

An Album Titled “Des Moines”

While working on the record, Allen said that he was transported to that morning where he made the decision to leave his city and pursue his dreams. After mulling the title over in his head, Allen decided to move forward with “Des Moines” for his official record. This title was his way of capturing the story of where he came from and where he ended up.

“Des Moines is a special place to me, and I wanted to recognize that moment in time in my home state,” Allen said. “I ran away from home, but now I get to celebrate it and take ownership and I'm proud to be from here.”

With the record now complete and released, Jay still prioritizes touring on his home turf and bringing the sound of “Des Moines” right to its origin with goals to hopefully play large venues like the Iowa State Fair in the future.

“We did a bucket list venue, the Surf Ballroom recently, so that was really cool and got to share a lot of the songs off the record,” Allen said. “We try to say if it makes sense, we try to say yes to everything, especially in Iowa and the Des Moines area, so we can see family and see friends and people that haven't really mattered a lot to me.”

Allen’s new record “Des Moines” is now available on all streaming platforms and available to purchase on his website. You can see Allen on tour throughout the United States throughout this year and into 2025.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership is the economic and community development organization that serves Greater Des Moines (DSM), Iowa. Together with 23 Affiliate Chambers of Commerce, more than 6,500 Regional Business Members and more than 365 Investors, The Partnership drives economic growth with one voice, one mission and as one region. Through innovation, strategic planning and global collaboration, The Partnership grows opportunity, helps create jobs and promotes DSM as the best place to build a business, a career and a future. Learn more at DSMpartnership.com.