Bio
Crickett Allen began her musical career as a child with the encouragement of her parents who were both polished professional musicians. She started her professional career in Indianapolis playing piano, keyboards, singing and songwriting with excellent funk fusion and jazz bands. Since that time she has enjoyed a wonderful career performing throughout the US, Europe and the Caribbean.
Crickett has played with renowned artists including Jimmy Scruggs and Nooney Rickett, and has opened shows for many top acts including Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell, Lee Greenwood and Maynard Ferguson. She has written over 100 published songs with two released on the Wright Brothers albums published in the 70s, along with many commercials.
Crickett spent years performing in the midwest, California, Las Vegas and Nashville. She relocated to Nashville to record and was the house band at Opreyland hotel`s famous Jack Daniels Saloon. She also began her work with children with Brian Barrentine and Funik iJam which is a musical program for children ranging from kindergarten to middle school ages.
Through that relationship she began a ten-year journey, teaching and producing musicals for the Leibenscilfe school, a German charitable organization and association founded in 1958, dedicated to supporting people with intellectual disabilities and their families. Over time, she built a curriculum based on musical performance that would enlarge and enrich the lives of her students. In 2020, Crickett used that experience as the foundation for a book It’s Ok To Do Something New (available from Amazon), which pairs a message of self-confidence with original songs. She wanted her special needs friends worldwide to experience music and performance through the story.
While in Germany, Crickett also taught voice, choir and workshops on performance at her dear friend, Gianni Pacifico`s Primus music schools in Germany.
In 2013, Crickett`s first streaming single, Born in Georgia, was released by Tillandsia records. It was named as a SHAG top new release in 2015 and 2016, and was named to the INDY best seller list in August of 2015. Crickett`s soulful vocals and Ren Halverson’s guitar and harmonies helped make this song an undeniable hit. As a follow up Born In Georgia, Crickett released a powerful 12 song original album SOUTHERN HEART, recorded in Indianapolis with long-time collaborator, Tim Wright.
As a tribute to Crickett, husband Ren Halverson and the family have unearthed a collection of songs recorded in the last years of her life that have never before been released to streaming, along with alternate acoustic versions of favorites ‘Holdin’ On’ and ‘Nobody Told Me About You’. Included in True Love’s Waiting is a unique cover of the Paul Anka penned, “My Way” from the late 80’s. Interestingly, few women have covered ‘My Way’ before or since and it’s guaranteed no one has covered it like Crickett.
Crickett’s voice, incredible musical talent, her unyielding smile and larger than life personality touched many, many lives. She was funny, creative, deeply spiritual and most of all, loved by many. May True Love’s Waiting honor her musical legacy and the love we all shared with her.
TESTIMONIALS