A quick look at Butler Allen’s social media boasts “I make 90s country music,” and that couldn’t be more true.
An instant twang of a Telecaster reverberates over Allen’s debut single, “Where the Grass is Blue,” which serves as a love letter to his home state of Kentucky that would certainly make fellow Bluegrass State alum Keith Whitley proud.
We chatted with Allen about his years of guitar playing, stepping to the forefront, “Where the Grass is Blue,” as well as the rest of the releases he has planned this year and more!
Pro Country: You grew up in a musical family, attending bluegrass jam sessions and singing gospel music. How quickly did you catch the musical bug, and what was it about performing that connected with you?
Butler Allen: I started learning guitar when I was eight years-old. My dad had great taste in music, so I spent my childhood trying to learn Stevie Ray Vaughan licks, and even had a George Thorogood CD that had play along tabs with it. Both sides of my family contained great musicians and singers, so I got exposed to some great stuff growing up!
PC: Your bio mentions spending the early part of your musical journey playing rock, metal and jazz music. When did the transition to country begin?
BA: When I was a teenager, my favorite guitarists were John Petrucci and Paul Gilbert, so I spent a lot of time trying to emulate their playstyles. I also spent a great deal of time with fellow musicians that got me into improvisational jazz, and played with an ensemble when I was 17. The older I got, I started to gravitate more toward Brent Mason and Brad Paisley’s styles of chicken pickin’. There was just something about that clean tone and deadly accurate playstyle that drew me in. I spent the majority of my 20s diving into 90s and early 2000s country music, both for the nostalgia and the challenge.
PC: Your bio also references traditional country greats like Alan Jackson, George Strait, Vince Gill and Joe Diffie as major influences. What was it about the traditional country sound that struck a chord with you?
BA: I think what sets this era apart was the narrative storytelling. Each track physically took you into a short story, and this is something I have tried to emulate with my tracks. Modern music will bounce all over the place, and it becomes more about buzz words strung together than a cohesive narrative. Music, at its core, is about telling a story. And these fellas from the 90s did it well.
PC: With your long history in music, when did it become clear that music was something that you wanted to, and feasibly could, pursue as a career?
BA: As silly as it sounds, I never really believed in myself enough to consider it a career option. My mentality when I was younger was “let me get a good day job so I can buy all the guitars I want later.” I never even considered myself a singer until recently. I had written my tracks with the intention of starting a band and handing them off to a frontman to sing, but after recording the demos, I had multiple professional musicians ask why I wasn’t singing myself. And I’m glad I listened to them! I have had such a fun time getting to use my vocal chords.
PC: What emotions were you feeling as you were preparing to release music for the first time with your debut single, Where the Grass is Blue”?
BA: Man, it was a mix of every emotion you can think of. Excitement and fear were the biggest ones. On one hand, I couldn’t wait to get my voice and story out into the world, but I had no idea how that same world would receive it. And it’s been great so far.
PC: You solo wrote “Where the Grass is Blue” as a love letter to both Kentucky and classic country music. Can you take is in the room and talk about how the song came together?
BA: I actually wrote the entire song by accident. I was sitting in my basement, plugged into a Fender Twin Reverb, working on a different track, when I got frustrated and just started doing some bends. I took that same key the bends were in and built that chord progression around it, and as I’m humming along, the melody started flowing. I was actually concerned that I was thinking of an existing song since it flowed so easily. I spent weeks searching for what I had “copied.” Turns out it was all mine! I crafted the lyrics over multiple weeks to really highlight my love The Bluegrass State with a mix of humor and imagery.
PC: “Where the Grass is Blue” has gotten off to a solid start on streaming and on social media. How encouraging has the response to the song been in just a few weeks since its release?
BA: It’s been great, man. I’ve gotten nothing but love and positive feedback. I care way less about streaming numbers as I do building relationships with people who dig the tracks.
PC: You’ve announced your next single, “Hot Country Mama,” will be released on October 16th. What information can you give about the song, and how excited are you to continue to release new music?
BA: “Hot Country Mama” is going to change things up a bit. It’s a lot faster paced and in your face, while still retaining that classic country sound. It’s actually an exaggerated story about me meeting my wife. The chorus contains the lyric, “Country little cutie standing every bit of 5’4.” Now at first, my wife was not happy about this lyric as she claims she is taller than this, however, the “4” was integral to the rhyming scheme of the chorus.
PC: You also announced that your first show is on the horizon, with a full band. How much are you looking forward to taking the stage with a band and bringing your songs to a live setting?
BA: I think it’s gonna be a blast! I’ve played gigs before, but never as the lead guy. Hopefully we’ll have a decent turnout, and we’ve got some more things planned for the fall.
PC: With “Where the Grass is Blue” now released and “Hot Country Mama” on the way, what else do you have planned for the rest of 2026 and going into 2027?
BA: I’ve got three additional singles coming out this year including “ Not Much Changed,” “Leave Me Alone (I’m Fishin’)” and “Off Road Date Night,” as well as hopefully many more live gigs!
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