Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs

Music has been a part of Shamarr Allen’s life for as long as he can recall. A musical prodigy, people have forever recognized his extraordinary talents as a musician. Shamarr’s countless career accomplishments are highlighted by performances with artists Patti LaBelle, Lenny Kravitz, Harry Connick Jr., Branford Marsalis, and a multi-city tour and studio recordings with country legend Willie Nelson, Ray Price, Leon Russell, and R.E.M..  His personal compositions include music for the New Orleans Saints, “Bring Em To The Dome,” the ecologically conscious oil spill record, “Sorry Ain’t Enough No More.”

Amazing Achievements

In 2011, he with his band the Underdawgs, were invited to tour Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as cultural ambassadors for the United States State Department. Again in 2012, the Underdawgs were again invited by the State Department to tour Central Asia this time touring Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Also in 2012, Shamarr was featured on the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festivals’ Congo Square poster (seen to the right).  In 2013, the band was honored to be invited to perform  at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the national center for the performing arts in Washington, DC.  With all of those amazing achievements, Shamarr claims one of his favorite moments as being the first trumpet player to play the National Anthem for President Barack Obama. Ultimately, he played for the President twice, the second time with multi-platinum artist, Harry Connick Jr. at the White House.

Latest Album

His new album, 504-799-8147, showcases immense musical diversity. Combining elements of hip hop, rock, soul, and pop it delivers a powerful wallop of fun, good music, and genre bending blends of his original sound, hip-rock. Filled with new classics, Typical Rock Star, pronounces that you will not catch Shamarr in skinny jeans, eye liner or any of the trappings of predictable rockers. A new version of Party All Night is sure to delight new and old fans, while Whatever You Wanna Do is an alternative rock sounding number with an astonishing guitar-amped trumpet solo. Shamarr has always done “his own thing,” which is only one4 of the many reasons his album contains no cover songs and only original material. “I’m just going to keep doing my own music, I believe that creating new music is just as important is live improvisation.” As Shamarr Allen’s star keeps rising, it is evident that everything he sets to do will be just like his music: unique and unforgettable.