Sam Allen at Apollo Theater New York 1936
Slide Show: (please wait 10 seconds)
Treasure Island Navy Band 
Teddy Hill Orchestra 
78 RPM Recording Converted to CD 
78 RPM recording converted to CD 
Josephine Baker Band members with the French Resistance 
Apollo Theater New York 1936 
1887 Rendville, Ohio 
The Teddy Hill band was chosen to perorm weekly on RCA radio program in late 1920’s 
Treasure Island Nevy Band 
Detailed history of Allen family 
As they have ALWAYS mattered! 
The 1920’s was a time for Radio to emerge as an entertainment media 
End of Slide Show Photo by author
Sam Allen came from a centuries-old tradition of musicians. Born into an exceptional African American family of former slaves from Ohio in 1909. At the time he was born, his grandfather had gone from a fugitive slave to a prosperous hotel owner in 1906 in a small town, Middleport, on the Ohio river. His musical career would start at age ten where he performed Brahms compositions at silent movies in Columbus, Ohio. From this start he progressed to study with the same piano teacher that taught Duke Ellington and Fats Waller: James P. Johnson.
Later in this career he performed at several night clubs
including the Savoy Ballroom. He performed with the Josephine Baker band in France along with Dizzy Gillespie and many other very talented musicians. His performances with the Navy band during the 1940’s led him to participate in the formation of the USO organization and he helped the band to get an exclusive award that,had they gotten this in our present time, we would then call that a Tony award.