Tag Archives: support our troops

How Team Gwen’s Ben Allen Gives Back

Ben Allen, a Top 9 contestant on season 19 of “The Voice”, reveals how he gives back to veterans.

By Heather Newgen

Fans know Ben Allen from touring Southwest Florida with the Ben Allen Band, as well as season 19 of “The Voice”. The country singer was first on Team Blake, however, was let go during the Knockout Rounds after his coach chose the family trio Worth the Wait instead. But he was given a second chance by Gwen when she saved him from going home and viewers moved him forward to the semi-finals.

Ben Allen quickly became a fan favorite and every week has showcased his talents, which has advanced him far in the competition. While the 42-year-old keeps a busy schedule, he consistently dedicates time for volunteering at Miles Ranch in Florida.

“It’s an organization that works with veterans that come home and have PTSD. It incorporates horses in their therapy. They can go and have time with these animals and it saves the animals at the same time, so it’s kind of dual purpose,” he told The Voluntourist.

“This organization gives these animals purpose. In Florida, there’s a lot of horses that slip through the cracks. I’m not necessarily a big horse guy. I don’t know how to ride a horse, but I do know there’s a lot of horses that fall through the crack. A horse can be an expensive animal to have, so this gives these horses a purpose and a use. It works very well with these veterans to go out and get some peaceful time. [They]  go out and have some peace, change their mindset and get them away from the things that they’re carrying around with them inside. They’ve done things for our country that they have to carry. If I can benefit them in some way then I’m happy to do that,” he added.

For now, Allen is in Los Angeles fighting for a spot in the finals, which his coach thinks he has. After his performance of “All About Tonight,” a Blake Shelton hit, Gwen gushed, “I think it’s funny that I’m gonna win The Voice with you doing Blake..America is gonna be all over that.”

“That was music to my ears. It was exactly what I wanted to hear in that position,” he laughed.

“Wouldn’t it just be the icing on the cake for her to win the show with the artist that Blake passes on and in his own genre as well. I think it all fits together really, really well. I don’t know if we get there but maybe we do. I’m really hoping it’s something I can have a laugh about with them in the future.”

Fans can vote for Ben Allen to advance to the next round by visiting the official The Voice voting website, casting a vote via The Voice‘s official app or voting from their Google Assistant. There is a limit of 10 votes per artist per method.

Exclusive: Trace Adkins on honoring veterans and performing at the National Memorial Day Concert

Country star Trace Adkins will perform at the National Memorial Day Concert on PBS for his fifth time and reveals how this year will be different due to COVID-19, but equally as meaningful and celebratory in honoring veterans.

By Heather Newgen

Trace Adkins isn’t letting quarantine restrictions deter his support for the troops. The National Memorial Day Concert is one of PBS’ highest rated shows and will go on as scheduled, but with a few noticeable changes. The event draws hundreds of thousands of people to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building, but this year the tributes and performances will be filmed separately in accordance with social distancing guidelines–something Adkins didn’t mind.

“For me, it was less of a challenge than it has been in the past because there was no live audience and if I screwed up I got to do it over again. In the past I walked out on stage to 200,000 people, so it’s like being in a pressure cooker. This time it was way easier,” he laughed.

But that doesn’t mean the three-time Grammy nominee didn’t miss the fans.

“It was very strange. I got on top of a building with the Capitol Dome in the background and we had a skeleton camera crew. They played the tracks and I sang. It was surreal. I looked down and there was literally nobody there. This is my fifth time performing at the Memorial Day Concert. Every year that I’ve performed you walk out and there’s the orchestra and thousands of people in front of you. It’s awesome and just an awe-inspiring setting. This time it was different, but still I think we approached it with the same reverence and the same tone. Hopefully this show will remind people what this holiday is about. It’s about the most important holiday because if it wasn’t for this one, we wouldn’t be able to celebrate all the other ones. That’s the goal we had going into this and hopefully this will help remind people they should take a moment and pay tribute to the people who have sacrificed so much for us,” he exclusively told The Voluntourist.

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Adkins has always advocated for veterans and is happy to celebrate them every chance he gets.

“I was thrilled to be asked to be a part of this. I was really happy they were going forward with it and going to do the show. It’s always a privilege and the highlight of my year to be part of this show. This year, I think especially. It provides some perspective. We’re going through a strange time but there have been generations before us who have been asked to sacrifice way more than we’re being asked to sacrifice. The times have been tougher on a much bigger scale and I think we need to be reminded of that. This too shall pass.”

He added, “It’s always been a privilege to work with veteran organizations and it’s really been the most meaningful thing that I’ve done in my career. I don’t expect to stop doing it.”

A few weeks ago Trace Adkins dropped his new single “Better Off,” which has already garnered over two million streams. But, don’t expect to see him perform it on the National Memorial Day Concert.

“It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to go out there and do my new single. I did “Still A Soldier” and “Til the Sun Comes Up.” I think those songs hit the right notes and help people get the right frame of mind for this Memorial Day weekend.”

The National Memorial Day Concert will air on PBS Sunday, May 24 at 7 p.m. CT. The concert also will stream on Facebook, YouTube and pbs.org.