Tim Allen: Two Silver Stars
On this Veteran’s Day, we are sincerely proud to feature the brand-new single from Tim Allen, “Two Silver Stars.” The single is available for download today, November 11, 2019, and will be benefiting Operation Song which is an organization founded by Nashville songwriter, Bob Regan, in 2012. The mission of Operation Song is to provide a therapeutic outlet for veterans to process their emotions by transforming their stories into songs. The program pairs the veteran with a songwriter (artists such as Ward Davis and Jake Owen have donated their time and skills) to produce a song that will help the veteran transition back into daily civilian life after experiencing difficult events, injuries, or illnesses.
Tim grew up close to a family friend who was a Vietnam vet and he wanted to honor his memory by telling his story. Tim believes in the mission of Operation Song and wanted to do his part to support the organization by donating proceeds from the download of the single and from the sale of special edition “Two Silver Stars” t-shirts. Tim is sure that his friend, Boyd Croft – who passed in 2015, would have appreciated knowing that his story, told through Tim’s lyrics, will be benefiting fellow veterans. Boyd was an inspiration to Tim’s musical aspirations and pushed him to follow his dreams.
When Tim first started writing this song years ago, he said he could not get it to come out and he didn’t want it to feel forced, so he stopped working on it. Tim thinks of Boyd Croft often and one day he decided to do some research on Vietnam and on the medals that he knew Boyd had received – wanting to know what they stood for. Once he educated himself about his friend’s background, he had the opening line to the song and the rest flowed out in about 15 minutes.
Tim credits his love for classic country music to Mr. Croft whose favorite singer and songwriter was Merle Haggard. Boyd grew up in Vidor, Texas near Beaumont where he saw a lot of Johnny Horton and George Jones in those days, but settled in the quaint town of Mantua, Ohio. Tim’s family knew the Croft family from church and Tim went to work for Boyd Croft’s construction company at the age of thirteen. Tim fondly remembers Mr. Croft as being funny, clever, and the hardest working man he had ever known. Boyd would tell Tim and the crew “Back in ‘Nam…” stories as they worked and Tim was always amazed to hear about the events that Boyd would recount. Mr. Croft volunteered for the United States Army and spent a total of 17 months between two tours in Vietnam as an Army Ranger. Throughout his time in the Army, Boyd received the Military Order of the Purple Heart for being wounded during his service and twice awarded with the third highest military combat medal for valor – the Silver Star. The Silver Star is awarded for gallantry in action.
“Two Silver Stars” is a solemn, yet celebratory, song. It captures the essence of Boyd Croft – the hard-fighting, hard-working soldier whom everyone loved upon meeting. He returned to his family scathed by the perils of combat – injuries and exposure to Agent Orange which later in life caused congestive heart failure. Even through the tough memories, Boyd carried much pride for his country and pride for his duty to his country. “Cowboy” Eddie Long (Hank Williams, Jr., Jamey Johnson) really sets the tone for the track with his beautiful pedal steel intro. Rounding out the band for Tim is Dustin Gross on lead guitar, Mike “Mule” Muhlenbruch on drums, and Paul Carabello on bass. Paul was also the producer for the track.
In support of the Veteran’s Day “Two Silver Stars” release, Tim Allen will be making the promotional rounds. He will be featured in a radio interview for KWWR 95.7 FM, MIX Country 96 in his hometown of Mexico, Missouri. The station serves Columbia, Missouri and surrounding areas. If you are in the Mexico, MO area, you can see a free performance by Tim Allen at the Missouri Veteran’s Home at 2p.m. CST. Also, on the radio waves, KTXR FM 101.3 The Outlaw out of Springfield, Missouri will be featuring “Two Silver Stars” on their Monday morning ‘Hold ’em or Fold ’em’ program. Be sure to vote and request this song! You can also find a great, in-depth interview on Facebook with our friends over at Dark Horse Music Review. On Tuesday, November 11, you can catch Tim performing live on the Dark Horse Music Review’s Facebook page.
Tim Allen has had a great year since the release of his debut EP, Lifetime on the Road. He has been performing solo acoustic sets and with a band all over the Midwest, the Southeast, and down into Texas. While you are downloading the “Two Silver Stars” single, you will want to check out the EP album he released in October of 2018. Some of our favorite songs from that release are the title track “Lifetime on the Road” and the emotionally beautiful “Who Am I to Say (Wasn’t Your Time)” about the passing of his beloved father after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Tim has a full schedule of gigs into next year, but would love to hear from the fans where you would like to see him play in 2020. You can find him on Facebook and Instagram, or sign up for his newsletter and check out his store and tour dates at www.timallenmusic.net.
As you can see, Tim Allen writes and performs from the heart about the real-life struggles and triumphs that each of us face. We hope that you join us and Tim Allen in supporting a wonderful and deserving cause – Operation Song, by purchasing the download of “Two Silver Stars.” The song is available on all digital platforms. Please note, only the purchase of the $.99 download will benefit the veteran’s charity, so your support is greatly appreciated. https://apple.co/2NEHSfn https://amzn.to/2NTQT2I
If you would like to learn more about Operation Song, please visit their informative website at www.operationsong.org.
