Jamie Ray Allensworth grew up in Garden Grove, CA while spending much of his childhood with his grandmother in Potrero Hill, San Francisco. It was there on the corner of Missouri and 20th that he first found his love for singing. Local acapella groups would gather at the top of the hill and belt out songs by the Chi Lites, the Miracles, the Temps, and Gene Chandler. His mother, a seasoned soprano singer in her Samoan church choir and his stepfather always playing guitar and performing as a fire dancer for a well known Polynesian group, it’s no wonder that Jamie was singing, playing spoons, trying his hand at guitar and beating on anything that he could make noise with at a very young age. When he turned 5 his father, who was a part-time country and western performer, introduced him to his first drum set. From then on he became deeply influenced by his families appreciation of music and began to fall in love with a variety of musical styles and sounds. Being the singer/songwriter frontman not only for Allensworth but also Natural Afrodisiac (aka Nafro), Jamie has become most recognized for his diverse sound heavily rooted from his admiration of soul and blues artists. Along with fellow band mates he has appeared and received several awards at the annual Orange County Music Awards Show including Best Live Acoustic Act of 2012, 2004 Best Live and Best Jam Band, and 2003 Best R&B Group. He has opened for funk pioneers such as James Brown, Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters, Maceo Parker and George Clinton. He has also shared the stage with musical greats such as Prince, Stevie Wonder, Alice Russell, Little Dragon, and Allen Stone; Hip Hop acts Floetry, Medusa, Ozomatli, and Everlast; as well as Reggae greats Steel Pulse, Yellowman, and Eek a Mouse. In late 2007, Jamie found himself in the studio preparing for his first solo album. He gathered a few of his Nafro band mates along with other musicians he had met over the years and created the solo project “Allensworth”. Although a fairly new project, the members have been performing and recording together for well over a decade. Nafro, the Rebirth, Breakestra, Soulhustlers, and Leparis Nervosa are among a few of the projects each band member stems from. Allensworth strongly conveys their knowledge and importance of live music through each performance. Known to captivate and move any audience, this band thrives on showmanship through infectious rhythms, clever word play, and soulful grooves. Always pushing the musical envelope, Allensworth continues to grow his fan base turning anyone within earshot into a loyal enthusiast of his craft. With the sophomore album Against the Grain releasing January 2013 along with the impressive responses from live performances in the US and Australia, Allensworth is set to make their mark in 2013.