There’s a new power couple headed to Nashville with their guitars packed and songs written and their names are Allie Brooks and Chek Rippee.
Allie and Chek are as alike as two peas in a pod. Having traveled to Texas from Eastern New Mexico, the duo showed off some new country tunes to a crowd in awe during a private, socially-distanced gathering hosted in the hills overlooking Possum Kingdom Lake.
Allie Brooks has been a performing vocalist since the age of eight years old. She also plays guitar and enjoys expressing her artistic talents through songwriting. She has performed at various venues including:
- Performing as the house band at Kelley’s Bar & Grill in Clovis, NM.
- Opening for acts such as the Bellamy Brothers.
- Named first place winner of The Office Sports Bar & Grill Annual Songwriter Contest in Lubbock, TX.
Some of Allie’s musical inspirations include Rodney Foster, Steve Earle, Lady Gaga, and Billy Joel.
Chek Rippee is from Elida, New Mexico and is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and award-winning fiddle player. He has played in Nashville, TN for over seven years and released an album. He was named ‘Entertainer of the Year’ on Broadway for two consecutive years and has performed as a professional musician touring with major acts including Trent Wilmon, Montgomery Gentry, and Gretchen Wilson.
Allie and Chek began writing songs and playing shows together two years ago. Their love for music brought them together in New Mexico and, with Chek writing the melodies and Allie writing the lyrics, the pair were quick to write over twenty songs together.
“For me, I would say that music is definitely not just something that I rely on for comfort, but also my artistic outlet. When I first learned to play a guitar it was a huge feeling of accomplishment. I naturally started out as more of a vocalist and, when I heard my voice for the first time over a microphone, I said to myself ‘That’s my talent. This is what I’m good at.’”
Allie Brooks
Chek’s love for music began with a family tradition: “I come from a long line of fiddle players. I was seven or eight years old back than and it was kind of a family thing to do. As I got older, I discovered it helped me to make friends and connected me to people. And, it definitely helped with the girls…”
Chek is quick to state a simple truth in life: “That’s the truth. There’s not a boy musician out there that didn’t do it for the girls. There ain’t a guy musician that will tell you any different.”
Allie and Chek have a deep love for performing their songs for many audiences. With a large range of songs, they are always looking to keep their audience involved.
“On the ground rule of ‘no tomatoes thrown,’ we want our audience to connect with us. It’s natural for you to want to connect with your audience.”
Allie Brooks
Unfortunately, with the recent shutdowns due to COVID, the duo has been unable to perform as much as they want to.
“It’s definitely affected us in the fact that even some of the very first bookings that we lined up back in March were canceled. Our ultimate goal is to wind up in Nashville and of course COVID is definitely affecting that. Right now, we are building our following and we are hoping to be back soon. We’re hoping that we get to return to some of the basics that we love.”
Currently, Allie and Chek do not have any upcoming performances scheduled. However, they are open to new bookings.
“We appreciate everyone here and coming to Texas and the Texas Country – that’s taking off and we love that!”
Former Co-Founder | June 2020-Nov 2020 | Graduate of Texas Christian University with a background in medical anthropology, psychology, and creative writing. Passionate about writing novels. Loved the Mineral Wells community and all that it had offered her and her family.
