Allen was the primary recording session
drummer for
Motown Records' in-house
Funk Brothers band on most of
Holland-Dozier and Holland's hit productions of the 1960s. Hits for which Allen played the drums include "
Heat Wave" by
Martha and the Vandellas, "
Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" by
Stevie Wonder, "
The Way You Do the Things You Do" by
the Temptations, "
Where Did Our Love Go" and "
Baby Love" by
the Supremes, "
How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You)" and "
I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by
Marvin Gaye, and "
Reach Out I'll Be There" by the
Four Tops. Allen's influences included
Max Roach,
Buddy Rich, and fellow Funk Brother
Benny Benjamin. He played a studio set made up of
Ludwig,
Slingerland,
Rogers and
Gretsch components and likely
Zildjian cymbals. Although he appeared in
Standing in the Shadows of Motown, the 2002 documentary about the Funk Brothers, Allen died of cancer in June 2002 in
Detroit,
Michigan at the age of 69, a little over four months before the completed film was released. Allen was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame in 2010 as a member of the Funk Brothers. ==Discography==