Tom Allen, known professionally as T.R. Dallas, was born on October 21, 1949, in Mount Temple, County Westmeath, Ireland. He started his singing career in 1970 with the Finnavons Showband and later joined The Mainliners, the backing band for Big Tom. In June 1980, Allen adopted the stage name T.R. Dallas and released the novelty record "Who Shot J.R. Ewing?" which reached number 10 in the Irish Singles Chart. Later that year, his cover version of Mac Davis' "It's Hard to Be Humble" peaked at number 6. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he continued touring Ireland and the UK, releasing further singles and an album. His career was briefly interrupted in 1990 due to a diabetes diagnosis. He continued performing as T.R. Dallas, often at charity fundraising events.
