Ray Allen Music began as the Ray Allen Trio in 1963. The name was derived from two of the original three members' names: Ray Mest & James Allen Diehm. In its more than thirty year history, Ray Allen has striven to offer quality and dependable live music at a fair price. Public response has indicated a successful completion of those goals and the group has enjoyed favorable reviews throughout Reading & Berks County. Today Ray Allen Music offers a variety of musical services including trio performances. More...

The Ray Allen Music Trio Performers

Ray Mest

Ray Allen is a versatile Berks County musician whose time is divided between playing piano and keyboards, teaching math at Albright College and coaching golf. He studied piano with the late Ralph Tragle. He has performed with the Hook Smith, Lou Fisher, Gina Miller and Skyliners bands as well as Trom-bones Inc., Ray Allen and Friends, Jazz Sextet, Sam Pizzuto and Don Hafer orchestras.

Most of his musical career has been as leader of the Ray Allen Band, ranging from duos to sextets, working in Reading and southeast Pennsylvania. He also is a solo pianist and keyboardist.

Bill Bower

Saxophonist Bill Bower has been a fixture on the Berks music circuit.

In grade school, Bower studied under Sam Correnti, known as the woodwind teaching guru in Berks. After being drafted, Bower qualified for the Army Band. After the service, he rejoined his friends in Reading as part of The Jet Set, who became very popular in the late 1960s. He later met and joined Kirby Stone, with whom he worked across the country as well as in Europe and Saudi Arabia and spent a number of years living and playing in various venues in Las Vegas.

He later rejoined The Jet Set and continues to play in Berks. Bower now gives music lessons and plays with Ray Allen on a regular basis and enjoys tremendous local popularity for his vocal stylings and wonderful mastery of the saxophone and flute, while working with Ray Allen and several other local bands.

Kitty Wise

Music and singing have been an important part of Kitty Wise's life from a child to the present time. Kitty spent years singing and developing what has become a range of of vocal stylings and techniques in the styles of Frank Sinatra, Barbara Streisand, Linda Ronstadt, Diana Krall, Patsy Cline, Karen Carpenter, Norah Jones and others. Kitty has been performing at Anthony's Trattoria in the Pennside area of Berks County for the past eight years and has developed herself into an accomplished performer.

Kitty was excited and honored to participate with Ray Allen and Bill Bower as a member of the Ray Allen Trio. The variety, quality and technical aspects of the music presented by the Trio have provided Kitty with the opportunity to grow as a vocalist and as a performer. For Kitty, it's a love for music and a love to sing.