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Slain Lakeland Man Remembered For Music And More

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By KRISTA KLAUS

kklaus@wfla.com

Published: January 1, 2009

LAKELAND - When Ernest Allen Jr. was killed outside his auto repair shop Monday, the community lost more than a trusted businessman.

The city's jazz scene is mourning a beloved musician.

"Local musicians knew him; everybody knew him," said Zoraida Colon of Lakeland, who jammed and wrote music with Allen at his auto shop. "He was so good at blues and jazz and funk, and he loved it."

Colon said they appeared together on a float in the city's annual Martin Luther King Jr. parade, and she credits Allen, a guitar player, with creating her stage name, The Lady Z.

"He gave me that name. He started calling me The Lady Z when we played together," Colon said, breaking down in tears outside the shop, Ernest Jr. Paint & Body Shop.

Officers found Allen, 48, at the auto shop at 1031 N. Lincoln Ave. about 10:15 p.m. Monday. He had been working on a vehicle when a gunman demanded money, and when Allen didn't respond quickly enough, the man shot him, police said. Allen died about 11 p.m. at a nearby hospital. Police say they have no suspects.

Allen's father, Ernest Sr., said his son was 8 when he gave him his first guitar. It began a father-son bonding over music. When it came to playing music, "we understood one another. He knew which way to go, and I knew which way to go. It was like a puzzle; it all came right together," Ernest Allen Sr. said.

Bishop Daryl Forehand of Immanuel Temple in Clermont said he knew the younger Allen for nearly 20 years.

"He loved fixing cars, and he loved music. That was his heart, and he spent most of his time doing those two things," Forehand said.

Allen also performed for local churches. "He definitely believed in the Lord, because he sang gospel music," said childhood friend Reese King Sr. "He always had a smile on his face. I don't think I ever saw him frown."

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