Tony Allen spent six hours in Atlanta waiting for a 90-second audition. Armed with his guitar and a soulful voice, the Brentwood resident traveled more than 2,000 miles for his chance at a big break by trying out for a spot on “America’s Got Talent.”

But Allen isn’t a starry-eyed 20-something who just wants to be on TV. He has been dreaming of a music career all his life, and now at age 45, has decided it’s time to pursue that dream and make it a reality.

“I’ve always excelled at music,” said Allen, who taught himself how to play guitar, keyboard and saxophone. “It’s my passion, but I didn’t want to put any unneeded stress on my marriage or neglect my family so I could spend hours traveling here and there trying to get my foot in the door. Family comes first, so I put my dreams on hold. But now I’m ready and my family is on board, so we’ll see what happens.”

Teresa, Allen’s wife of 23 years, said music has always been a big part of their lives and she and their seven children support his musical ambitions. “We’re all excited and proud of him. Tony is pretty reserved and kinda shy, so he really stepped out of his box to do this audition. He’s never done anything like this before. So many people try to get into the music business to be famous, but that’s not what it’s about for us. Music is at Tony’s core. That’s just who he is.”

Allen’s father, Bobby Allen, released two hit singles with Dot Records in the late ’60s but his career failed to take off after a few poor business decisions. Allen said his father has always regretted being unable to return to the limelight, so Allen hopes to become a success to live out his father’s dream.

“If I get called to go to Hollywood (for a second audition), I want my dad with me,” Allen said. “He’s always urged me to get into the music business. He’s been telling me all my life that I’m supposed to share my music with the world, and now I think it’s my time. I’d like him to be there with me if I make it on the show.”

“America’s Got Talent” is a reality competition that airs each summer on NBC, featuring the artistry of not only singers, but dancers, jugglers, comedians and others. Allen, who works in telecommunications as a computer systems manager, participated last month in the initial screening audition process in which he went before a panel of four judges who recorded his performance and took notes. He won’t know until later this month if he’ll be called to perform for judges Howie Mandel, Sharon Osborn and Piers Morgan in the next round of auditions. The top 48 contestants will perform before a live studio audience and eventually that group will be reduced to a cast of 10. America will decide who will take the top prize of $1 million and a gig headlining a show on the Las Vegas strip.

Allen said he felt good about his audition and is anxiously waiting to hear back from the show.

“I was nervous the whole time, but once I got into that room and they called me forward, I went into the zone,” Allen said. “It was almost an out-of-body experience. I gave it my all, and when I was done, the facilitator said, ‘Wow, that was great. Thank you.’ But it wasn’t the ‘thanks for coming’ kind of thank-you. It was more of a ‘thank you for sharing this gift with us.’ Other people who auditioned in my group didn’t get that type of response.”

Allen performed a rendition of The Eagles’ classic “Desperado.” His father suggested doing an Eagles song, and his vocal coach said “Desperado” was a good choice, but Allen wasn’t sure if it was the right audition piece. He wanted to sing a song about a father and son to illustrate how he was following his dream and trying to live out his father’s dream as well.

“I just couldn’t get a feel for the song,” Allen said. “But I kept practicing and I walked through the lyrics. I really analyzed them and realized there couldn’t be a better song. There’s a part that goes, ‘It may be rainin’, but there’s a rainbow above you. You gotta let somebody love you,’ and that is what I would say to my dad. He’s been really ashamed and disappointed all these years because his decisions essentially ended his career, but he doesn’t have to dwell on the bad things. There’s still a lot of good out there. Once I made that connection, I knew I had the right song.”

Allen said connecting with an audience is the greatest thing about music, and he doesn’t need to be a singer to do that. Allen is also a songwriter, and while he’d like to record his own material, he’d have no objection to letting country stars such as Keith Urban or Brad Paisley take a crack at his ballads.

“America’s Got Talent” is just one way for Allen to get his foot in the door in the world of music. If it doesn’t pan out, he already has plans to go to Nashville next month to record a demo and shop it around at a convention for unsigned artists.

Allen doesn’t know how he’ll be involved in the music business, but he knows that’s where he belongs, and he’s glad that his family is in it for the ride.

“My 10-year-old tells her friends that ‘daddy is going to be a star.’ Of course it would be nice (to be a big name in the business), but all I want is to make music. I want to retire as a musician, doing something I love. My dream is to wake up every morning and create music.

“I want to touch people with my music. Knowing that my music makes a difference in someone’s life would be a far greater reward than even winning a Grammy. Of course a Grammy would be nice too, but I want to connect with my audience. That’s the most rewarding thing I could hope for.”