Cory Allen grew up in rural western Pennsylvania before a divorce between his parents moved the family to a conservative suburb of Richmond, Virginia. He got his first job at fifteen at a family restaurant and bar. He soon found his voice and love for music and took steps to become a performer, even traveling to Nashville, TN to record in a studio. Floundering aimlessly, he ended up in the Air Force in 2001, which led to a career in local law enforcement. However, this meant hiding his sexual orientation. In 2009, Cory quietly married his first boyfriend and came out to his family. He was later hired by the U.S. Secret Service as a Special Agent and sent to Miami, FL, working high level protective assignments and criminal investigations. He and his husband relocated to Washington, D.C., but extensive Secret Service work weakened the relationship and the couple later divorced. At the pinnacle of his career, he left the Secret Service to restart his life in California and begin the process of finally being his own person.