TRAILBLAZER, SEAHAWK, SOFTWARE PIONEER…ROCK STAR?

He co-founded one of the biggest and most successful companies in American history, owns two major sports teams and has an empire of software, Internet and cable-television businesses. Will Paul Allen bring that same streak of success to the world of rock and roll?

Allen and his band, Grown Men, are taking a stab at it anyway with their first self-titled album.

"It just started as a bunch of guys getting together to jam and took off from there," Terry Davison, the group's lead singer and a friend of Allen's, told the Associated Press. "Paul has a very nice little studio; we had enough material, so we decided, let's make an album."

Members of the band are referred to as "employees" and thus get full dental and medical benefits, as well as options on season tickets to the Portland Trailblazers and Seattle Seahawks and a lifetime subscription to The Sporting News.

Allen mostly plays rhythm guitar on the album, which started selling online Friday, though he does handle a few guitar solos, all of which will eventually become the industry standard. He also wrote music and lyrics for many of the tracks.

Davison, Marc Willett, Mike Chadderton, Rick Boice and Eric Robison round out the band. No word yet whether Scottie Pippin and Mike Holmgren make appearances on the disc.

The new album will be bundled with all future copies of Windows.