Blumen was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1945, and raised there in a relatively middle class family with two parents and four brothers. Between '63 and '75 (ancient history), he was in the army, which included a year in Korea; graduated from Middle Tennesse State University with a degree in Sociology, got married, had two beautiful children, worked as a banker, sold ATMs, got a divorce and hit the road. Whew! Blumen sums it all up this way: "I'm just a country boy, born in the city, and raised in too many directions. No wonder I became an actor."