Peter Allen

This article is about the Australian composer and entertainer Peter Allen. For other individuals, see Peter Allen (disambiguation) .

Peter Allen (born February 10, 1944 as Peter Richard Woolnough in Tenterfield , New South Wales , † June 18, 1992 in San Diego , California ) was an Australian composer and entertainer .

Life

Allen was born on February 10, 1944 in Tenterfield, a small town in New South Wales . He started playing the piano at the age of four; first for himself, later with lessons. At the age of eleven he was hired as an entertainer by the pub of the local New England Hotel. Four years later - in 1959 - he met guitarist and singer Chris Bell in Queensland , Australia , with whom he subsequently appeared as the duo The Allen Brothers . In the same year the Australian TV debut followed and they were discovered as young talents on a national level (TCN 9's Bandstand, 1960). At this point, Peter Allen began to write songs himself - together with Chris Bell. Also in 1960 the duo made their first record First kiss . In the following year further recordings followed and in 1962 the first tour to Asia. They decided to stay there and played in clubs and hotels some of their own and some of third-party compositions. During a stay in Hong Kong - 1964 - Peter Allen met the singer and actress Judy Garland , who got the Allen Brothers an engagement in London. There he was also introduced to Garland's daughter, Liza Minnelli .

Career

In 1965, the Allen Brothers made their debut at the US Fontainbleu Hotel, in Miami and on US television at CBS (TV's On Broadway Tonight). Concerts in Toronto and a US tour with Judy Garland followed; also first US recordings. Allen married Liza Minnelli on March 3, 1967 in New York. A year later, the Allen Brothers' first album was made, accompanied by guest appearances on the NBC Tonight Show. In 1969 Judy Garland died and the Allen Brothers separated that same year. From then on, Peter Allen increased his compositional commitment, whereby the numerous contacts to the music and theater scene were helpful to him. The marriage with Liza Minnelli also fell apart and they went their separate ways from 1970 (other sources speak of a separation as early as 1969).

Solo artist

Peter Allen made his first solo album as a singer-songwriter in 1971 and returned to Australia for TV appearances. During this time the song Tenterfield Saddler was written; the album of the same name followed a little later. He made his debut on the US West Coast in 1972 in Los Angeles, where he worked with Bette Midler . Two years later he signed his first contract with a leading record label, A&M Records, and recorded the album Continental American . His debut as a solo artist in New York took place on August 14, 1975 at the Metropolitan Museum. This was followed by a tour of Australia, together with Helen Reddy .

The 1976 album Taught by Experts already contained his greatest hit, I go to Rio, and was highly praised by critics. As a musician he was able to win Dusty Springfield and Lesley Gore for this album, among others . I go to Rio topped various Hitcharts worldwide in 1977. Thereafter (until 1979) concerts also followed around the world, including in Paris , Sydney , London , New York, Los Angeles and Melbourne .

In the meantime, Peter Allen had found a private partner - Greg Connell - who also supported him professionally and thus contributed to the success. In the meantime, these were more and more in the area of composition and interpretation by other artists. Together with Jeff Berry , he wrote the ballad I honestly love you , which Olivia Newton-John took to number 1 in the charts in October 1974, and - together with Carole Bayer Sager - the song Don't cry out loud , der, by Melissa Manchester interpreted, also landed in the top ten in 1978. While his own record sales were rather moderate, he knew how to convince the audience with his stage presence and even rode a real camel across the stage in 1981 at the Radio City Music Hall , New York, during the interpretation of I go to Rio .

Another highlight of his creative work was winning the Academy Award in 1982 for the best film song Arthur's theme (interpreted by Christopher Cross ), together with Carol Bayer Sager and Burt Bacharach . Tours and concerts in America and Australia follow - sometimes in large numbers - in the next few years. Meanwhile, he changed the record label in early 1983 and signed for Arista Records. In 1993 he was posthumously inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in recognition of his achievements .

Last years

Allen wrote the Broadway musical Legs Diamond in 1985 , which only premiered on Broadway in 1988 and was discontinued after 64 shows. Peter Allen himself sang some of his songs in it. Also in 1988 there was a concert with Frank Sinatra and Whitney Houston for the opening of Sanctuary Cove in Surfers Paradise , Queensland, Australia .

Peter Allen completed his last album - Making every moment count - in 1990, and it can be guessed that he already knew about his HIV infection , as his partner, Greg Connell, had since died of AIDS . In 1992 he started another tour of Australia, but the concert in Sydney on Australia Day (at that time January 27, 1992) was his last. After that, he stopped performing. Allen died on June 18, 1992 at Mercy Hospital in San Diego of complications related to AIDS.

A television documentary about the life of everyone, The Boy from Oz , aired in 1995, and Stephen MacLean's biography of the same name appeared two years later. The biographical musical The Boy from Oz premiered in Sydney on March 5, 1998 and premiered on Broadway , starring Hugh Jackman , on October 16, 2003.

Web links

• Peter Allen in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ ARIA Hall of Fame. Australian Recording Industry Association , accessed August 6, 2017 .