Birthplace: Tenterfield, New South Wales, Australia
Died: 18 June 1992
(complications from AIDS)
Best Known As: Aussie cabaret performer and subject of the musical The Boy From Oz
Name at birth: Peter Allen Woolnough
Peter Allen was a songwriter and cabaret-style performer, most famous in the 1970s and 1980s. He was "discovered" in 1964 by Judy Garland, who hired him to perform with her and introduced him to her daughter Liza Minnelli. Allen and Minnelli were married in 1967, but separated in 1970. Later Allen co-wrote the pop hits "Don't Cry Out Loud" for Melissa Manchester and "I Honestly Love You" for Olivia Newton John, and won an Academy Award for his contribution to the theme from Arthur, Minnelli's hit 1981 movie. (His co-writers on that tune were Burt Bacharach, Carol Bayer Sager and singer Christopher Cross.) His own albums included Tenterfield Saddler (1972), Bi-Coastal (1980) and Not the Boy Next Door (1982). Allen also composed the short-lived Broadway musical Legs Diamond. He died in 1992 from AIDS after giving his final concerts in Sydney, Australia.
Allen's song "I Still Call Australia Home" became a sentimental favorite in his home country and was used in a series of commercials for Australian tourism... A documentary video and a musical stage play, both titled The Boy From Oz, have been based on Allen's life and music; Hugh Jackman played Allen in the 2003 Broadway production of the musical.
Born: February 10, 1944 in Tenterfield, New South Wales, Australia
Died: June 18, 1992 in San Diego, CA
Biography
In the 1970s, Peter Allen gained recognition both as a composer of romantic ballads such as "I Honestly Love You" and "Don't Cry Out Loud" and, contrastingly, as a flamboyant stage performer. He learned to play the piano and began entertaining people at the pub in his small Australian hometown when he was still a child. By 1959, he was in Sydney, where he became a last-minute replacement in a duo appearing on the television show Australian Bandstand with guitarist and singer Chris Bell. The act was successful and the two became known as the Allen Brothers. In the early '60s, they had an Australian hit with "My Secret" and toured the Far East. They were appearing at a hotel in Hong Kong in the spring of 1964 when Judy Garland saw them and was impressed. She got them bookings and brought them to London, where they were her opening act. She also introduced Allen to her daughter, Liza Minnelli, and the two became engaged. The Allen Brothers made their American debut at the Diplomat Hotel in Miami in December 1964, then moved to New York. For the rest of the 1960s, they appeared in clubs around the U.S., notably at the various Playboy Clubs. After a lengthy engagement, Allen and Minnelli married on March 3, 1967.
During the late '60s, Allen became involved in the Greenwich Village music and theater scene, and grew disenchanted with the more conventional show business world represented by his professional partner and his wife. He and Minnelli separated during the holiday season of 1969 (though they were not divorced until July 24, 1974), and the Allen Brothers broke up in the spring of 1970. On June 24, 1970, Allen played his first show as a solo act at the Bitter End nightclub in Greenwich Village. He wrote songs for the Off-Off-Broadway La Mama Theatre Company, and made his Broadway debut on January 12, 1971, in Soon, a rock opera that played only three performances.
Allen became interested in the trend toward introspective singer-songwriters in the early '70s, and in writing more commercial music. Employed as a staff writer at Metromedia Records, he co-wrote "Jennifer" with Carole Bayer Sager. The song was sung in the TV movie Getting Together by Bobby Sherman, who recorded it for Metromedia, and it became a Top 40 hit in the fall of 1971. Metromedia then commissioned Allen to record his own album, and he released Peter Allen in 1971, followed in 1972 by Tenterfield Saddler. Performers on New York's club circuit began to sing songs from his albums, and he returned to performing himself with an appearance at the popular nightspot Reno Sweeney's in 1973. In 1974, he and Jeff Barry wrote "I Honestly Love You," a sad ballad that was recorded by Olivia Newton-John and became a #1 hit in October. With that, Allen was signed to A&M Records, releasing his third album, Continental American. In 1976 came Taught by Experts, which featured "The More I See You," an easy listening chart entry.
The introspective style of much of Allen's music was increasingly contrasted with his bold performing style, and in 1977 A&M issued a double live LP, It Is Time for Peter Allen, that showed off his concert work. Back in Australia, his recording of the frothy "I Go to Rio" (co-written with Adrienne Anderson) topped the charts. In the U.S., he made a cameo appearance in the movie musical Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in the summer of 1978. That fall, Melissa Manchester scored a Top Ten hit with another of his ballads, "Don't Cry Out Loud" (co-written with Carole Bayer Sager). His version of the song was featured on his fourth A&M album, I Could Have Been a Sailor, which became his first LP to reach the charts in 1979. Early in the year, Pablo Cruise scored an American chart entry with "I Go to Rio," and Rita Coolidge reached the Top 40 with a more typical Allen-Sager ballad, "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love," at the end of the year. Meanwhile, Allen took his stage act to Broadway, appearing in his own show, Up in One, More Than a Concert. His fifth A&M album, Bi-Coastal, appeared at the end of 1980 and was another chart LP, with a single, "Fly Away," also reaching the pop charts. In 1981, Allen headlined at Radio City Music Hall, where he danced with the Rockettes and rode a camel during "I Go to Rio."
When Carole Bayer Sager sat down with Burt Bacharach and Christopher Cross to write a theme song for the film comedy Arthur, she recalled a phrase from an unrecorded song she and Allen had written years earlier: "When you get caught between the moon and New York City." It became part of the chorus of "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," which topped the charts for Cross in the fall of 1981 and won Allen and his fellow songwriters the Academy Award for best song.
Allen toured North America before returning to Radio City Music Hall in September 1982. Switching to Arista Records, he released Not the Boy Next Door in early 1983; it made the charts and spawned three adult contemporary chart entries, "You Haven't Heard the Last of Me," "Once Before I Go," and "You and Me (We Wanted It All)." Allen continued to tour extensively, returning to New York for a run of sold-out performances at Carnegie Hall in September 1984 that were recorded for the 1985 Arista album Captured Live at Carnegie Hall. During the shows, Allen performed several numbers from the musical he was writing, Legs Diamond. Four years passed before the show was produced on Broadway, but Allen opened in it on December 26, 1988; it ran only 64 performances, but a cast album was recorded and released on RCA, which also issued Allen's final album, Making Every Moment Count (1990). He died of complications from AIDS in 1992. ~ William Ruhlmann ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
Peter Allen (10 February 1944 – 18 June 1992) was an Australian songwriter and entertainer. His songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, Elkie Brooks, and one, Arthur's Theme, won the Academy Award. In addition to recording many albums, he enjoyed a cabaret and concert career, including appearing at Radio City Music Hall riding a camel. His marriage to Liza Minnelli ended in divorce.
He was born Peter Richard Woolnough in Tenterfield, New South Wales, Australia. Allen began his performing career with Chris Bell as one of the "Allen Brothers", who were a popular cabaret and television act in the early 1960s in Australia. Mark Herron, the husband of Judy Garland, discovered Allen while he was performing in Hong Kong. He was invited to return with them to London and the United States, where he performed with Garland.[1]
Career
Allen commenced releasing solo recordings in 1971, but throughout his career achieved greater success through his songs being recorded by others. He wrote "Don't Cry Out Loud," recorded by Melissa Manchester, and "I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love," recorded by Rita Coolidge. One of his signature songs, "I Go to Rio," was a moderate hit in America for the group Pablo Cruise. Allen scored his biggest success with the song "I Honestly Love You," which he co-wrote with Jeff Barry and which became a major hit in 1974 for Olivia Newton-John. Her single reached number one in the United States and in Canada and won two Grammy Awards, for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for Newton-John.
In 1977 Allen released an album Taught By Experts, which reached number one in Australia, along with the number one singles "I Go To Rio" and "The More I See You." Although his recording career in the U.S. never progressed, he performed in Atlantic City and Carnegie Hall. He had a long engagement at New York City's Radio City Music Hall, where he danced with the Rockettes and rode a camel during "I Go to Rio." [2]
His most successful album was Bi-Coastal, (1980) produced by David Foster and featuring the top hit "Fly Away," which, in 1981, became his only U.S. chart single, reaching #55 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Allen performed on Australian Television at many important occasions: in front of Queen Elizabeth II in 1980 at The Sydney Opera House, before Prince Charles and Princess Diana, once in Melbourne and again in Sydney, at the opening of "The Sydney Entertainment Centre", where he unveiled for the first time his Australia "Flag" shirt, and the 1980 Australian Rules Grand Final in Melbourne. His "Up In One Concert" of 1980 was a huge ratings success across the country. When Australia won The America's Cup, he flew to Perth to sing before an audience of 100,000. In 1988 he opened for Frank Sinatra at Sanctuary Cove, Queensland. In America he appeared at the 30th Anniversary of Disneyland.
He returned to recording on Arista with an album entitled "Not the Boy Next Door" (1983).
He made his Broadway debut on 12 January 1971, in Soon, a rock opera that opened at the Ritz Theatre and ran for three performances. He starred in his own one-man revue on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre, "Up in One: More Than a Concert" (1979), which ran for 46 performances.
Allen recorded a live album called "Captured Live at Carnegie Hall" where songs from his upcoming musical Legs Diamond, were previewed. Legs Diamond opened on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on 26 December 1988, with a book co-written by Harvey Fierstein. The musical ran for 64 performances and 72 previews. After Legs Diamond closed he returned to concert work, touring with Bernadette Peters during the summer of 1989.[4]
His live version of "Everything Old is New Again" can be heard on the soundtrack to the film All That Jazz (1979).
He also did a pilot for a new "Name That Tune" show in 1990, and the pilot for what became CBS's short-lived primetime game show The Hollywood Game. He died the day the series, which ended up being hosted by Bob Goen due to Allen's illness, debuted. (citation: The Boy From Oz by Stephen MacLean, 1996)
Personal life
Allen grew up in the small Australian country town, Tenterfield. His grandfather, George Woolnough, worked as a saddler in the town. His father, Dick become a violent alcoholic upon returning from World War II. He shot and killed himself when Peter was still young. George never understood, nor got over this devastating event. This tale is told in the song, Tenterfield Saddler. On 26 November 2005 an extension of the Tenterfield library was opened and named the "George Woolnough Wing".
He married Liza Minnelli in 1967; they were divorced in 1974.[2]
From the 1970s to 1984 Allen had a long-time companion and lover, Gregory Connell. He was a fashion model from Texas who designed the sound and lights for Allen's shows and sang backup on his rendition of "I Go to Rio." Connell died from an AIDS-related illness in September 1984 at their home in California. [4]
Death and legacy
Shortly before his death from an AIDS-related throat cancer, he gave his last performance in Sydney on 26 January 1992. His ashes were scattered at sea.
A documentary titled "The Boy From Oz" about Allen was produced after his death, featuring clips from his performances as well as interviews with performers who worked with him. [5]
A stage musical based on his life, titled The Boy from Oz, opened in Australia in 1998. Using his largely autobiographical songs, the production starred Todd McKenney as Allen and Christina Amphlett of rock groupDivinyls as Judy Garland. In 2003, the musical opened on Broadway, becoming the first Australian musical ever to be performed there. In this production Allen was played by Hugh Jackman, who won a Tony Award for his portrayal in 2004. Jackman performed this role again two years later when the show toured large arenas in Australia under the title "The Boy From Oz: Arena Spectacular".
Due to his limited success as a singer in the U.S., his ten albums are hard to find, with seven issued on CD.
Discography
Chris and Peter Allen's Album No. 1 (unavailable on CD (1968)
(featuring Chris "Allen Bell")
Peter Allen (1971)
Tenterfield Saddler (1972)
Continental American (1974)
Taught By Experts (1976) (not on CD, though most of the songs are on the Singer Songwriter Anthology)
It Is Time For Peter Allen (1977) (live album, available on CD as part of the Singer Songwriter Anthology)
