PETER ALLEN
Name: Peter Allen
Born: 10 February 1944
Died: 18 June 1992
Peter Allen (February 10, 1944 - June 18, 1992) was an Australian songwriter and
entertainer.
Born Peter Allen Woolnough in Tenterfield, New South Wales, Allen began his
performing career as one of the "Allen Brothers" who were a popular cabaret and
television act in the early 1960s. He was spotted by Mark Herron the husband of
Judy Garland who is credited with "discovering" Allen while he was performing in
Hong Kong, she invited him to return with her to the United States where he
performed with her. He married her daughter Liza Minnelli in 1967. They were
divorced in 1972.
Allen recorded his first album, the autobiographical Tenterfield Saddler (1972),
but he achieved more success writing for other performers. He wrote "Don't Cry
Out Loud" recorded by Elkie Brooks and 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 US never progressed, he performed in
Atlantic City, Carneigie Hall,and had a long engagement at New York City's Radio
City Music Hall. His most successful album was "Bi-Coastal" (1980) produced by
David Foster and featuring the top hit "Fly Away" which became his only U.S.
chart single in 1981 reaching #55 on the Billboard Hot 100.
He co-wrote the song "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" with Burt Bacharach,
Carole Bayer Sager and Christopher Cross, for Minelli's 1980 movie Arthur. Cross'
version of the song reached number one in the US, and the songwriters won an
Academy Award for Best Song. He actually wrote one line for the whole song "When
you get caught between the moon and New York City" from an earlier song that he
and Carole Bayer Sager co-wrote.
Peter performed on Australian Television at many important occasions: in front
of Queen Elizabeth II in 1980 at The Sydney Opera House, Prince Charles and
Princess Diana twice, once in Melbourne and again in Sydney, 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 out to Perth to sing before 100,000
fans. 1988 saw him open for Frank Sinatra at Sanctuary Cove, Queensland, where
he was enthusiastically received. 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), which hinted at several adult contemporary themes. He then recorded a
live album called "Captured Live at Carnegie Hall" where he previewed songs from
his upcoming musical Legs Diamond, which opened on Broadway in 1988 with a book
co-written by Harvey Fierstein.In 1990 he recorded his final album on RCA Making
Every Moment Count which featured Melissa Manchester and Harry Connick Jr.
Shortly before his death from an AIDS-related throat cancer, he gave his last
performance in Sydney on January 25, 1992. His ashes were scattered at sea After
his death, one of his older songs I Still Call Australia Home, became popular
through its use in television commercials, initially for National Panasonic,
then after 1988 Qantas Airlines, and came to be regarded as an unofficial
Australian national anthem.
Before the musical "The Boy From Oz" came out there was also a TV documentry of
the same name. Featuring interviews with friends and colleagues such as
Bernadette Peters and Harry Connick Jr. A musical based on his life, titled The
Boy from Oz, opened in Australia in 1998. Using his largely autobiographical
songs to form the soundtrack, the production starred Todd McKenney as Allen, and
Christina Amphlett of rock group Divinyls as 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.
Name: Peter Allen
Born: 10 February 1944
Died: 18 June 1992
Peter Allen (February 10, 1944 - June 18, 1992) was an Australian songwriter and
entertainer.
Born Peter Allen Woolnough in Tenterfield, New South Wales, Allen began his
performing career as one of the "Allen Brothers" who were a popular cabaret and
television act in the early 1960s. He was spotted by Mark Herron the husband of
Judy Garland who is credited with "discovering" Allen while he was performing in
Hong Kong, she invited him to return with her to the United States where he
performed with her. He married her daughter Liza Minnelli in 1967. They were
divorced in 1972.
Allen recorded his first album, the autobiographical Tenterfield Saddler (1972),
but he achieved more success writing for other performers. He wrote "Don't Cry
Out Loud" recorded by Elkie Brooks and 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 US never progressed, he performed in
Atlantic City, Carneigie Hall,and had a long engagement at New York City's Radio
City Music Hall. His most successful album was "Bi-Coastal" (1980) produced by
David Foster and featuring the top hit "Fly Away" which became his only U.S.
chart single in 1981 reaching #55 on the Billboard Hot 100.
He co-wrote the song "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" with Burt Bacharach,
Carole Bayer Sager and Christopher Cross, for Minelli's 1980 movie Arthur. Cross'
version of the song reached number one in the US, and the songwriters won an
Academy Award for Best Song. He actually wrote one line for the whole song "When
you get caught between the moon and New York City" from an earlier song that he
and Carole Bayer Sager co-wrote.
Peter performed on Australian Television at many important occasions: in front
of Queen Elizabeth II in 1980 at The Sydney Opera House, Prince Charles and
Princess Diana twice, once in Melbourne and again in Sydney, 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 out to Perth to sing before 100,000
fans. 1988 saw him open for Frank Sinatra at Sanctuary Cove, Queensland, where
he was enthusiastically received. 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), which hinted at several adult contemporary themes. He then recorded a
live album called "Captured Live at Carnegie Hall" where he previewed songs from
his upcoming musical Legs Diamond, which opened on Broadway in 1988 with a book
co-written by Harvey Fierstein.In 1990 he recorded his final album on RCA Making
Every Moment Count which featured Melissa Manchester and Harry Connick Jr.
Shortly before his death from an AIDS-related throat cancer, he gave his last
performance in Sydney on January 25, 1992. His ashes were scattered at sea After
his death, one of his older songs I Still Call Australia Home, became popular
through its use in television commercials, initially for National Panasonic,
then after 1988 Qantas Airlines, and came to be regarded as an unofficial
Australian national anthem.
Before the musical "The Boy From Oz" came out there was also a TV documentry of
the same name. Featuring interviews with friends and colleagues such as
Bernadette Peters and Harry Connick Jr. A musical based on his life, titled The
Boy from Oz, opened in Australia in 1998. Using his largely autobiographical
songs to form the soundtrack, the production starred Todd McKenney as Allen, and
Christina Amphlett of rock group Divinyls as 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.