![Peter Allen and Chris Bell The Allen Brothers 1967](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Peter_Allen_and_Chris_Bell_The_Allen_Brothers_1967.JPG)
The Allen Brothers were an Australian cabaret act of
Peter Allen and singer and guitarist Chris Bell. Allen was then Peter Woolnough, when at the age of fifteen he met Chris Bell, part of a singing duo, The Two Shades. When the other member of The Two Shades departed it was Bell's father who picked the name Allen Brothers for Chris and Peter. They also sang with The Barry Sisters, an Australian backing group unrelated to the
American Barry Sisters. The duo broke up at the same time as Allen's marriage to
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...
and Chris Bell went to America and formed a touring band called Boomerang in the 70's .
Musical Duo
''Formation (1959-1960)''
Upon their formation in 1959, Chris Bell and Peter Allen began performing folk-pop as the Allen Brothers in nightclubs in
Surfers Paradise
Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...
and the wider
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
region. It was in the same year that they made their professional debut as a musical duo with a paid performance at the Grand Hotel in
Coolangatta
Coolangatta is a coastal suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is the Gold Coast's southernmost suburb and it borders New South Wales. In the , Coolangatta had a population of 5,948 people.
Geography
Coolangatta and its ...
. The duo also performed on show ''
Teen Time
''Teen Time'' was an Australian television series which aired from 1959 to 1961. It was hosted by Keith Walshe and Carol Finlayson, and as was often the case with Australian music television series of the era, it aired on only a single station, i ...
'' in 1959 which marked their first ever television performance.
The duo relocated from the Gold Coast to
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
in 1960 in search of more opportunities. It was in Sydney that they were scouted by
Brian Henderson, who was the host of ''
Bandstand
A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an orname ...
'', an Australian pop television show. Henderson made the Allen Brothers a regular act on the show, gaining them national popularity and providing networking opportunities such as their future close working relationship with
Olivia Newton-John
Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...
.
''Musical Releases (1960)''
The first official song released by The Allen Brothers was in 1960 and was titled ‘First Kiss.’ This release was recognised by musical producer Johnny O’Keefe, who signed the duo on a contract with label ''
Leedon
Leedon is a former hamlet in Bedfordshire, England, which is now part of Leighton Buzzard town. Originally, Leedon was a small rural settlement and was part of the Eggington civil parish. However, the expansion of Leighton Buzzard eastwards led ...
. ''With this label, The Allen Brothers released four singles: ‘Bells Bells Bells’ / ‘Summer Clouds’ / ‘There’s No Need’ / ‘Busy Lips.’ After their contract with Leeds, the duo moved to Australian label ''
Pye'' and recorded another four singles: ‘Pretty Keen Teen’ / ‘My Secret’ / ‘Too Much’ / ‘Ever Since’ and a collaboration with The Barry Sisters on the single ‘Knocking on the Right Front Door.’ The only single that had a chart entry in Australia was ‘First Kiss’ which entered Melbourne at number 32.
''Musical Releases (1961-1962)''
In 1961, The Allen Brothers switched labels again and signed a contract with ''HMV.'' In December 1961, they released the singles ‘No Fooling’ and ‘Be An Angel Darling.’ Two months later, they released the singles ‘Baby Loves Me’ and ‘Firefly.’ Lastly, they released ‘There’s Never Been a Girl Like You’ and ‘Ain’t Misbehaving’ in August 1962.
''Performances and relocation (1962-1969)''
During this period, The Allen Brothers had notable performances such as a role in an ''Alice In Wonderland'' production at the Phillip Theatre. Moreover, the duo played a regular support role for the American performer
Frances Faye
Frances Faye (November 4, 1912 – November 8, 1991) was an American cabaret and show tune singer and pianist. Born to a working-class Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York City, she was a second cousin of actor Danny Kaye.
Career
Born as Franc ...
at a Sydney nightclub called Chequers. They gained enough popularity to book a three-week nightclub tour act in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
. The performance was received so well that the tour was extended, and the Allen Brothers remained on tour in south-east Asia for two years. During their performance at the Hilton in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
, The Allen Brothers were spotted by international superstar
Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
who subsequently became their permanent manager and allowed them to open for her in her
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
concerts.
The connection with Garland provided The Allen Brothers with an opening into the American music industry. In the 1960s, the duo moved to
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
City and supported Garland in performances across America and Canada. Throughout the decade, they performed across famous clubs, made television appearances and recorded an album. Peter Allen met Garland's daughter Liza Minnelli. They married on March 3, 1967, but were separated by the end of 1969.
Solo Careers
The Allen Brothers ultimately split in early 1970 due to Bell's desire to branch out musically in to the Broadway scene. Whereas Chris Bell quit the music industry after the duo split, Peter Allen went on to have an extensive solo career.
Singles
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen Brothers, (Australia), The
Australian musical groups