Peter Allen (musician)
Peter Allen | |
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RCA Victor | |
Formerly of | The Allen Brothers |
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Peter Allen (born Peter Richard Woolnough; 10 February 1944 – 18 June 1992) was an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, and entertainer, known for his flamboyant stage persona, energetic performances, and lavish costumes. Allen's songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Elkie Brooks, Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, including Newton-John's first chart-topping hit "I Honestly Love You", and the chart-topping and Academy Award-winning "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" by Christopher Cross.
In addition to recording many albums, Allen enjoyed a cabaret and concert career, including appearances at the Radio City Music Hall riding a camel. His patriotic song "I Still Call Australia Home" has been used extensively in advertising campaigns, and was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia registry in 2013.[1]
Allen was the first husband of Liza Minnelli. They met in October 1964, were engaged on 26 November 1964, married on 3 March 1967, formally separated on 8 April 1970, and divorced on 24 July 1974.[2][3][4] Allen had a long-term partner, model Gregory Connell. They met in 1973 and were together until Connell's death in 1984.[5][6] Allen and Connell died from AIDS-related cancer eight years apart, with Allen becoming one of the first well-known Australians to die from AIDS. Allen remained ambiguous about his sexuality in that he did not pretend to be heterosexual after divorcing Minnelli, but never publicly came out as gay either.[7]
In a 1991 interview with the gay newspaper
Early life
Allen was born Peter Richard Woolnough on 10 February 1944, to Richard John Woolnough, soldier and grocer, and his wife, Marion Bryden (née Davidson), at Prince Albert Memorial Hospital in Tenterfield, New South Wales, a small Australian country town where his grandfather, George Woolnough, worked as a saddler. He had one sibling, a younger sister named Lynne. Allen grew up in nearby Armidale and lived there from about six weeks of age until he was 14. This is also where he first learned piano and dance. Allen's performing career began when he was 11, playing the piano in the ladies' lounge of the New England Hotel in Armidale.[9] His father became a violent alcoholic after returning from World War II.[10] In November 1958, he committed suicide by gunshot when Allen was 14. Soon after his father's suicide, Allen left school with an Intermediate Certificate and moved to Lismore with his mother and sister to live with relatives.[11] His grandfather, George Woolnough, never understood or got over this devastating event. This tale is told in Allen's 1972 song, "Tenterfield Saddler".[9]
In 1959, Allen went to
Career
Allen started releasing solo recordings in 1971, but throughout his career achieved greater success through his songs being recorded by others. Allen scored his biggest success with the song "
In 1976, Allen released an album,
Allen's most successful album was Bi-Coastal (1980), produced by David Foster and featuring the single "Fly Away", which in 1981 became his only US chart single, reaching No. 55 on the Billboard Hot 100. In addition, Allen co-wrote the Patti LaBelle hit "I Don't Go Shopping", which reached the top 30 on the R&B chart in 1980.
Allen co-wrote the song "
Allen performed on Australian television for many important occasions: in front of
One of his songs, '"
Allen's most covered song is "I Honestly Love You". [citation needed]
Broadway
Allen 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.[15]
Allen recorded a live album called Captured Live at Carnegie Hall, in which songs from his 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.[16] Allen and Bernadette also performed in the 1983 Academy Award broadcast in an extended musical tribute to Irving Berlin.
Other work
- Allen appeared in a cameo role in the film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978).
- Allen's live version of "Everything Old is New Again" can be heard on the soundtrack of the film All That Jazz (1979).
- Allen was the musical guest at Miss Universe 1981.[17]
- Allen appeared in the 1982 television version of The Pirates of Penzance (as the Pirate King).
- Allen appeared as the "man in studio" in the TV series Miami Vice's second-season premiere episode "The Prodigal Son".
- Allen did a pilot for a new Name That Tune show in 1990, and the pilot for what became CBS's short-lived prime-time game show The Hollywood Game (both projects were produced by Marty Pasetta). He died the day of the series, which ended up being hosted by Bob Goen due to Allen's illness, debuted.[18]
Personal life
Though flamboyant on stage, Allen was quite the opposite offstage. He once remarked, "I'm not the let's-tear-his-clothes-off type. I'm fairly quiet. The maniac only comes out when I hit the stage. I have to be a different person offstage. If I were to try to keep that up 24 hours a day, I would have a nervous breakdown."[19] Allen described his stage persona as "a much more interesting person than me. I think that's why I'm in show business, to get to be that other person."[20] Allen further depicted his stage persona as "someone much taller, much handsomer, with a better hairline."[21] Although Allen described himself as "so boring" when not performing, he enjoyed swimming; wind surfing; skiing; water skiing; sailing; collecting Hawaiian shirts; reading; cooking; and growing flowers, herbs, and vegetables.[19][22][23] Allen spent so much time working in his yard that he imagined his neighbors thought he was a landscape gardener.[19]
Allen owned a beach house in
Allen met Liza Minnelli (born 1946) at London Airport on 28 October 1964, where she and her mother Judy Garland were rehearsing for their upcoming performance at the London Palladium in early November.[28] They were engaged a month later on 26 November 1964 at Trader Vic's, a restaurant at the London Hilton. They married in New York City on 3 March 1967, formally separated on 8 April 1970, and divorced on 24 July 1974.[2][3][4]
Allen became more comfortable with his homosexuality in the early 1970s.[29] He explained, "I was afraid as a teen, that if I acknowledged that I preferred my own kind, my family would stop loving me. We do tend to underrate our families."[30] Allen and Gregory Connell (1949-1984) met when Greg and a mutual friend attended Peter's show at New York's Continental Baths in 1973.[31] Greg thought Peter was working too hard for the money he was getting and so helped him get his first band together, while Peter found him gorgeous, sweet, and good-hearted.[5][32] According to Allen's biographer Stephen MacLean, Connell was "Peter's big love."[33] Connell, a fashion and print model originally from Texas, attracted major clients, such as Coca-Cola and did lucrative print ads and commercials.[34] Moreover, he acted in community and dinner theatres and sang in a group called "Voice Six".[35] After they got together, Connell left his modeling career to support Allen's music career by becoming his lighting and staging director and tour manager. This arrangement enabled them to be together while Allen performed around the world. Connell also sang backup on Allen's 1976 song, "I Go to Rio".[36][37] He did so much work behind the scenes that Peter once remarked, "Gregory does everything but get up here and sing!"[38] After becoming ill in late 1982, Connell died from AIDS-related pneumonia on 11 September 1984, at their home in Leucadia.[39][40]
Although Allen wrote "Once Before I Go" in 1982 for good friend Ann-Margret to use as a closing song at her concerts, the song took on new meaning when he sang it. According to the song's co-writer Dean Pitchford, Allen asked him to personalize the last verse of "Once Before I Go" from "The air I breathe/My morning sun/You'll be with me in years to come" to "You are the light that shines on me/You always were and you'll always be" to reference Connell's role as Allen's lighting director.[41] Allen told Pitchford that "it was the one song he related most to Greg; that he thought of Greg as he sang it, Greg behind the lights at all of his shows."[42][43] Allen further told Pitchford that "after Gregory died, he would always look into the spotlight and imagine that Gregory was behind the light."[43]
Allen dedicated his 1985 album, Captured Live at Carnegie Hall, to Connell and sang songs in his memory at AIDS benefit concerts.[44][45][46] After Connell's death, Allen poured himself even more into his work. Allen spent several years getting his musical Legs Diamond on Broadway (it premiered in 1988), recorded his final album Making Every Moment Count in 1990, and continued performing in concerts and doing various benefits until his death in 1992 at the age of 48.[47][2]
On 26 November 2005, an extension of the Tenterfield Library was opened and named the "George Woolnough Wing", named after Allen's paternal grandfather who was memorialized in his song, "Tenterfield Saddler".[39]
Death and legacy
Allen's last performance was on 26 January 1992, in Sydney, and he was diagnosed with an AIDS-related throat cancer shortly after. Allen spent his final days at his beach house in Leucadia.[48][39] He died at Mercy Hospital, San Diego, on 18 June 1992.[49] A private memorial service was held on 21 June 1992, at his home in Leucadia, where his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean within sight of his house.[50]
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.[51]
A stage musical based on his life, also titled
Allen was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1993.[53]
In popular culture
In the 1979 film All That Jazz, Allen's live rendition of "Everything Old Is New Again" is danced to by Ann Reinking and Erzebet Foldi for Roy Scheider's character Joe Gideon based on dancer Bob Fosse.
Hugh Jackman's performance of Allen's "Once Before I Go" (from The Boy from Oz) was featured in a montage dedicated to Alex Trebek in his final episode of Jeopardy! which aired on 8 January 2021, exactly two months after Trebek's death from stage IV pancreatic cancer on 8 November 2020, at the age of 80.[54][55]
La Casa Azul's song Terry, Peter y yo makes reference to Allen, Judy Garland, and Liza Minnelli:
Peter Allen sang
As Judy came back to life at Christmas
Decadent and stellar
Peter Allen danced
As Liza flashed
At the Sunday Night
Peter Allen sang nonstop
No one listened to him
Peter Allen danced alone
And got all sentimental
But there was no one else...
Discography
Studio albums
Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certification | |
---|---|---|---|---|
AUS [56] |
US [citation needed] | |||
1971 | Peter Allen
|
— | — | |
1972 | Tenterfield Saddler
|
95[A] | — | |
1974 | Continental American
|
87[B] | — | |
1976 | Taught by Experts
|
11 | — |
|
1979 | I Could Have Been a Sailor
|
69 | 171 | |
1980 | Bi-Coastal
|
55 | 123 | |
1983 | Not the Boy Next Door
|
36 | 170 | |
1990 | Making Every Moment Count
|
— | — |
Live albums
Year | Album details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|
AUS [56] | ||
1977 | It Is Time for Peter Allen
|
30 |
1985 | Captured Live at Carnegie Hall
|
— |
Compilation albums
Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certification |
---|---|---|---|
AUS [56][58] | |||
1982 | The Very Best of Peter Allen / The Best
|
9 |
|
1992 | The Very Best of Peter Allen: The Boy from Down Under
|
16 | |
1993 | At His Best
|
— | |
1995 | The Boy from Oz
|
35 | |
1998 | Singer-Songwriter: The Anthology
|
— | |
2001 | 20th Century Masters: The Best of Peter Allen
|
— | |
2006 | The Ultimate Peter Allen
|
18[C] |
Singles
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AUS [60] |
US [61] |
US AC [61] |
NZ
[62] |
NLD [63] |
BEL [64] | |||
1971 | "Honest Queen" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Peter Allen |
1972 | "Just Ask Me I've Been There" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Tenterfield Saddler |
"Tenterfield Saddler" | 53[D] | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1975 | "I Honestly Love You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Continental American |
"She Loves to Hear the Music" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Taught by Experts | |
1976 | "The More I See You" | 80 | 108 | 40 | — | — | — | |
"I Go to Rio" | 1 | — | — | 22 | 27 | 30 | ||
1977 | "The More I See You" (re-release) | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | |
1978 | "Don't Cry Out Loud" | — | — | — | — | — | — | I Could Have Been a Sailor |
1979 | "Don't Wish Too Hard" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
"I Could Have Been a Sailor" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1980 | "I Still Call Australia Home" | 60[E] | — | — | — | — | — | Bi-Coastal |
"Bi-Coastal" | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1981 | "Fly Away" | — | 55 | 45 | — | — | — | |
"One Step Over the Borderline" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1983 | "Not the Boy Next Door" | 76 | — | — | — | — | — | Not the Boy Next Door |
"You Haven't Heard the Last of Me" | — | — | 15 | — | — | — | ||
"Once Before I Go" | — | — | 26 | — | — | — | ||
1984 | "You and Me (We Wanted It All)" | — | — | 41 | — | — | — |
Notes
- ^ The album Tenterfield Saddler did not chart in Australia until January 1980.
- ^ The album Continental American did not chart in Australia until October 1977.
- ^ The album The Ultimate Peter Allen reached its peak position in Australia in September 2015.
- ^ The single "Tenterfield Saddler" reached its peak position in Australia in September 2015.
- ^ The single "I Still Call Australia Home" reached its peak position in Australia in September 2015.
Awards & Honors
Academy Awards
Peter Allen won an
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
---|---|---|---|
54th Academy Awards | Peter Allen, Burt Bacharach, Christopher Cross, & Carole Bayer Sager | Best Original Song - Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) | Won |
Ambassador-at-Large for Canberra
On 29 September 1981, Peter Allen was commissioned as Canberra's first ambassador-at-large by the Minister of State for the Capital Territory, Michael Hodgman. At the ceremony, Peter was presented with the Keys of Canberra and a scroll setting out his commission. [66][67]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1981 | Peter Allen | Ambassador-at-Large for Canberra - in appreciation of work performed and personal effort expended in advancing the status of Canberra as Australia's National Capital. | Won |
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Awards
The
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards 1991
|
Peter Allen, Burt Bacharach, Christopher Cross, & Carole Bayer Sager | Most Performed Feature Film Standards - Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) | Won |
Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Music Awards
The
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
ARIA Music Awards of 1993
|
Peter Allen | ARIA Hall of Fame | Inductee |
Golden Globes
Peter Allen won a
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
39th Golden Globe Awards | Peter Allen, Burt Bacharach, Christopher Cross, & Carole Bayer Sager | Best Original Song - Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) | Won |
Grammy Awards
Peter Allen was nominated twice for a
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
24th Annual Grammy Awards | Peter Allen & Jeff Barry | Song of the Year - I Honestly Love You (Single) | Nominated |
17th Annual Grammy Awards | Peter Allen, Burt Bacharach, Christopher Cross, & Carole Bayer Sager | Song of the Year - Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) | Nominated |
Mo Awards
The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Peter Allen won two awards in that time.[72]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Peter Allen | International Act of the Year | Won |
1984 | Peter Allen | International Act of the Year | Won |
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Government.[73]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1990 | Peter Allen | Order of Australia, Member in the General Division (AM) - for service to the performing arts, particularly as a songwriter. | Won |
References
- ^ "The complete list". National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
- ^ AllMusic
- ^ a b "Liza Minelli Engaged". The New York Times. 27 November 1964. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ^ The Toronto Daily Star, 9 April 1970, p. 27.
- ^ a b Angly, Patricia (26 February 1980). "People". The Bulletin. Sydney, N.S.W. p. 44.
- ^ Barnard, Loretta (21 August 2019). "Peter Allen: The Boy from Oz". australia-explained.com.au. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ a b " 'The Boy from Oz' Celebrates Allen". Today. Associated Press. 17 October 2003. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ Alexander, Yale. "Peter Allen on Judy, Liza, Legs, and the Queen." New York Native, 16 September 1991, p. 26.
- ^ OCLC 70677943.
- ^ "Service Record". Soda.naa.gov.au. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- ^ MacLean 2015, ch. 4, pars. 23, 29.
- YouTube
- ^ Duncan Macleod (12 June 2006). "Qantas I Still Call Australia Home". The Inspiration Room Daily. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
- ^ McIntyre, Paul. "It's all aboard for a Qantas jumbo", The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 July 2004
- ^ Program for Peter Allen: Up in One at the Biltmore Theatre, New York. Playbill, 1979, p. 36. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ Cudd, Bruce."Remembering Peter Allen" Archived 7 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine, gmhc.org, 2003
- ^ "Miss Universe 1981 Judges & Guest stars". bellezavenezolana.net. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
- ^ MacLean 2015, p. [page needed].
- ^ The Atlanta Constitution, 30 November 1980, p. 1E.
- ^ "Peter Allen; Obituary". The Times, 22 June 1992, p. 17.
- Holden, Stephen. "Boy from Australia Up There with the Rockettes." The New York Times, 24 September 1982, p. c4.
- ^ MacLean 2015, ch. 18, par. 39.
- ^ a b Cox, Jean P. "Peter Allen: A 30s-Model Camper." Los Angeles Times, 26 May 1978, p. 1.
- ^ MacLean 2015, ch. 16, par. 72; ch. 20, par. 49, 115.
- ^ MacLean 2015, ch. 16, par. 72–73.
- ^ MacLean 2015, ch. 16, par. 72.
- YouTube
- ^ Short, Don. "Judy: I'm So Happy." Daily Mirror, 29 October 1964, p. 5. Via Newspapers.com. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ISBN 9780415306515. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- ^ Hadleigh, Boze. In or Out: Gay and Straight Celebrities Talk About Themselves and Each Other. New York: Barricade Books, 2020, p. 104.
- ^ Barrand, Janine, et al. Peter Allen. Melbourne, Vic: Victorian Arts Centre Trust, 2008, p. 19.
- ^ Sager, Carole Bayer. They're Playing Our Song: A Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2016, p. 59.
- ^ MacLean 2015, ch. 16, par. 30, 35.
- ^ MacLean 2015, ch. 16, par. 32.
- ^ "'Forty Carats' Opens Feb. 12." The Journal [Wood River, IL], 7 February 1974, p. 16.
- ^ MacLean 2015, ch. 16, par. 33, 35; ch. 18, par. 33; ch. 23, par. 23.
- ^ "Taught By Experts" LP back cover.
- ^ Smith, David and Neal Peters. Peter Allen: Between the Moon and New York City. Delilah, 1983, p. 124.
- ^ a b c Lucy E. Cross. "Peter Allen". Masterworks Broadway. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
- ^ MacLean 2015, ch. 23, pars. 3-4.
- ^ Barrand, Janine, et al. Peter Allen. Melbourne, Vic: Victorian Arts Centre Trust, 2008, p. 45.
- ^ MacLean 2015, ch. 21, pars. 29-31; ch. 23, par. 28.
- ^ a b Michael Joseph Gross (5 October 2003). "The Boy From Oz You Won't Meet on Broadway". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
- ^ Allen, Peter. Captured Live at Carnegie Hall. Arista Records, 1985.
- ^ McCombs, Phil. "Of Love, Death and Hope; at the Human Rights Campaign Fund Dinner, Focusing on AIDS." The Washington Post, 9 October 1989, p. d01.
- The Atlanta Constitution, 9 August 1985, p. 1 I-P.
- ^ MacLean 2015, ch. 23, par. 34.
- ^ MacLean 2015, ch. 27, par 97; ch. 28, par. 28, 53.
- ^ Lambert, Bruce (19 June 1992). "Peter Allen, Concert Entertainer and Songwriter, Is Dead at 48". The New York Times.
- ^ "Obits." Update [San Diego, CA], no. 549, 1 July 1992, p. A-20. Via Gale. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
- ^ The Boy From Oz listing Amazon.com. Retrieved 2 December 2008
- ^ "Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door". IMDb. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- ^ "Winners by Award: Hall of Fame". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- Associated Press News. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ "Alex Trebek's final Jeopardy! episode closes with heartfelt tribute". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Associated Press. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- ^ ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- Cash Box. 19 November 1977. p. 68. Retrieved 25 November 2021 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Discography Peter Allen". Hung Medien. australian-charts.com. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ "Kent Music Report No 453 – 28 February 1983 > Platinum Albums 1982 (Continued)". Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via Imgur.com.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "I Still Call Australia Home": Ryan, Gavin (19 September 2015). "ARIA Singles: Justin Bieber 'What Do You Mean' Keeps Top Spot". Noise11. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
- "Tenterfield Saddler": Ryan, Gavin (26 September 2015). "ARIA Singles: Justin Bieber Maintains Top Spot After Four Weeks". Noise11. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
- ^ a b "Peter Allen – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ "Peter Allen New Zealand Singles". charts.nz. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Peter Allen search results". Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ "Peter Allen Belgian Singles". ultratop.be. ULTRATOP & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ "Academy Awards Database". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "Singer commissioned ambassador-at-large". Trove. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ "Peter Allen receives the 'Keys of Canberra'". ArchivesACT. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ "ARIA Hall of Fame". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 15 June 2008. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- ^ "Winners by Award: Hall of Fame". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2020. Note: shows inductees from 1999 to 2008, inclusive.
- ^ "Golden Globes Awards Database". Golden Globes. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "Grammy Awards". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ "The Queen's Birthday 1990 Honours". Trove. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
Sources
- MacLean, Stephen (2015). Peter Allen: The Boy from Oz (ISBN 9781760301484.
Further reading
- David Smith and Neal Peters, Peter Allen: Between The Moon and New York City (Delilah Press, 1983; ISBN 0-933328-57-5)
- Stephen Maclean, Peter Allen: The Boy From Oz (ISBN 0-09-183052-4)
- Frank Van Straten, "Peter Allen AM 1944–1992" (Live Performance Australia – Hall of Fame, 2007)
- Lawrence Schulman, "Somebody's Angel: Peter Allen, The Boy from Oz in the Key of Camp – A 21st-Century Reevaluation of His Music," ARSC Journal, Vol. 54:2 (Fall 2023), pp. 252–297. Winner of the 2024 ARSC Journal Article of the Year Award
- Lawrence Schulman, FREE: Words on Music by an Hi-Def Critic in an MP3 World, Chapter 35: Somebody's Angel: Peter Allen, revised and expanded, BearManor Media, 2024; ISBN 979-8887714660
- Lawrence Schulman, "Peter Allen: Somebody's Angel - The Boy from Oz in the Key of Camp," revised and expanded, BearManor Media, 2025; ISBN 979-8887716527}
External links
- Peter Allen at IMDb
- Peter Allen at the Internet Broadway Database
- Peter Allen bio and recordings
- Peter Allen Exhibition Website
- Peter Allen Collection, including his personal archive and costumes, at the Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre Melbourne