Peter Allen (musician)

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.

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 the age of 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.

His father became a violent alcoholic after returning from World War II.

Allen had a long-term partner, model Gregory Connell (1949–84).

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.

His grandfather, George Woolnough, never understood or got over this devastating event.

In 1959, Allen went to Surfers Paradise to look for work and met Chris Bell, an English-born singer-guitarist.

Assisted by Chris Bell's father, Peter, and inspired by The Everly Brothers, they formed a singing duo called The Allen Brothers.

Allen began performing as "Peter Allen" around the same time.

Within a year, they were based in Sydney performing on the Australian music television program Bandstand.

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.

In 1964, Mark Herron, the husband of Judy Garland, discovered The Allen Brothers while they were performing in Hong Kong.

They became Judy Garland's opening act when she toured.

Charmed by Allen, Judy served as a matchmaker between him and her daughter, Liza Minnelli.

The Allen Brothers Act broke up in the spring of 1970.

Allen started releasing solo recordings in 1971, but throughout his career achieved greater success through his songs being recorded by others.

This tale is told in Allen's 1972 song, "Tenterfield Saddler".

They met in 1973 and were together until Connell's death in 1984.

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 straight after divorcing Minnelli, but never publicly came out as gay either.

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 Canada and won two Grammy Awards, for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for Newton-John.

In 1976, Allen released an album, Taught by Experts, which reached number one in Australia, along with the number one single "I Go to Rio" and the Top 10 hit of a Harry Warren standard "The More I See You".

The album also included the song "Quiet Please, There's A Lady On Stage" which was recorded by many artists including Jack Jones and Dusty Springfield.

Allen also co-wrote "Don't Cry Out Loud" with Carole Bayer Sager, popularized by Melissa Manchester in 1978, and "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love", also co-written with Bayer Sager and popularized by Rita Coolidge in 1979.

One of his signature songs, "I Go to Rio", co-written with Adrienne Anderson, was popularized in America by the group Pablo Cruise.

In a 1991 interview with the gay newspaper New York Native, he explained, "I was 'out' on stage years before anyone else. But I think outing is limiting. I don't feel like I should be labeled."

Despite Allen's outgoing persona, he was an intensely private man who shared little about his personal life even with those close to him.

Few people knew Allen had HIV/AIDS, partly in fear of alienating his conservative, heterosexual fans and thinking audiences would not want to see a performer they knew was sick.

In 1998, a musical about his life, The Boy from Oz, debuted in Australia.

It ran on Broadway and earned Hugh Jackman a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

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.

Allen was the first husband of Liza Minnelli.