(Vocals, b. 1985) Daughter of comedy actor Keith Allen, Lily has gone on to surpass her father’s success with two platinum-selling albums in the Noughties. Allen blends British pop with elements of ska and R&B. That, coupled with acerbic observational lyrics brought her to prominence with her 2006 debut Alright, Still and UK chart-topping single ‘Smile’. The ...
(Trumpet, 1908–67) The son of bandleader Henry Allen Sr., Henry ‘Red’ Allen was one of the greatest trumpeters to come out of New Orleans, although he remained eternally in the shadow of Louis Armstrong. He moved to New York in 1927 to join King Oliver’s Dixie Syncopators and in 1929 the Victor label signed him as an answer ...
(Piano, b. 1957) Raised in Detroit, pianist-composer Allen emerged in New York City with older midwestern avant-gardists such as Lester Bowie and Oliver Lake, and hometown colleagues including saxophonist Kenny Garrett. Her albums feature elusive but lyrical compositions for small ensembles. She toured briefly and recorded Feel The Fire (1993) with singer Betty Carter, and has worked ...
(Guitar, vocals, 1883–1945) Jules Verne Allen was significant among early singing cowboys in that he had actually been a working cowboy. After years of trail driving he became a professional cowboy singer in an era when such a thing scarcely existed. In addition to radio, he recorded 24 sides for Victor during 1928–29. In 1933–34, he led ...
(Vocals, 1924–2003) Rosalie Allen was one of a number of western stars who called New York home, for despite being seemingly removed from anything remotely western, the city boasted a thriving scene. Born Julie Bedra in Pennsylvania, Allen idolized Patsy Montana and became an adept yodeller. From 1943, she was a star on New York radio. ...
(Vocals, guitar, 1930–93) After three years of pioneering three-part ‘high-lead’ harmonies with The Osborne Brothers, Red Allen split with his Ohio pals, convinced he could be a bluegrass star in his own right. He and another Dayton friend, mandolinist Frank Wakefield, moved to Washington in 1960 and recorded with musicians such as Chubby Wise and ...
(Vocals, actor, narrator, 1920–99) The last of the singing cowboys, Arizona-born Rex Allen made 19 movies for Republic before the genre ended with his The Phantom Stallion (1954). His powerful voice ensured several chart successes – the highest being ‘Crying In The Chapel’ (1953) – and a long career as a narrator for several Disney documentaries. The ...
(Vocals, piano, songwriter, b. 1943) This Texas-raised musician, sculptor and playwright is an American original. His left-of-centre songs about the road and life’s characters have created a cult following via such albums as Juarez (1975), Lubbock (On Everything) (1979) and Human Remains (1995). ‘New Delhi Freight Train’ and ‘Amarillo Highway’ are his most covered songs. Styles & ...
b. 1944 English baritone Allen’s early career was spent with the Welsh National Opera, in works ranging from Mozart to Britten. He made his Covent Garden debut as Donald in Britten’s Billy Budd in 1971, and his Metropolitan Opera debut as Papageno (The Magic Flute) in 1981. He appeared at English National Opera as Busoni’s Faust in 1986 and ...
(Vocals, b. 1981) Senegalese-American ex-convict Akon’s rise to fame has been swift, and his ability to stay there is testament to his musical ability. The rap and hip hop star (born Aliaune Badara Akon Thiam) arrived with debut single ‘Locked Up’ in 2004, and has since been nominated for six Grammys; he even held the top two positions ...
(Singer-songwriter, piano b. 1958) Catherine ‘Kate’ Bush CBE was the first female singer to top the UK charts with a self-penned song (‘Wuthering Heights’, 1978). She is a versatile and sometimes surreal songwriter whose work involves adventurous sound experimentation. The subject matter of her songs has embraced everything from Emily Brontë’s characters to controversial psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich (‘Cloudbusting’, 1985). Often ...
On 28 January 2008, Adele’s debut album 19 was released in the UK by XL Recordings (the name reflected her age at the time). By then, much hype had built up in the British press around the young singer. Within a week, the album hit No. 1 in the UK charts; it has since been certified four times ...
Adele has cheeky, natural charm. She comes across as a lovely young woman, yet she is also known for cussing like a sailor continually. When at home, she’s a bit of a clean freak and can’t go to bed until everything’s tidied up, describing the habit as ‘really anal’. She also says that she loves cooking, ...
The singing cowboys did not have the monopoly on country music on the silver screen, although it was their breed that first caught Hollywood’s attention. By the time the 1940s rolled around, several of Nashville’s top stars found that they could expand their careers by bringing their talents to the vast new audiences. Singing Stars In the earlier decade ...
(Vocal group, 1973–84) This hard-driving Canadian rock band were assembled by former Guess Who members Randy Bachman (guitar, vocals) and Chad Allen (keyboards) with Robbie Bachman (drums) and Fred Turner (bass). Third brother Tim Bachman soon replaced Allan and the band’s commercial breakthrough came with Bachman-Turner Overdrive II (1974) and the US hit ‘Takin’ Care Of Business’. In Britain ...
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David Bowie
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