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Bobby & Laurie
Also known asLaurie Allen and Bobby Bright
OriginMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
GenresBeat pop
Years active
  • 1964 (1964)–1967 (1967)
  • 1969 (1969)–1971 (1971)
Labels
Past members
  • Laurie Allen
  • Bobby Bright

Bobby & Laurie were an Australian beat pop duo of the 1960s, with Laurie Allen (1942–2002) on vocals, guitar and keyboards and Bobby Bright (born in Watford, England, 3 February 1945) on vocals and guitar. Their regular backing band were the Rondells. The duo's most popular singles were, "I Belong with You" (1964) and "Hitch Hiker" (1966). Their debut album, Bobby and Laurie (1965), was the first for independent label, Go!!. The duo disbanded in 1967 to pursue solo careers and briefly reformed from 1969 to 1971. Laurie Allen died in 2002, aged 60, after a heart attack.

History

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Lawrence Frank Allen was born in Melbourne on 9 March 1942 to Jack and Edna Allen.[1] On vocals and guitar Allen formed the Three Jays, in the late 1950s, with Jimmy Braggs on piano accordion and Johnny MacGaw on drums.[1][2] He followed with stints in the Lories (c. 1958) and then the Roulettes (1958–59), a long-running Melbourne revue band.[1][2] From 1959 to 1961, he was lead guitarist for Malcolm Arthur & the Knights,[2][3] and in 1962 he was lead singer and organist of a previously instrumental group, the Blue Jays. At the end of 1963, the Blue Jays became the Fabulous Blue Jays, the backing band for singer, Tony Worsley. Allen then rejoined the Roulettes.

Robert Harry Bright was born on 3 February 1945 in Watford, England and arrived in Adelaide in April 1954, via SS Strathnaver, at age nine.[4][5] His mother Elsie May Bright née Jackson (1915–2001) was a domestic worker, who had divorced her husband and had sole custody of their son before emigrating.[4] Bright worked as a solo artist in Adelaide in the early 1960s.[6] During 1961 he sang pop vocals at Surfside Dance for Teenagers, Henley Town Hall, each Friday night.[7] Bright moved to Melbourne and released two singles on the W&G Records label in 1963, "Girls Never Notice Me" (with the Strangers) and "Defeated by His Heart", before joining the Roulettes later in that year.[2][3][8]

Former vocalist of the Roulettes, Ron Blackmore became an artist manager in the early 1960s.[9] Allen and Bright, who performed separately as soloists, and with the Roulettes, all joined Blackmore's management company.[2][9] In March 1964, Allen made his first solo TV appearance, on Graham Kennedy's In Melbourne Tonight. Later that year, both appeared as solo artists on The Go!! Show, which was produced by DYT Productions (owned by Horrie Dargie, Arthur Young, Johnny Tillbrook]].[10] They soon established a duo, Laurie Allen and Bobby Bright.[6] They became regulars on The Go!! Show,[3][6] alongside the Strangers, and were paid £ 50 per appearance.

As Bobby & Laurie (or Bobby and Laurie), the duo issued the first single for Go!! Records, "I Belong with You", in August 1964.[2] It was written by Allen.[11] The label was established by DYT Productions in association with their The Go!! Show.[12] "I Belong with You" was produced by English-born producer, Roger Savage, who had arrived in Australia from London where he had worked with the Rolling Stones and Dusty Springfield.[2] It reached number one on the local Melbourne charts for two weeks and peaked at No. 9 on the Kent Music Report (KMR)'s Australian singles chart.[13] Allen won an Australian Record Award for Best Composition for that song in 1965.

Bobby & Laurie regularly worked with a backing band, the Rondells (previously the Lincolns and then the Silhouettes), which had an initial line-up of Bernie O'Brien on lead guitar, John Sullivan on rhythm guitar, Dennis Tucker on bass guitar and Dennis Collins on drums.[3] The duo toured Australia, supported by a new line-up of the Rondells, with Sullivan joined by Roger Treble on lead guitar (ex-Silhouettes, Lincolns), Wayne Duncan on bass guitar (ex-Lincolns) and Gary Young on drums (ex-Silhouettes, Lincolns).[3] Duncan and Young later formed the rhythm section of 1970's group Daddy Cool.[3] Bobby & Laurie performed as Tweedledum and Tweedledee in a Christmas pantomime of Alice in Wonderland at Melbourne's Tivoli Theatre, in December 1964.

In early 1965 the pair appeared on TV music show, Teen Scene, on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), where they were dragged off the stage by screaming female fans. They appeared in the premiere episode of Channel 0's children's program, Magic Circle Club on 23 January, playing characters Twoddle and Boddle. They released three more singles on Go!! Records during 1965, "Someone" (which reached No. 20 on KMR), "Judy Green" (No. 28) and "Crazy Country Hop" (No. 54).[13] In May 1965 they supported a national tour by the Dave Clark Five, the Seekers and Tommy Quickly.[14] In June Bobby & Laurie and the Rondells co-headlined a show with the Easybeats at the Canberra Theatre.[15] Later that year they supported the American singer, P. J. Proby on his national tour.[2]

In 1966 the duo switched to the Albert Productions label, for the singles, "Sweet and Tender Romance" (February) and their version of Roger Miller's 1962 B-side "Hitch Hiker" (March). which gave them a national number-one hit for five weeks in May and June.[13][16] They also changed management from Blackmore to Mal Fisher. On the strength of "Hitch Hiker", the Australian Broadcasting Corporation gave them their own TV show, It's a Gas – later re-branded as Dig We Must. The show was designed to attract a more sophisticated adult market, but lost the duo much of their teen appeal, which led to friction between the two artists. After recording their last album Exposaic (1966), the pair officially split in early 1967 after three years together.

Bobby & Laurie reunited on a radio program in February 1968 and returned to the charts with their cover version of the country music song, "The Carroll County Accident" (1969). It was followed by "Looking Through the Eyes of Love" (1970), but they split again by late 1971. In the following years, the pair performed occasionally as Bobby & Laurie until their final Don't Let the Music Die concert on 1 June 2002 at the Kingston City Hall. On 13 June 2002,

Solo careers

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After the break-up, Allen continued performing as a soul revue act initially known as Dice, which was later renamed the Laurie Allen Revue. Allen became a country music singer-songwriter and issued solo albums, Once Upon a Song (1972), Any Other Man (1976) and Me 'N' Jack Daniels (1997). He had collaborated with indigenous boxer and country music singer Lionel Rose on Rose's second album, Jackson's Track (1971), including writing the title track.[17] Bright worked in cabaret as well as acting. He appeared on TV police drama, Homicide. In 1968, he became a disc-jockey and radio presenter at Melbourne radio station 3XY. In 1973, Bright performed as the Doctor in the Melbourne stage production of Tommy.

Laurie Allen died on 13 June 2002, aged 60, from a heart attack.[2][18] Music journalist Christie Eliezer observed that he was described as "the archetypal gentle soul".[18] Fellow country music artist Keith Glass remembered Allen, as "a sweet soul and a contributor throughout his life to the illustrious musical history" of Australia.[17]

Discography

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Singles

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Year Single Chart Positions
AUS[13]
1964 "I Belong with You" 9
1965 "Someone" 20
"Judy Green" 28
"Crazy Country Hop" 54
1966 "Sweet and Tender Romance" 49
"Hitch Hiker" 1
"High Noon" 14
"First Street Blues" (with The Rondells) 46
1969 "The Carroll County Accident" 30
1970 "Through the Eyes of Love" 13

Albums

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  • Bobby and Laurie – 1965
  • Hitch Hiker – 1966
  • Exposaic – 1966

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Bonnie (21 November 2004). "Laurie Allen". Bonnie's Laurie Allen Tribute. Archived from the original on 15 December 2005. Retrieved 21 September 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kimball, Duncan (2005). "Bobby & Laurie". Milesago: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. Ice Productions. Archived from the original on 14 March 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f McFarlane, Ian (31 March 2017). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Bobby and Laurie'". The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Jenkins, Jeff (Foreword) (2nd ed.). Gisborne, VIC: Third Stone Press (published 2017). p. 56. ISBN 978-0-9953856-0-3.
  4. ^ a b "Item details: AP67/1, Strathnaver 30/5/1954 Bright". National Archives of Australia. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  5. ^ "Bobby Bright". SecondHandSongs. Archived from the original on 12 February 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  6. ^ a b c Nimmervoll, Ed. "Bobby and Laurie". Howlspace – The Living History of Our Music. White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd (Ed Nimmervoll). Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2019 – via Trove (National Library of Australia).
  7. ^ "Surf side Dance for Teenagers". The Standard. No. 96. Port Adelaide, SA. 21 June 1961. p. 11. Retrieved 13 February 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ Greaves, Rob (22 June 2013). "Bob Bright: Child of Rock and Roll – A Review". Toorak Times. Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ a b Kimball, Duncan. "Industry - Ron Blackmore". MilesAgo. Archived from the original on 16 March 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ Knox, David (4 January 2023). "Vale: Dennis Smith". TV Tonight.
  11. ^ "Song Catalogue Search Results for 'I Belong with You'". APRA AMCOS (Australasian Performing Right Association, Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society). Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  12. ^ Kimball, Duncan. "Record Labels – Go!! Records". MilesAgo. Archived from the original on 25 March 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2023 – via National Library of Australia.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ a b c d Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940–1969. Turramurra, NSW: Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd. ISBN 0-6464-4439-5. n.b.: Chart positions back calculated by Kent in 2005.
  14. ^ de Marigny, Harold (28 May 1965). "A Galaxy of Stars: They're Alive, Man!". The Australian Jewish Herald. Vol. 86, no. 21. Victoria, Australia. p. 5. Retrieved 13 February 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ "Theatre Booked Second show for Winifred Atwell". The Canberra Times. Vol. 39, no. 11, 194. ACT, Australia. 29 June 1965. p. 11. Retrieved 13 February 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ Nuttall, Lyn. "Bobby and Laurie – 'Hitch Hiker' (1966)". Pop Archives – Where did they get that song?. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  17. ^ a b Glass, Keith. "Laurie Allen". Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA). Archived from the original on 3 November 2004. Retrieved 14 February 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ a b Eliezer, Christie (18 June 2002). "Vale Laurie Allen". Music & Media Business News. Archived from the original on 14 January 2003. Retrieved 14 February 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
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