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Bonnie’s Laurie Allen Tribute Bobby & Laurie
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Thank you to Laraine Roach For sending me this fan
card. Obviously a big Bobby
& Laurie fan to have kept this for so long… thank you Laraine
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Bobby Bright and Laurie Allen started out as solo artists on The GO Show!! until
someone suggested they team up, together as Bobby & Laurie they were the
greatest, they had the talent, the looks and above all the humour that won over the teenagers of the 60’s. Bobby &
Laurie were very much respected by the teenagers of the 60’s and the mums and
dads of the time, I guess you could say they had a squeaky cleanness about
them and they intern treated their many fans in such a way that anyone who
met them loved them, I know I was there, I saw the magic they created. Bobby and
Laurie had the first record on the GO label with “I Belong With You” and
continued to create hysteria all over From 1964
until 2002 there was Bobby & Laurie (off & on) they were a great team
in the 60’s and later when the demand was too great they would re-unite and
every time they would prove they still had it and lift the roof with the
hysteria again like time stood still, right up to the last concert in 2002. The Bobby & Laurie Diary Two Hundred Years A week by week historical count down to Yeah Yeah Yeah It was
during the sixties that young Australian musicians realised that they could
write their own songs, develop an original sound and take a crack at the lucrative
international market. Indeed the roots of the ‘Downunder
Sound’ purveyed by the likes of Men At Work and INXS in the eighties can be
traced directly back to 1965. In the year the Beatles’ visit began to
influence indigenous music. When the
hypnotic sound of the Fab Four from If the sound
of The Beatles instigated changes in the very structure of Australian popular
music then their actual presence created a brand new industry. G.A.B. Two Hundred Years A week by week historical count
down to ‘GROOVE, baby, GROOVE’ By the time
Australian rockers finally made it into recording studios, the initial rabid
thrust of music was on the wane in G.A.B. |
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Laurie, Bev Harrell & Bobby
1966.
Parlophone Promo.photo for
Sweet And Tender Romance/Down In The Valley.
Peters Australian Rock History Series. Card No.4 in a series of 24
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November 1963 Johnny
Chester Teenage Show A special teenage show which will be
presented at the Town Hall, Benalla on Tuesday November 26. Johnny will include in his show well
known teenage idols….There will be Bobby Bright- one of Top teenage favourites and a W&G
recording artist April Byron, also from Laurie Allen from Accompany the artists…….. November 15…. November 27.. Albury The Indoor Palais. November 28….Echuca The Paramount Theatre November 30 Mildura The Murray Room. The Ensign 1964 … Bobby & Laurie team up on
the Go-Show!! For 50
pounds Bobby & Laurie would appear before more than 1500 crazed fans
(without security) Part liner by Glenn A. Baker from
Bobby & Laurie’s album The very best Of Bobby and Laurie 1964 in it is run
like a dance except that every 20mins an act is brought out” They said that
the problem in the country was to find
a hall big enough to hold all the people who wanted to see the show. At Easter
they held a show in Admission
charge for the And based on
travelling costs. Email from
Darryl Scott ( Thanks Darryl
I am glad my little page brought back good memories for you, they were the
best times, we were so lucky…Thanks for your contribution……Bonnie TV- THE HAIRCUT Veritas-
The TV Week… December 1964 Bobby and Laurie star in pantomime Alice In Wonderland,
as Tweedle Dee &
Tweedle Dum. January 1965 Pantomime-Alice In Wonderland….Theatre-Tivoli Pat Carroll is a polished “
Seaton Ashton. January 1965 ATV0’s New childrens show “The Magic Circle Club” will start on
Monday February 1. The new show will be set in an enchanted forest with a
magic cottage for Nancy Cato, a wishing well outside and a picturesque
castles in the background. The show will be aimed at children from 5 to 12
and 50 will participate each night. Scriptwriter John Howson
is writing original songs for the programs. There will be puppets such as
Leonardo D Funbird, Cuckoo(I’m the greatest)
Cassius and Marlene De Witch and artists will include musicians Bruce Rowlands, Geoff Wightman and John Lesley and Bobby
Bright, Laurie Allen and Pat Carroll. TV
Week.. January 1965
Johnny Chesters “Teen Scene” is getting a
shot in the arm after a spate of criticisms about the show’s general production. One of the biggest boosts
was Bobby Bright and Laurie Allen’s performance on a recent “Teen Scene” when yelling female fans
dragged them off stage.
TV Week April 1965 Top 40 Dancing at April 3rd In person at Laurie Allen & Bobby
Bright… Get your record autographed at Herrods. May 1965 POLICE GUARD FOR POPS Pig-tailed popsters
Bobby Bright & Laurie Allen will be guarded by six policeman when they
sing at the Carlton Football clubs rock ‘n’ roll
show on May 9. At the beat-meet several weeks back
Bright & Allen were mobbed by more than 2,000 fans and lost most Of their clothing, the boop-de-duo have insisted on a police escort before they
would sing at the At which a crowd of 10,000 is
expected. TV Times .. May19 1965… Bobby Bright and Laurie Allen (due for
the Dave Clark Five/Seekers tour) will have their new record released on May
27. As Promised we got a fine color shot of the
boys. It will be coming up in Disc soon. It seems as you’ve all kept telling
me, they’re the hottest pop property in
Everybody’s The Rondells will be
third to record on the Go label, then comes Terry
Dean as the fourth. The Henchmen (winners of the 3UZ Sound Spectacular) were
second and of course Bobby and Laurie were first.
Everybody’s May 19 1965 1965 . .Bobby and Laurie’s “I Belong With You” (written by Laurie
Allen) wins Australian Record Award
“Best Composition” May 1965 .. Bobby & Laurie
tour with The Dave Clark Five and The Seekers… July
1965 The Sound That’s Come Is Go. What
makes GO go?
Partially it’s the sound mixed and cooked in the recording studios.
Partially it’s the fine delivery of artists like Bobby Bright and Laurie
Allen. Partially it’s professionalism at executive levels. But whatever it is, the Go label has
gone on to the charts all over the country and swept the pop spotlight on to |
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PJ Proby Tour 1965 1965.. Bobby & Laurie join The PJ Proby Tour At the
peak of their popularity all Bobby & Laurie’s birthdays came at once when
they were signed along with The Easybeats (who
backed them) as support to an Australian tour by their idol PJ Proby. Everything they had ever tried to be on stage was
suddenly manifesting before their eyes. the tour had a profound effect on
their careers, even to the point of them recording “Hold Me” as a tribute to
the man. Part
liner by Glenn A. Baker on Bobby & Laurie’s album “The Very Best Of Bobby
and Laurie”.
The PJ Proby Tour Program 1965 Thank you to Leanne Thomas for sending me a copy of this..very much appreciated.
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The Dave Clark Five tour…. 1965
Bobby & Laurie with Ian Turpie and Tony McLaren
Bobby & Laurie as Tweedle Dum
& Tweedle Dee in “ in 1965 not to be mistaken for Twoddle & Boddle
below. TV Times
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Bobby Bright hails originally from singing in dance halls and on TV. With a number of Appearances on “In Adelaide
Tonight”. He moved to Melbourne late 1963 and it was while he was working for
a leading Victorian Dance circuit that he met Laurie Allen who was also doing
quite well and had appeared on television in Melbourne The big
break came when the boys decided to team up. These two very personable young men have
demonstrated amazing versatility by appearing successfully on television in
various teenage pop shows,a children’s television
series and a very successful stint in “Alice In Wonderland’ at the Melbourne
Tivoli. Their first disc “I Belong With
You” proved a chart-topper throughout Trying To
separate Bobby and Laurie is just about as difficult as an operation on
Siamese twins. Preserving their image as a “group”
seems to be a fetish with them…..and they make it known that they are the
closest of friends.They always appear together.
They are never photographed individually. Bobby and
Laurie, who appear as one of the featured stars in The Big Show’s
presentation of The Dave
Clark Five, have just won as well as
for the “ Best Australian Composition” Last month , Bobby and Laurie also won
the coveted 5KA Award in June 1966 The Listener-In Protests
from a charity organisation about collecting tins of food seem to have been
in vain. The idea is spreading instead of stopping. Admission to the
Frankston Modville dance on Saturday night June 4
will be 50c, plus a tin of food for charity. Big guest list for the dance will be Ian Turpie, Bobby & Laurie,Yvonne
Barrett, Buddy “Life” I reflected yesterday,
as trembled in the air and the birds sang “Life “has become immeasurably more
meaningful since PJ visited our fair city. More birds sang and somewhere a celestial
choir seemed to be humming happiness as I mused further. And to think he’ll
be back at Festival Hall next Friday. It’s as if Santa came twice a year,
better really. I mean Santa’s red suit and Ho Ho’
is pretty funny but it can’t compare with PJ’s baby
blue velvet ensemble and his superb impressions of a pantomime Dame hopping
about on hot coals. PJ has got something for everyone, he sets biology
students re-reading, gives would be dentists an idea of what it would be like
to spend most of their working years gazing into gaping mouths and provides
new hope to the clothing industry’s dream of planned obsolescence…that’s his
secret, I suppose- audience participation, who of us there will ever forget
the way be brought the audience into his act, not once but many times, with
that great line, “ Yo hot? It’s hot under these hot lights Yo Hot” but that’s
the electrifying PJ… he’s so unpredictable. Also appearing on next Friday’s
program with PJ are Bobby & Laurie who could fairly claim that, on the
basis of sustained audience squealing, they matched the great man. Of course,
theirs is a different sort of entertainment. For one thing they didn’t bother
with those interminable lovesick ballads. They simply threw themselves into
numbers that really rocked, didn’t waste time asking the audience personal
hygiene questions and showed why many believe they’re the top pop talent in .March 1965 .. Success for Bobby and Laurie is like riding on a
runaway express train these days, most artists claim to be in big demand but when you learn that these
two boys appear at six different dances each Saturday Night you know they are not kidding (
Listener In-TV March 27-April 2 1965.) |
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1969 at the opening of a department store in
January 1992 The “Rockin Back The Clock Show.” A Big thank you to Bryan, Diana and Matthew for this photo and all the other treasures you so kindly gave
to me, I loved those shirts..
Bobby
& Laurie with Kevin “Bloody |
April 1966.
Australian Beat. M.P.D.LTD., and Bobby & Laurie are wild about their
ad. in American “CashBox”
it announces the advent of “Little Boy Sad” and “I Belong With You” on the
L.T.D. label for national distribution in the Everybody’s April 13 1966 by Maggie Makeig. April 1966. Where
It’s Happening. Bobby & Laurie planned to hitch-hike from are a good bet for a
lift. Now perhaps you can see why they had to fly.
Everybody’s April 13 1966 Mike Furber….. Go-Set
Vol.1 No.17 July 1966 New Teenage Show Planned. ABC-TV plans to introduce a new national pop show built
around this year’s big entertainment successes, Bobby and Laurie. The pilot
for the proposed show in which Normie Rowe will
guest star will be produced at the ABC’s Bobby and Laurie have one of the best stage presentations
of Australian pop stars. They should adapt smoothly to TV stardom. The show
will be produced and directed by Barry Langford, who announced last week that
the Willard King Organisation had released him to do freelance producing and
directing. Bobby and Laurie have some definite ideas for TV shows-including
plenty of spontaneity and a fast pace. Both are zany humorists and should
have a breezy TV manner… Robin Strathdee TV Week July 1966.. Bobby & Laurie get their own TV
show on the ABC called “It’s A Gas” later retitled “Dig We Must” July 1966.. Bobby & Laurie get their own TV
show on the ABC called “It’s A Gas” later retitled “Dig We Must” |
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Bobby & Laurie with their new found popularity thru
“Dig We Must” success and “High Noon” sales make one of their few live
appearances next Saturday at Teenrage”
Broadmeadows- go along and you’ll see why they were voted “Best Stage Act In
Australia” Stan Rofe…….. Go-Set Vol.1 No.36. November 23 1966
Dig We Must…..In Three months “Dig We Must” has become
ABC-TV’s top rating show, it stars popular singing duo Bobby & Laurie
with special guests each week. No one can quite pin point just why the
program is riding on such a high but Barry Langford puts it this way- “It has
youth, vitality and the big band sound which is back in”. It is a teenage
show made for adults- We try to cater for the young as well as adults. It’s
the music that you don’t always hear on record but it’s the type of music
people want” . This is the formula that worked for Langfords
successful English series before coming to May 1967… Bobby & Laurie will not reform….Rumor is rife that Bobby and Laurie are considering
reforming. A leading national TV magazine even carried a front page story
confirming it. But Laurie said to Go-Set!!.” The thought of again being a duo
hasn’t occurred to me, I’m completely happy with my own group and I know
Bobby is satisfied with his TV show. We have not discussed any such move. I
can’t see how the story started. Our sound is beginning to work out as
planned- especially with the backing of Michelle and Colleen”. Everything
does seem to be smooth sailing. On this weeks Go!! Show the group do a
continuous 12 minute spot, this is the first time in many months anyone has
been given such a space. So nothing is further from Laurie’s mind than
joining Bobby. After a slow start he is again finding his feet in the pop
world.
GO-SET!! Vol.2 No.18. 1969 Bobby
& Laurie win Best Country Award for “Carroll County Accident” “
The Bobby and Laurie Levis Show”. Sir Robert Helpmann and Vi Greenhalf. compere Bobby Shaw. Also appearing Ian
Turpie,The Strangers,Pat Carroll,Buddy dressed as a butler carrying a violin case which only
contained a harmonica for Bobby to play. The first night we did this Bobby knew nothing about it
and the look on his face, well you had to be there to see it…just one of many zany ideas Laurie came
up with. Looking through the dates from 1969 to 1971 I was with
them at all the places in How did you find out about the gigs at Kentucky Fried
Chicken, I remember the one we did at Sandown Park on the And Laurie had the audience sing happy birthday to him,
another time at Was playing with the JoyeBoys
and it was Cols birthday, His brother Keith started playing happy birthday and
everybody joined in.
Memories of good times by Barry Maddock (Road
manager for Bobby & Laurie 60’s to early 70’s) |
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Bobby & Laurie at
The 1998
Bobby & Laurie with Bernie
O’Brien at The
The Last Concert ‘One
week before Laurie passed away, they did it again. |
singing “In The Summertime”, “Tennessee Flat Top Box”, “Tulips”,”Rockin Boppin Waltz”,”High Noon”, “Bucks Polka”, “Hitchhiker”, “Don
Gibson Medley” August 9…. Johnny Young … Raves On.. Where Have All The
Pop Stars Gone? Well I asked myself the other day, whatever happened to
all the stars of the Go-Show days and after a bit of research I came up with
some interesting information. Bobby and Laurie After a long split Bob and Laurie have returned to the
public and have in my humble opinion, the best night-club act in Australia.they are killing them at the Chevron, should
have top billing. P/S Bobby is also a very successful DJ on 3XY of
course. Go-Set Vol.4 No32 singing “Folsolm Prison Blues”
and Tennessee Flat Top Box”, also on the show, The Troubadoors, Lynn Rogers
and Kamahl. November 1969.. Bobby
& Laurie win the Major Broadcasting Award for “The Best Country
Record for 1969” for “ presented at the
Menzies Hotel by 2UE. And “Folsolm Prison Blues” “Swinger Central”
Lands office. “ TV filming with 5,000 kids. also on the show. Bobby &
Laurie appear at Beer Festival at Surfers for “Carroll County
Accident” presented at The Menzies Hotel Sydney by 2UE. “ March 1970
Bobby & Laurie names reported to be published in “Cash Box” October 21 & 22 1970.. Bobby
& Laurie at Southside Six. November 1970..Bobby &
Laurie have regular shows at December 1970.. Bobby
& Laurie start regular gigs at Sandown park, The Sportsmens Club and feature Ronnie Burns,
Masters Apprentice, Mixtures, Town Cryers, John Williamson and Bobby &
Laurie. Go-Set!! Vol.5.No 51 As a team Bobby and Laurie Have lasted longer than many
marriages do. Their partnership dates back to 1965 when they first got together on the old Go-Show, they
broke up about a year and a half back and the split lasted twelve months. Their come-back was cemented with the
success of “Carroll County Accident” and “Through The Eyes Of Love”
currently No.3 on the Australian chart is another smash hit for the duo. “The song isn’t original” Bobby Bright complains, “It’s
and old German folk with new lyric, the melody has been used for a lot of songs, we decided to record it because
it’s so catchy”. Bobby and Laurie spend their time performing at several Laurie Allen has just finished writing and producing a
new album for Lionel Rose and is currently working with Bobby on their own
forthcoming LP, it will be completely made of
original compositions. Bobby Bright’s radio work still keeps him pretty frantic, he’s a disc jockey on 3XY in
Go-Set!! Vol.5 No.51 |
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Rider.. Bobby and
Laurie…Form.. Useful gallopers with some claims. Go-Set!! Vol.6 No.10 February 1971.. Bobby & Laurie
receive award for The Best Country & Western Record for “Through The Eyes Of Love” by 2UE in 1971 Bobby & Laurie release “I’m Gonna Be A Wheel Someday” with “Train Of Love” On the B
side. 1972 August… The Peanuts Gallery (Swanston St.City) Thursday to Sunday nights Bobby Bright and
The Bright Band 1983 Live
Review from The livin’ End….vol.1 Venue..Billboard The Line Up…Colin
Cook, Lynne Randall, Ross D.Wylie, The Rondells & Bobby & Laurie. The Last Great
60’s Show Colin Cook sang many of his hits including his biggie “Heart”.Lynne Randall finished with a fab
“Ciao Baby” The Rondells came on and played
a good tight set. They were very close to the Rondells
lineup with Phil Manning on guitar to help out. By now I was
getting restless and when Bobby & Laurie burst on to the stage the whole night immediately became
worthwhile… Laurie’s hair had gone grey and he’d put on a little
weight but he still gave off the sort of flamboyance “youngies” like me
had only read about. Bobby still looked 25 and it was like they had never
been away. They literally
stormed through all their greatest hits kicking off with “I Belong With You”
and “Tender Romance” “High Noon” “Hitchhiker” “Through The
Eyes Of Love’.The band were really cookin and they did a
pounding version of “Tobacco Road’. They finished with “I Belong With You” and I went home a very happy Man…MORE PLEASE. 1983 Homeward
Bound For Sixties Duo… Legendary sixties rock duo Bobby & Laurie
have done a Skyhooks- they are reforming for a special concert in
their hometown. But this time around Laurie Allen 40, won’t be dying his
grey hair black. “There were grey streaks in my hair at 18” said Laurie, who is
still recovering after a serious car accident in 1980. Laurie who now plays
with Cowboy Bob Purtell on the And Bobby, who has been active in studio work at The duo, whose anthology album was released recently,
will perform at Billboard nightclub on May 12. Their big hits, between 1965
and 1970, include I Belong With You, Judy Green, Crazy Country Hop,
Hitchhiker, High Noon, Carroll County Accident and Through The Eyes Of Love. “We will be wearing our R.M.Williams
boots, out tailor made blue and white polka dot mod shirts and dazzling dacs” Laurie said. Bobby & Laurie will be backed by their original band
The Rondells. Also on the show are Lynne Randall,
Colin Cook, Ross D. Wylie and the Jealous Guys. Written by Dave Dawson …… Daily Mirror 1986 Bobby and Laurie team up again for
appearances at the Roxy Hotel in 1990 Bobby
and Laurie were one of the first acts to appear on the The
Go! Show and their zany stage act ensured a huge following, firstly in With You” from
February 1965 that really changed the course of Australian music, with it’s
original ‘beat’ sound and
just a hint of the country style that unfortunately developed later in their
career, the single went straight to
No.1 in in January 1992.. “Rockin Back
the Clock Show” at The Melbourne Concert Hall attracted 1400 rockers to with Bobby & Laurie getting
together again after 10years with Bev Harrell, Grantley Warren Williams and others…It was a great night enjoyed
by all. 1997… Bobby and Laurie appear in all 60’s show at
The Entertainment Centre. 1997 .. Bobby & Laurie release new cd called “Turning point” February 1998 … Bobby & Laurie
put on A Night To Remember at the to a packed house. December 1999..
Bobby & Laurie together again for The Nu Country
Christmas bash at The Bush Inn. December 2000.. The Oz-Rock Film Festival. Bobby & Laurie appear at The Paramount Cinema- Club 43 Melville rd
August 2001.. The Beatles Downunder
Film Festival. Bobby & Laurie return to The Paramount Cinema –Club
43 Melville rd November 2001.. “Return To The Barry Stanton & Bobby & Laurie. for the “Don’t Let
The Music Die “ Concert with Billy Owens.
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