Allison Ann Giles, who performed as Allison Durbin (born 24 May 1950), is a former New Zealand Australian singer, known for her success in the late 1960s and 1970s as a teen idol.
Biography
Allison Ann Durbin was born in 1950 in Auckland to Owen Durbin (born c. 1912/1913) and Agnes Durbin, the second eldest of seven children. She attended school at Westlake High School, and performed for four years in a children's choir. She became interested in singing and was inspired by artists like Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone and Dionne Warwick, and began performing in public in her early teens.
After winning a talent contest at an Auckland ballroom, she was signed to Eldred Stebbing's Zodiac Records at the age of 14 and issued a number of singles. Her third Zodiac single, a cover of Herman's Hermits "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat", out-sold the original in New Zealand and became her first charted hit. She built up a following in New Zealand, recording and fronting the Mike Perjanik Group and travelled with them to Australia in 1966 for residencies in Sydney. After nine months in Sydney, she left the group to pursue a solo career, making numerous appearances on Australian TV pop and variety shows.
Durbin's first single for His Master's Voice, "I Have Loved Me a Man", (a cover version of the song by Morgana King) became a No. 1 hit in New Zealand and also a hit in Australia. The song won her a New Zealand music award, 1968 Loxene Golden Disc, and she was named New Zealand Entertainer of the Year in 1969. For three years running (1969, 1970 and 1971), she won Australia's King of Pop Award for "Best Female Artist", commonly called the "Queen of Pop". Note: archived version only shows first part of three; rest of article is not archived. Archived version includes photos, live version does not. In 1971, she recorded a duet album, Together, with Johnny Farnham, who had been voted Australia's "King of Pop" during the same years Durbin received her awards.
Personal life
In the late 1960s, Durbin began a relationship with expatriate New Zealand record producer Howard Gable, then a senior A&R manager and in-house producer for EMI Australia. They married in 1969 and started a family. During the 1970s, as her career waned, Durbin began using heroin and her marriage to Gable ended. In 1985, she publicly acknowledged her battle with drugs and sought treatment at Odyssey House, a drug rehabilitation centre, but she was struck by a car two days after leaving the centre, which left her with serious injuries, including a broken jaw. After she recovered, she worked as a country music singer in the late 1980s. In 1986, she married for a second time to Ray Giles.
On 1 June 2007, under her married name Allison Giles, she was sentenced to 12 months' jail for cannabis trafficking. One of her co-accused, Giuseppe "Joe" Barbaro, whom she allegedly supplied with marijuana was a previously convicted drug dealer.
She is a relative of Canadian-born actress and lyric soprano Deanna Durbin.
Television YearTitlePerformanceType 1969–1970 In Melbourne Tonight Singer 7 episodes 1969; 1970 The Mike Walsh Show Singer 2 episodes1970 Bandstand Singer 1 episode 1970 TV Week Logie Awards Singer ("I Have Loved Me a Man" / "River Deep – Mountain High") TV special Happening '70 Singer1971 Happening '71 Singer ("Holy Man" / "A Man and a Woman" / "Baby Without You" with John Farnham) 3 episodes Uptight Singer 1 episode Young Talent Time Singer 1 episode1972 The Graham Kennedy Show Singer ("Amerikan Music") 1 episode Happening '72 Singer ("Amerikan Music") 1 episode 1973 Australian Popular Song Festival 1973 Singer TV special 1974–1975 The Ernie Sigley Show Singer 9 episodes 1977 Telethon '77 Singer TV special 1980; 1982 The Don Lane Show Singer 2 episodes 1980; 1983 The Mike Walsh Show Singer 2 episodes 1984 Tonight with Bert Newton Singer ("I Love a Rainy Night") 1 episode 1992 Hey Hey It's Saturday Singer ("Put Your Hand in the Hand" / "Can't Get Over You") 2 episodes 1994–1995 Good Morning Australia Singer ( "Bright Eyes" / "Crazy" / "River Deep – Mountain High") 3 episodes 2003 Love is in the Air Herself Episode 2: "She's Leaving Home"
Discography Studio albums + List of albums, with Australian chart positions Title Album details Peak chartpositions AUS I Have Loved Me a Man Released: 1968 Format: LP Label: His Master's Voice - Soft and Soulful Released: 1969 Format: LP Label: His Master's Voice - Together (with Johnny Farnham) Released: August 1971 Format: LP Label: His Master's Voice (OCSD 7682) 22 Amerikan Music Released: 1972 Format: LP Label: His Master's Voice - Born a Woman Released: November 1976 Format: LP Label: Hammard (HAM011) 75 Are You Lonesome Tonight Released: June 1977 Format: LP Label: Hammard (HAM017) 52 Three Times a Lady Released: 1978 Format: LP Label: Hammard - Bright Eyes Released: 1979 Format: LP Label: Hammard (HAM043) 34 Shining Star Released: 1980 Format: LP Label: Hammard (HAM055) 43 My Kind of Country Released: November 1981 Format: LP Label: Hammard (HAM063) 97 Nothing But the Very Best (with Diana Trask) Released: August 1982 Format: LP Label: Hammard (HAMD075) 88 Country Love Songs Released: September 1983 Format: LP Label: Hammard (HAM089) 79 Reckless Girl Released: 1992 Format: CD Label: -
Charting singles
+ List of singles, with Australian chart positions Year Title Peak chartpositions AUS 1968 "Don't Come Any Closer" 47 "I Have Loved Me a Man" 27 1969 "Games People Play" 29 "He's Bad Bad Bad" 98 1970 "Golden Days" 98 1971 "Put Your Hand in the Hand" 24 "Baby, Without You" 27 1972 "Amerikan Music" 33
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 1968 New Zealand Music Awards Most Promising Female "I Have Loved Me a Man" 1969 The Go-Set Pop Poll by Go-Set Best Female Vocal 1st TV Week The King of Pop Awards Best Female Artist 1970 The Go-Set Pop Poll by Go-Set Best Girl 1st TV Week The King of Pop Awards Best Female Artist 1971 The Go-Set Pop Poll by Go-Set Best Girl Vocal 1st TV Week The King of Pop Awards Best Female Artist 1972 The Go-Set Pop Poll by Go-Set Best Female Vocal 2nd TV Week The King of Pop Awards Best Dressed Female Performer 1979Mo Awards Country Female Entertainer of the Year 1980 Country Female of the Year
Note: Durbin is often referred to as the 'Queen of Pop', but won Best Female Artist at the King of Pop Awards from 1969 to 1971. The Queen of Pop award was introduced in 1972. In 2003, Durbin reiterated this saying, "I never in fact won a queen of pop award. The award was called The King of Pop Awards.
References
Works cited Noel McGrath's Australian Encyclopedia of Rock & Pop - Rigby Publishers - 1978 The Who's Who of Australian Rock - Chris Spencer - Moonlight Publishing
External links
Amplifier NZ Music Pop Archives Feature – "Don't Come any Closer" Pop Archives Feature – "Put Your Hand in the Hand"