| Bridgette Allen | |
| Birth Place: | New Zealand |
| Nationality: | New Zealander |
| Style: | Jazz |
| Awards: | Most Professional Entertainer 1977 |
| Website: | Bridget Allen |
Bridgette Allen is a New Zealand-born jazz singer who has a career going back to the 1960s. She has appeared on television in both New Zealand and Australia. She also starred in the film Hooks and Feelers, which was an adaptation of a Keri Hulme story.
Allen was born in New Zealand, and is of Maori descent.[1] [2] She is also the cousin of the singer Abe Phillips who died in 1971.[3] [4]
By April 1970, and with no major plans to return to Australia, Allen was now based in Auckland.[5] In 1971, having already worked in Bangkok, by late February she was in Tahiti. There were plans for her undertake an Australian tour, which she would co-compere with Howard Morrison to promote tourism.[6] [7] In May, due to commitments in New Zealand, Allen turned down a contract as a supporting artist for Morrison in Honolulu.[8] It was reported in the 11 July issue of The Sunday News, that she was to stand in for Paul Fisher while he went with Ray Woolf to the United States, taking two months off of an eight month contract.[9] In April 1973, it was announced in the Sunday Herald that Allen was off to the United States as guest of Carmen McRae. She was also going to look at the possibilities or work over there.[10]
In June 1975, she embarked on a cabaret tour which would include Australia, the Philippines and the possibly other locations such as Singapore.[11] In 1976, in spite of her comments the previous year that the club circuit was "pretty dead", and television work limited to Australian artists, in May, that year she was off to Australia to carry on with her career there.[12] [13]
In 1981, The New Zealand Listener featured an article on her life and career in its 14 February issue.[14] By September 1982, following the birth of her son, she had slowed her career down.[15] By early 1987, she was based in Melbourne.[16]
| Artist (s) | Title | Release info | Year | tracks | F | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various artists | An evening at Tommo's Place | Salem | 1972 | "On a Wonderful Day Like Today", "The Joker Went Wild", "Eight Days a Week" "Agua De Beber", "If You Go Away", "Quando, Quando, Quando" | LP | Bridgette Allen lead vocals[18] |
| Tina Cross | You Can Do It | Phillips 6334017 | 1979 | LP | Backing Vocals[19] | |
| Title | Role | Director / producer | Year | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Club Show | Herself, singer | 1979 | TV show | Presenters Glyn Tucker and Ernie Leonard[20] | |
| Hooks and Feelers | Mother | Dr Melanie Rodriga (director) | 1982 | Film | A 50 minute adaptation of a short story by Keri Hulme[21] [22] |