Allison Durbin "Soft & Soulful" 1969

...Born in Auckland 24 May 1950, by the age of five Durbin was singing in the Uncle Tom’s Friendly Road Children’s Choir, a group organised by Methodist preacher Thomas Garland, which featured regularly on Radio 1ZB. Her first solo performance was at a Waihi Beach talent quest in 1959 where she dressed in a pair of flowery tea towels and pom-poms, sang ‘Bobby’s Girl’ and ‘It’s My Party, and came second. At 13, still a student at Westlake Girls High, she was “discovered” by Eldred Stebbing at Dave Dunningham's Surfside Ballroom in Milford – gaining a three-day-a-week residency earning £12 a week at the Shiralee nightclub. Her mother would drive her to the club and pick her up afterwards. A year later, producer Stebbing signed her and a single, ‘Lover’s Lane’, was released on Zodiac to sink without a trace...
...A cover of Herman’s Hermits' ‘Can't You Hear My Heartbeat' became her third Zodiac single. It would outsell the original in New Zealand and became her first hit. In 1966, ‘Sailor Boy’ and ‘Borrow My Love’ both charted and helped launch her first shot at an Australian career. Durbin was in a relationship with musician Mike Perjanik, the Dargaville boy who had become a top band leader, session musician and arranger. They met when The Mike Perjanik Band backed Durbin for a studio-recording session. The 16 year old was soon performing as the band’s featured singer, with her now trademark waist-length hair. In October 1966, Durbin went with Perjanik to Sydney, teaming up with singer Tommy Adderley to make a promotable package. The group gained a residency in the Coogee Bay Hotel and then moved to Sammy Lee’s more prestigious Latin Quarter in Pitt Street, Sydney, in May 1967. Durbin lived with Perjanik in Potts Point until the shooting of Sydney underworld figure Ducky O’Connor in the Latin Quarter slowed business at the club to a stop. Durbin returned to New Zealand alone in late 1967. She was 17 and already a veteran, although real success had eluded her. Then her manager Doug Elliot sent a demo of ‘I Have Loved Me A Man’ to HMV. The company hated the production but loved the singer and Durbin was signed to the multi-national in early 1968...to be continued - audioculture

trax:

01 Letter To Bill 02 Didn't We 03 A Man And A Woman 04 Loneliness Remembers What Happiness Forgets 05 This Is The First Time 06 Change Of Heart 07 Tonight I'll Say A Prayer 08 Holy Man 09 Watch Out Love 10 Just Ain't No Love 11 Tra La La La La 12 When I'm Gone 13 Am I The Same Girl 14 Heaven 15 He's Bad Bad Bad (Bonus Track) 16 Don't Make Me Give In 17 World Of Music 18 Hallelujah 19 Golden Days (Bonus Track) 20 Make The Feeling Go Away

…served by Gaius…