Allisons
Encyclopedia
The Allisons were an English
pop
duo
consisting of:
They were marketed as being brothers
, using the same surname
of Allison.
The Allisons represented the United Kingdom
in the Eurovision Song Contest 1961
with the song "Are You Sure?
". They came in second place with 24 points. The song was released as a single
on the Fontana Records
label
, and climbed to number 1 on the UK NME
pop
chart
. However, the chart
compiled by The Official Charts Company shows the song spent six weeks at number 2 and a further three weeks in the top 4. "Are You Sure" sold over one million records
, earning a gold disc
. In Germany the single reached number 11. Despite a couple of minor follow-up hit
s, the duo disbanded in 1963.
Alford initially tried songwriting, but he and Day teamed up for short tours to keep 'The Allisons' name alive. Additionally, in the 1970s and 1980s Alford was joined by other "brothers" - Mike "Allison" and Tony "Allison". By the 1990s Day and Alford regularly reunited to perform in the oldies circuit.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
consisting of:
- Bob Day (born Bernard Colin Day, 2 February 1941, TrowbridgeTrowbridgeTrowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England, situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, approximately 12 miles southeast of Bath, Somerset....
, WiltshireWiltshireWiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
) - John Alford (born Brian Henry John Alford, 31 December 1939, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
)
They were marketed as being brothers
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
, using the same surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
of Allison.
The Allisons represented the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the Eurovision Song Contest 1961
Eurovision Song Contest 1961
The Eurovision Song Contest 1961 was the sixth Eurovision Song Contest. A total of sixteen countries took part in the Contest, including the three debuting countries: Finland, Spain, and Yugoslavia. It was held on 18 March 1961 and was the first to take place on a Saturday night, a tradition that...
with the song "Are You Sure?
Are You Sure?
"Are You Sure?" is a song by British pop duo The Allisons, that represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 1961, performed in English....
". They came in second place with 24 points. The song was released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on the Fontana Records
Fontana Records
Fontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, and climbed to number 1 on the UK NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. However, the chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
compiled by The Official Charts Company shows the song spent six weeks at number 2 and a further three weeks in the top 4. "Are You Sure" sold over one million records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, earning a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. In Germany the single reached number 11. Despite a couple of minor follow-up hit
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s, the duo disbanded in 1963.
Alford initially tried songwriting, but he and Day teamed up for short tours to keep 'The Allisons' name alive. Additionally, in the 1970s and 1980s Alford was joined by other "brothers" - Mike "Allison" and Tony "Allison". By the 1990s Day and Alford regularly reunited to perform in the oldies circuit.
Discography
- "Are You Sure?Are You Sure?"Are You Sure?" is a song by British pop duo The Allisons, that represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 1961, performed in English....
" - (1961) - UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- #2 - "Words" - (1961) - #34
- "Lessons In Love" - (1962) - #30