Foster and Allen

Last updated

Foster and Allen
FosterAllen2.jpg
Background information
OriginIreland
Genres Trad. Irish, folk, MOR, country
Years active1975–present
Labels CMR, Ritz, Stylus, Telstar, DMG TV
Members Mick Foster
Tony Allen
Website fosterandallen.ie

Foster and Allen are a musical duo from Ireland consisting of Mick Foster and Tony Allen. In their 49-year career, they have released over 52 albums, many of which entered the UK Albums Chart. Along with "A Bunch of Thyme" (entering the Irish chart in 1979 and becoming their first No. 1 single), "Maggie" became a No. 1 in New Zealand for four weeks, making the two songs their signature tunes. They started in the 1970s as a duo, but in 1982 they added a band to their show. They have achieved album and video sales in excess of 25 million worldwide. As well as the albums, they have released thirteen videos/DVDs, again all of which have entered the British charts. The video ‘Souvenirs and Memories’ reached No. 3 in the charts around Christmas 1991, the “By Request” video went straight into the No. 1 spot in 1993.“Around the World with Foster & Allen” was a Top 10 Chart Release in the U.K. Foster and Allen have toured Ireland, the UK, the US, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. They have also had their own TV series on television in Ireland.

Contents

History

Foster and Allen began in 1975 when they were playing in country music bands around Ireland. [1] Soon after they formed a small group and went over to the UK to work the Irish music venues on a short tour. At this stage they had the idea of working together as a duo, playing easy listening music with traditional Irish instrumentals.

When their UK tour finished, they decided to let the band return to Ireland whilst they stayed behind to try to break into the public eye. They played several venues in the London area and the reaction was favourable; they decided to remain as a duo, and Foster and Allen was formed. After a time working around the circuit in the UK and Ireland, they released their first single, "The Rambles of Spring". [1] This made an impact on the Irish market and Foster and Allen were soon in demand for cabaret venues all over Ireland.

At the end of 1979, Foster and Allen released the single, "A Bunch of Thyme" in Ireland, and it entered the Irish chart. Despite the romance and charm of the music and lyrics the song is in reality a warning to young women to protect their virginity. The girl in the song loses her virginity to a "lusty sailor who chanced to pass her way, he stole her bunch of thyme away". It became their first number one single, and stayed on the chart for 40 weeks. [2] It was not until 1982 that this single was released in the UK. It was played by all the radio stations in Britain, and peaked at No. 18 in the UK Singles Chart. [3] At the time, Foster and Allen were in the United States on a tour. They were contacted and told to fly back to the UK to appear on BBC Television's Top of the Pops .

Demand for Foster and Allen's services at venues all over Ireland and the UK increased. They released another single, "Old Flames", which peaked at No. 51 in the UK chart. They undertook their first concert tour of the UK in 1983, and this tour was boosted by the release of another single "Maggie". This reached No.27 in the UK Singles Chart and became a No.1 in New Zealand for four weeks.

Foster and Allen have toured Ireland, the UK, the US, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. They have also had their own TV series on RTÉ Television in Ireland.

In the early days, Mick Foster and Tony Allen performed on stage as a duo, but in 1982 (when the concert tours started) they added a band to their show, thus giving a much fuller sound to their program. On the recording front, Foster and Allen have released over 52 albums, many of which entered the UK Albums Chart. As well as the albums, they have released thirteen videos. The video "Souvenirs and Memories" reached No. 3 in the UK video chart around Christmas 1991, the "By Request" video went straight into the No. 1 spot in 1993. Their DVD/video release After All These Years became Top 10 in the UK. To date, Foster and Allen have achieved album and video sales in excess of 25 million worldwide. [4]

Foster and Allen celebrated their 30th Anniversary together in the music industry with the release of their album, Foster and Allen Sing the No. 1's, which was a Top 30 hit in the UK Albums Chart during Christmas 2005. Their "World Concert Tour – 2005/2006" took them to the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Ireland, US and Australia.

Mick Foster

Foster was born in 1947 in County Kildare, in sight of the Curragh. He now lives in Mullingar, and has a small farm where he spends all his time, when not touring, looking after his horses. He has one son(Jackie) & three daughters(Denise and twins Sandra&Louise).

Foster was taught to play the accordion by a Sr Anges Murray, a nun of the Mercy Order in Ballymahon and Frankie Gavigan. Other influences on his playing included Jimmy Shand and Will Starr. He has recorded a tribute to the latter, entitled The Old Button Box, and has claimed that his accordion would probably be the last thing he would be prepared to give up

Tony Allen

Allen was born on 24 February 1952 in Mount Temple, County Westmeath, the youngest of a family of nine children. He was keen on music from an early age, and was encouraged by his parents and teachers. His father, Patrick, was a fiddle player while his mother was a singer. Allen started playing the accordion after one of his brothers brought him an accordion home from England. It was not long before he joined the Mary Landers, (a local band), and subsequently, the Kieran Kelly Band, replacing Brendan Shine.

In 1973, along with his brother Tom (T.R. Dallas), Allen was part of Doc Carroll's Nightrunners Showband. It was another Athlone man, Kevin Sheerin, who recommended Allen for the job in this band. They used to play mostly around the Midlands and a residency in the Irish Club, Parnell Square, Dublin, every Tuesday night.

Allen opened[ when? ] a recording studio in Moate, Roseland Studios, and most major acts[ who? ] in Ireland record their albums there. He is motivated by music; having the studio, he is now directing his interests into the technical side of the business. [ citation needed ] He has two boys, Ian and Keith.

Discography

Albums

YearTitlePeak chart positionsCertifications
IRE
[5] 		UK
[6] 		AUS
[7] [8] 		NZ
[9]
1976The Blacksmith————
1980A Bunch of Thyme————
1982The Foster and Allen Selection————
1983Maggie—72221
I Will Love You All My Life—7143
1984The Foster and Allen Selection——56—
The Very Best of Foster and Allen—1843—
1986After All These Years—82—2
Reminiscing with Foster and Allen—1124—
1987Love Songs – The Very Best
of Foster and Allen Volume 2		—92——
Reflections—161825
1988Remember You're Mine—161140
The Worlds of Foster and Allen—1684—
1989The Magic of Foster and Allen—291311
Christmas Collection—40—19
1990Souvenirs—1556—
The Christmas Collection—44——
1991Memories—183410
1992Heart Strings—3796—
1993By Request—141048
1994Songs We Love to Sing—4159—
1995100 Golden Greats—3912—
1996Foster and Allen's Ireland————
Something Special – 100 Golden Love Songs—461414
1997Shades of Green—5559—
Best Friends—363025
1998Greatest Hits—522919
1999One Day at a Time—61309
2000The Love Collection——96—
2001Partners in Rhyme——2945
2002Sincerely—30359
2003By Special Request –
The Very Best of Foster and Allen 		6530——
2004Sing the Sixties—31——
2005Sing the Number Ones—30—38
2006At the Movies—48——
2006The Great Foster & Allen————
2007Songs of Love and Laughter9450——
2008The Country Collection————
2009Sing the Million Sellers—34—24
2009Love Love Love: 36 Classic Hits for the One You Love——675
2010Magic Moments—40——
2012The Ultimate Collection7638——
2017The Gold Collection—34——
2018Putting On the Style9629——
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

YearTitlePeak chart positions
IRE
[2] 		AUS
[7] 		UK
[15] 		NZ
[9]
1976"The Rambles of Spring"————
1979"A Bunch of Thyme"1———
1982"A Bunch of Thyme" (re-issue)8—18—
"Old Flames"3—51—
1983"Maggie"617271
"Sweethearts in the Spring"13———
"I Will Love You All My Life"174549—
1984"Just for Old Time's Sake"22—47—
"We Will Make Love"25———
1985"After All These Years"11—43—
1986"Nobody's Darlin' But Mine"10———
"When I Dream"————
1987"True Love"
(with Gloria Hunniford)		————
"When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again"————
"Part of Me"16———
"The Black Sheep"11———
1988"Golden Years"16———
1989"I'll Never Stop Wanting You"22———
2003"The Fields of Athenry"19———
2013"Galway Girl"/"One Little Christmas Tree"
(featuring Shayne Ward) [16] 		————
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regurgitator</span> Australian rock band

Regurgitator are an Australian alternative rock band from Brisbane, Queensland, formed in late 1993 by Quan Yeomans on lead vocals, guitar and keyboards; Ben Ely on bass guitar, keyboards and vocals; and Martin Lee on drums. Their debut studio album, Tu-Plang was released in May 1996; it was followed by Unit in November 1997 which was certified triple platinum. Unit won five categories at the ARIA Music Awards of 1998: Album of the Year, Best Alternative Album, Producer of the Year, Engineer of the Year (Magoo) and Best Cover Art. Their third album, ...Art was released in August 1999.

Killing Heidi are an Australian rock band, formed in Violet Town, Victoria in 1996, initially as a folk-pop duo by siblings Ella and Jesse Hooper. The band has released three studio albums: Reflector, which reached No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, Present and Killing Heidi. Their top 20 singles are "Weir", "Mascara", "Live Without It", "Outside of Me" and "I Am". At the ARIA Music Awards of 2000 they were nominated in seven categories and won four trophies: Album of the Year, Best Group, Breakthrough Artist – Album and Best Rock Album for Reflector. At the APRA Music Awards of 2001 Ella and Jesse Hooper won Songwriter of the Year. The group disbanded in 2006, with Ella and Jesse taking a lower profile with an acoustic folk duo, The Verses. In 2016, it was announced that the band would be reforming to celebrate its 20th anniversary, and the band have continued to tour since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rogue Traders</span> Australian electronic rock band

Rogue Traders is an Australian electronic rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria in 2002 by mainstay James Ash on keyboards. In 1989, Ash met fellow original member Steve Davis in London while both were working as DJs. Before forming Rogue Traders, the pair had worked together on many projects, including the dance music act Union State, which relocated to Melbourne in 1992. The group's name comes from the 1999 drama film, Rogue Trader. They were joined in 2004 by soap opera actress, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, on lead vocals, Cameron McGlinchey on drums and Tim Henwood on guitar. Davis continued as a behind-the-scenes member, contributing to the songwriting process but not making any public appearances with the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Springsteen discography</span>

American rock musician Bruce Springsteen has released 21 studio albums, 23 live albums, 77 singles, and 66 music videos. Widely referred as "The Boss" by the media, Springsteen has sold over 150 million records worldwide, listing him among the best-selling music artists in history. Billboard ranked him as the 24th Greatest Artist of all time. According to Recording Industry Association of America, he has sold 65.5 million albums in the United States, making him the 7th best-selling male soloist of all time. Born in the U.S.A. remains the best-selling album of his career, selling more than 30 million copies around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U2 discography</span>

The discography of the Irish rock band U2 consists of 15 studio albums, one live album, three compilation albums, 84 singles, and nine extended plays (EPs). The band formed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in 1976 as teenagers. In 1979, the group issued their first release, the EP U2-3, which sold well in Ireland. The following year, the group signed to Island Records and released their debut album, Boy. It reached number 52 in the UK and number 63 in the US. They followed it up with the release of October (1981) and War (1983). War was a commercial success, becoming the band's first number-one album in the UK while reaching number 12 in the US. The album yielded the singles "Two Hearts Beat As One", "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day", the latter two have since become among the band's most popular songs. On the subsequent War Tour, the group recorded the live album Under a Blood Red Sky and concert film U2 Live at Red Rocks, both of which sold well and helped establish them globally as a live act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Presets</span> Australian electronic music duo

The Presets are an Australian electronic music duo of Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes. Formed in 2003 and signed to Modular Records, The Presets released two EPs in advance of their debut album, Beams, released in 2005 to positive critical response. After two years of touring, including as the Australian support for Daft Punk, the band's 2008 release, Apocalypso, debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart, and went on to win six awards at ARIA Awards 2008, including Album of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Corrs discography</span> Band discography

The Corrs are an Irish folk rock/pop band consisting of siblings Andrea, Sharon, Caroline and Jim Corr. Formed in their hometown of Dundalk, Ireland, in 1990, the band's discography includes seven studio albums, three live albums and three compilation albums, as well as six video albums and twenty-six singles. This list does not include material recorded by The Corrs as solo artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon & Garfunkel discography</span>

Simon & Garfunkel, an American singer-songwriter duo, has released five studio albums, fifteen compilation albums, four live albums, one extended play, twenty-six singles, one soundtrack, and four box sets since 1964. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel first formed a duo in 1957 as Tom & Jerry, before separating and later reforming as Simon & Garfunkel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bon Jovi discography</span>

American rock band Bon Jovi has released 15 studio albums, three live albums, five compilation albums, five EPs, 66 singles, 14 video albums, and 71 music videos. Bon Jovi has sold over 130 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. As of 2018, the band has sold 21.8 million albums in the US Nielsen SoundScan era. Billboard ranked Bon Jovi as the 45th Greatest Artist of all time, achieving 6 No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 & 4 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. According to Recording Industry Association of America, Bon Jovi has sold 34.5 million albums in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westlife discography</span>

Irish boy band Westlife have released twelve studio albums, sixteen video albums, one live album, three karaoke albums, thirty-eight singles, twenty-one promotional singles, nine compilation albums and fifty-four music videos. Formed on 3 July 1998, the group was made up of singers Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden. The band was signed under Simon Cowell, Clive Davis, and Jordan Jay and under record labels' BMG, S Records, Arista Records, Sony BMG, Syco Music, Sony Music Entertainment and RCA Records from 1998 to 2012 and currently on Universal Music Group and Virgin EMI Records from 2018. The last four members remained active until their last live concert performance in the Europe's third largest stadium Croke Park on 23 June 2012 and have reunited on 3 October 2018 for new music and tour. Based on the British Phonographic Industry certifications, the group have sold more than 26 million records and videos in the United Kingdom alone across their 20-year career–12.8 million singles, 13.5 million albums and 1.3 million videos. Their biggest selling album is their first Greatest Hits compilation, followed by Coast to Coast, with seven of their albums selling one million copies or more. Their biggest selling video is "Where Dreams Come True", which has sold 240,000 copies to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foo Fighters discography</span>

The discography of Foo Fighters, an American rock band formed in 1995 by Dave Grohl, consists of eleven studio albums, ten extended plays (EPs), six video albums, and 57 singles. The current Foo Fighters line-up consists of Grohl, Rami Jaffee (keyboard), Nate Mendel (bass), Chris Shiflett (guitar), Pat Smear (guitar) and Josh Freese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fleetwood Mac discography</span>

The discography of British-American band Fleetwood Mac consists of 18 studio albums, 10 live albums, 23 compilation albums, one extended play and 62 singles. The band also has sold over 120 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

The discography of English boy band Five consists of four studio albums, four compilation albums, eighteen singles, fourteen music videos and three video albums. Five's debut album, 5ive, was released by RCA Records in the United Kingdom in June 1998 and peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart and has been certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The first single from the album, "Slam Dunk ", peaked at number ten on the UK Singles Chart and within the top thirty across most of Europe. Follow-up single, "When the Lights Go Out", was more successful, peaking at number four in the UK, number two in Australia and number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Other singles released from the album, "Got the Feelin'", "Everybody Get Up", and "Until the Time Is Through" all peaked within the top three in the UK and Ireland, and all three have been certified silver by the BPI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snow Patrol discography</span>

The discography of Snow Patrol, an alternative rock band from Northern Ireland and based in Dundee, Scotland, consists of seven studio albums, thirty-one singles, eight extended plays, three compilation albums and one live DVD. Snow Patrol was formed in 1994 by Gary Lightbody, Michael Morrison and Mark McClelland under the name Shrug. They released an extended play (EP) titled The Yogurt vs. Yogurt Debate. Morrison left in 1995, and the band changed their name to Polarbear. Under this name they released their other EP, Starfighter Pilot, on the Electric Honey label. Drummer Jonny Quinn joined in 1997 and the band signed to Jeepster Records the same year. They then underwent their final name change to Snow Patrol. The band's first two studio albums: Songs for Polarbears and When It's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up were released in 1998 and 2001 respectively, but failed to do well commercially. Subsequently, the band was dropped by the label.

The discography of Savage Garden, an Australian duo made up of singer Darren Hayes and producer Daniel Jones, contains two studio albums, one compilation album, thirteen singles and four video albums. According to the duo's manager and reported by Billboard, the two studio albums released by the duo have sold 23 million copies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lily Allen discography</span>

English singer and songwriter Lily Allen has released four studio albums, two extended plays, 23 singles, two promotional singles and 21 music videos. Allen's range of musical genres incorporates styles such as pop, ska, electropop and reggae fusion. She became well known through her Myspace account, on which she started posting demo songs in 2005. The increase of popularity led to a contract with Regal Recordings. Her debut single, "Smile", was released in 2006 and topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks. Allen's first studio album, Alright, Still (2006), was released shortly after. The album was commercially successful, earning a three times platinum certification in the United Kingdom, and gold in the United States. The album was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 50th Grammy Awards. Follow-up singles "LDN", "Littlest Things" and "Alfie" did not repeat her early success, although they still sold well; "LDN" peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart.

Wesley Dean "Wes" Carr, also recording as Buffalo Tales, is an Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for winning the sixth season of Australian Idol in 2008. He released his first studio album, Simple Sum, independently in 2008 shortly before entering Australian Idol. After Idol, he signed a record deal with Sony Music Australia and released his debut single, "You". The song peaked at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Carr's second studio album, The Way the World Looks, soon followed after. It reached number two on the ARIA Albums Chart and also achieved Gold certification. The second single "Feels Like Woah" peaked at number 14 and gained Gold certification. In June 2011, Carr released "Been a Long Time", the lead single from his third album. It peaked at number 33 on the ARIA Singles Chart. In November 2011, Carr announced that he was no longer with Sony and would be releasing his album independently. In August 2012 Carr released an EP titled Blood & Bone under the pseudonym Buffalo Tales. His third studio album "Roadtrip Confessions" was released in June 2013 and debuted at number 83.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Temper Trap</span> Australian rock band

The Temper Trap are an Australian indie rock band formed in 2005 by Dougy Mandagi, Jonathon Aherne, and Toby Dundas. In 2008, the group relocated from Melbourne to London. The band released their debut album Conditions in June 2009 to favourable reviews and commercial success; it peaked at No. 9 on the ARIA Albums Chart and into the top 30 on the UK Albums Chart. Its lead single, "Sweet Disposition", peaked in the top 10 on the Belgian, Irish and UK Singles Charts and reached No. 14 on the ARIA Singles Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2010 in November, The Temper Trap won Best Group and Most Popular Australian Single for "Sweet Disposition". Their eponymous second album was released in late May/early June 2012 under Liberation Music (AUS), Infectious Records (UK) and Glassnote Records (US). The album won the band Best Rock Album, and they also won Best Group at the 2012 ARIA Awards. In October 2013 guitarist Lorenzo Sillitto left the band, during the recording of the third album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savage Garden</span> Australian pop rock duo

Savage Garden were an Australian pop duo consisting of Darren Hayes on vocals and Daniel Jones on guitar, keyboards, and vocals; they formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1993. They were signed to John Woodruff's talent agency and achieved international success with their No. 1 hit singles "I Want You", "To the Moon and Back", "Truly Madly Deeply" (1997), and "I Knew I Loved You" (1999).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gypsy & The Cat</span>

Gypsy & The Cat are an indie/dream pop duo formed by former Melbourne DJs Xavier Bacash and Lionel Towers.

References

  1. 1 2 Lighthouse Theatre – Foster and Allen
  2. 1 2 "The Irish Charts: All There Is to Know". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  3. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 208–209. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  4. ↑ Allmusic – Foster and Allen
  5. ↑ "Discography Foster & Allen". Irish Charts Portal. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  6. ↑ Official UK Charts – Foster and Allen Albums
  7. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 116. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  8. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  9. 1 2 "Discography Foster & Allen". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 "Certified Awards Search" (To access, enter the keywords "Foster and Allen"). British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  11. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1994 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  12. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1996 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  13. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1998 DVDs" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  14. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2008 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  15. ↑ Official UK Charts – Foster and Allen Singles
  16. ↑ "Galway Girl / One Little Christmas Tree (With Shayne Ward) - Single by Foster & Allen & Shayne Ward". iTunes . 21 October 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.