When local radio station RTRFM decided to celebrate their 45th birthday with a count down of the most loved songs by Western Australian artists, the public voting threw up some surprise results.
One name that kept coming up was Christie Allen, the pop songstress who topped the national charts with a series of hits in the late 70’s and early 80’s before disappearing into suburban life as a mother.
Goosebumps, He’s My Number One, and Magic Rhythm were huge hits that saw the British born singer filling the radio airwaves, c0-hosting music institution Countdown and gracing the covers of magazines.
At the 1980 Countdown awards, which were presented in association with magazine TV Week, Allen won Most Popular Female Performer, and her song Goosebumps was named most popular single. It also picked up an award for songwriter Terry Britten.
While Allen may have topped the polls in 1980, she didn’t make it to the top of RTRFM’s Greatest Western Australian Songs list. Breakfast host Taylah Strano was intrigued by the interest in the singer though, and invited OUTinPerth editor Graeme Watson on to discuss Allen’s career.
Graeme confessed that Allen was clearly his first love and he’d been obsessed with her when she was on top of the charts. Graeme was 6-years-old when Allen released her debut album in 1979, but that didn’t stop him spending all his pocket money on it.
“I don’t know what the first cassette I bought as a kid was, but when I was about six-years-old I started buying music and my first four were Xanadu, Super Trooper by ABBA, the You Can’t Stop The Music soundtrack, and Christie Allen’s album Magic Rhythm.” Graeme said. Â
Take a listen to the interview over at RTRFM 92.1
OIP Staff
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