Charlie Allen was one of the founding members of blues

Blues

Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...

 and rock outfit Pacific Gas & Electric

Pacific Gas & Electric (band)

Pacific Gas & Electric was an American blues rock band in the late 1960s and early 1970s, led by singer Charlie Allen. Their biggest hit was "Are You Ready?"-Career:...

 and the vocalist for the group. By 1968 the group consisted of Charlie Allen, Frank Cook, Tom Marshall, Brent Block, and guitarist Glenn Schwartz. Besides being remembered for his association with Pacific Gas & Electric, Allen is perhaps best remembered for the hit single

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...

 "Are You Ready ?" that he co-wrote with John Hill which besides being a hit for Pacific Gas & Electric has been covered

Cover version

In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 by The Staple Singers

The Staple Singers

The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples , the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha , Pervis , Yvonne , and Mavis...

, and DeGarmo and Key

DeGarmo and Key

DeGarmo & Key was a Christian Rock group that started professionally in 1978. The primary members were Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key. Eddie played keyboards and sang background vocals , while Dana played lead guitar and did the majority of the lead vocals. Other members included Tommy Cathey on bass...

.

Allen was originally the drummer for the Pacific Gas And Electric Blues Band. His vocal abilities meant that he was destined to be the band's frontman so he was placed up front and Frank Cook, the former drummer for Canned Heat

Canned Heat

Canned Heat is a blues-rock/boogie rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965. The group has been noted for its own interpretations of blues material as well as for efforts to promote the interest in this type of music and its original artists...

, became the drummer. Allen would remain the front man for the band right up until the breakup of the group.

The group became popular and appeared at many concerts along with other big name bands. They also appeared in, and contributed music to the Otto Preminger

Otto Preminger

Otto Ludwig Preminger was an Austro–Hungarian-American theatre and film director.After moving from the theatre to Hollywood, he directed over 35 feature films in a five-decade career. He rose to prominence for stylish film noir mysteries such as Laura and Fallen Angel...

 directed film Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon

Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon

Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon is a 1970 film directed by Otto Preminger. The film is based on the book by Marjorie Kellogg. The film starred Liza Minnelli as the title character, a girl whose face is scarred in a vicious battery acid attack by her boy friend. Later in an institution, she...

starring Liza Minnelli

Liza Minnelli

Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....

, James Coco

James Coco

James Coco was an American character actor.- Early life and career :Born James Emil Coco in New York City, son of Feliche Coco, a shoemaker and Ida Detestes Coco, James began acting straight out of high school. As an overweight and prematurely balding adult, he found himself relegated to character...

 and Fred Williamson

Fred Williamson

Fred "The Hammer" Williamson is an American actor, architect, and former professional American football defensive back who played mainly in the American Football League during the 1960s.-Football career:...

in an early role.

Allen displayed some promising songwriting skills. On their third album, self titled, he wrote "Bluesbuster", "Miss Lucy", "My Women" with Tom Marshall and along with John Hill "Death Row #172". Another song with the same kind of theme written by Allen was "Mother, Why Do You Cry?" on the Are You Ready ? album, a tale about a young man in jail coming to terms with his fate.

The group went through a series of personnel changes and when the fourth album was released the name was shortened to PG&E. In 1973 the last album Pacific Gas & Electric starring Charlie Allen was released on the Dunhill label. By this time he was the only original member and the album was more or less his debut solo album.

He died in 1990, six days after his 48th birthday.

Discography

• Pacific Gas & Electric Starring Charlie Allen – Dunhill DSX-50157
  • "Gumbo Jones" (Allen, Hill, Michlin) 4:43
  • "Roll Georgia" (Allen, Hill, Michlin) 5:16
  • "Somebody You Love" (Dino, Sembello) 2:49
  • "Hold On" (Allen, Hill, Michlin) 2:59
  • "Dancin' in the Fire" (Allen, Hill, Michlin) 4:49
  • "Good Gospel Music" (Allen, Hill, Michlin) 5:44
  • "I Hear the Trumpets" (Calling Allen, Hill) 2:46
  • "Some Kind of Feelin'" (Allen, Hill, Michlin) 4:43
  • "I Got a Thing About You, Baby" (White) 2:37
  • "Sunshine Embrace" (Allen) 2:53
  • "Niggers in the Woods" (Allen, Hill, Michlin) 2:03