Real name: Philip William Alleluia

Effective period / Period of releases: 1959

American Jazz bop pianist, vibraphonist, songwriter & bandleader.
Born April 26, 1924 in New Jersey, Vineland, New York, USA.
Died April 6, 2011 (age of 86) in New York Brooklyn, USA.
Best known as the composer of the music to the pop song "The Rock and Roll Waltz", a huge hit for Kay Starr in 1956 (hitting #1 in both the U.S. & the U.K.). One of Allen's frequent collaborators, including on that song, was Roy Alfred.
In 1944, Allen played with Stan Getz in a band formed by John Benson Brooks at the Howard Theater in Washington. In the late 1940s to early 1950s he was in his own Arcadia Ballroom band with trombonist Kai Winding and as pianist he accompanied Ella Fitzgerald. In 1952 he played vibraphone on a Leslie Uggams session.
In addition to using his real name, he used the aliases Shorty Allen, Phil Allen, William Allen and William S. Allen.