|
Biography:
With a career spanning over thirty years, including thirty major hit singles, appearances in several movies (including the most successful film musical of all-time), and over 80 million records sold, Olivia Newton-John is one of the most successful female vocalists of her generation. Her wholesome image and remarkable good looks, as well as
her activism on such issues as the environment and cancer awareness, have also added to her universal appeal.
Olivia was born on September 26th, 1948, in Cambridge, England. She was the third child of college professor Bryn and his wife Irene, daughter of Nobel Prize winning German physicist Max Born. When Olivia was five, her family moved to Melbourne, Australia, where her father became Dean of Ormond College.
Even at a young age, Olivia's striking good looks were being noticed. At the age of 11, Olivia won a Hayley Mills lookalike contest and appeared in a local commercial for Omo Detergent. It was also during this period that her parents divorced, and Olivia would often use music as her escape. By the age of 13, Olivia began writing songs and
established her first music group, the Sol Four. By 14, she was performing in her brother-in-law's coffeehouse, as well as appearing on a locally televised talent program.
When Olivia won the local talent contest, she entered the national contest, a program called "Sing! Sing! Sing!" hosted by Johnny O'Keefe. Olivia's performance of "Everything's Coming Up Roses" won her first place and a trip to England - a trip she would wait to take. Meanwhile, Olivia became known as "Lovely Livvy," hosting a children's television program, as well as took part in the film "Funny Things Happen Down Under," before dropping out of school and taking her prize-winning trip to England, accompanied by her mother.
In England, Olivia recorded a demo for Decca Records, a cover of Jackie DeShannon's "'Til You Say You'll Be Mine." Unfortunately, the single did not meet up to expectations and Olivia's dreams of stardom were put on hold. She formed a duo with fellow Aussie contest winner, Pat Carroll, and "Pat and Olivia" began making the rounds on the cabaret circuit. Then, in 1967, Pat and Olivia were asked to open a series of shows for The Shadows, Cliff Richard's backing band, and a strong friendship between Olivia and Cliff was established. Olivia began dating bandmember Bruce Welch, who was married at the time, and a minor scandal erupted. Pat returned to Australia when her visa expired, only to return to England, six months later, married to Australian guitarist John Farrar, who then joined the Shadows.
While Pat was in Australia, Olivia focused on her solo career, and met up with Don Kirschner, who was putting together a British version of the Monkees for a prospective film and record deal. Olivia joined the project, called "Tomorrow," but both the film and record were unsuccessful. Olivia returned to her work with Cliff Richard, appearing on his television program, "It's Cliff!"
By 1971, Olivia had established herself in England as a major new talent, and she began working with Welch and Farrar on her first solo recordings. Her debut single, a cover of Bob Dylan's "If Not For You," became an overnight success, climbing into the top ten in the UK and top 20 in the U.S. (#1 on the A/C charts). Olivia's early recordings were well produced covers of current folk and pop hits of the day, including George Harrison's "What Is Life," Lesley Duncan's "Love Song," Kris Kristofferson's "Me & Bobby McGee," Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind," and John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads." Her second hit, "Banks of the Ohio," established a strong following on the country charts in America, a following that would later lead to much controversy...
By 1975, Olivia was the #1 female vocalist on the American charts, with many of her hits (including the gold singles "Let Me Be There," "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)," "I Honestly Love You," "Have You Never Been Mellow," and "Please Mr. Please") reaching the top ten on the country, pop, and adult contemporary charts. When she won the Best Female Vocalist award at the 1974 CMAs, a protest by many of Nashville's
established artists led to the forming of the Association of Country Entertainers. Olivia would later re-gain their respect in 1976 when she recorded the album "Don't Stop Believin'" in Nashville.
Olivia's early years are also notable in the way she was marketed in both England and America. Her albums were completely different in both regions, with America highlighting her country-pop sound, while England highlighted her easy listening sound. As Olivia became more successful in America, her sales in England tapered off. This led her to officially establish residence in the States in 1976.
In 1977, Olivia was approached by Alan Carr to star in a film production of the long-running Broadway musical "Grease." Initially, Olivia rejected the idea to star in another movie, after the failure "Tomorrow." She finally agreed to do a screen test for the film, and her chemistry with male lead John Travolta was immediate. Upon it's release in the summer of 1978, "Grease" was one of the most anticipated films ever, and Olivia became a huge movie star. The film became the biggest hit that year, and went on to become the highest grossing musical of all-time. The soundtrack was an international #1 smash, and featured several hits, including "You're the One That I Want," "Hopelessly Devoted to You," and "Summer Nights."
"Grease" also allowed Olivia to shed her "girl next door" image to a sexier image, much like the transformation of the character, Sandy. She followed the movie with the hit album "Totally Hot," which spawned the hits "A Little More Love," "Deeper Than the Night," and a cover of Eric Carmen's "Boats Against the Current." Olivia would explore this sexier image even more in the future, but first she would return to the big screen...
In 1979 Olivia began production on a movie with Hollywood musical legend Gene Kelly called "Xanadu." The film, basically a re-make of the old Rita Hayworth musical "Down to Earth," starred Olivia as a muse sent down to help Kelly and partner Michael Beck open a roller disco. When the film opened in the summer of 1980, reviews were universally negative and the movie failed at the box-office. The soundtrack, however, was a huge success and spawned the #1 hits "Magic" and "Xanadu." The film has
since garnered a cult following and is recognized by many as an offbeat classic.
On the heels of another image change, Olivia sparked a fitness craze with her next release. Her new image was pushed in the press by her new beau, Matt Lattanzi, twelve years her junior, whom she met on the set of "Xanadu." Olivia was at her personal and career peak, and the single "Physical" spent ten weeks at #1, resulting in the biggest hit of her career. Olivia was also one of the first artists to successfully use te new medium of the music video to her advantage, and the video compilation from the album also went platinum and won a Grammy. Olivia toured to support the album.
Olivia had much trouble trying to follow up the success of "Physical." In 1983 she starred once again with John Travolta in "Two of a Kind," but the movie was not a success. She then married Lattanzi and released another album, "Soul Kiss," pushing her sexy image even further, this time posing semi-nude on the album cover. The image caused a backlash, and Olivia and Matt began a family, putting career on temporary hold.
Meanwhile, Olivia and old friend Pat Carroll-Farrar started up a chain of Australian-themed clothing boutiques called Koala Blue. The chain was quite successful in the first couple of years, but by 1990 the company grew too fast and became unmanageable. Koala Blue went under by 1991, leaving many disillusioned with Olivia's status. Her "comeback" album "The Rumour" failed to sell, and Olivia was dropped by long-time label MCA. Olivia returned to semi-retirement and motherhood, recording sporadically throughout the early 90s. She released an album of lullabies, "Warm and Tender" in 1989, and a greatest hits compilation, "Back to Basics," in 1992. In July of '92, on the heels of announcing a new tour, Olivia was diagnosed with breast cancer. Olivia retreated
back to retirement and underwent treatment for her illness.
During the period of her illness, Olivia kept a journal of her experiences, often writing poems and notes detailing her life. These new songs were the first bit of creative energy from Olivia in years, and culminated into the self-produced, autobiographical album "Gaia: One Woman's Journey." "Gaia" is nothing short of an amazing album, every song a personal statement of self discovery. Included are many allusions to Olivia's impending separation from her husband, as well, such as in the lead track "Trust Yourself." The album was released independently on different labels internationally, and, incredibly, has not been officially released in America.
Along with the 20th anniversary release of "Grease," Olivia made her American comeback in 1998 with the album "Back With a Heart," a return to her country roots. While the album did debut in the top 10 on the country charts, and was her biggest pop album since "Soul Kiss," "Back With a Heart" failed to sell up to the expectations MCA had for it, and once again Olivia was dropped from the label. Despite her recent lack of a hit, Olivia has kept busy within the past two years. She has toured both Australia and the U.S., released a #1 live album in Australia ("The Main Event"), starred in a new film, "Sordid Lives" (which will be released in October 2000), recorded a Christmas album with Vince Gill (for Christmas 2000), and is preparing a box set of her recordings for release in 2001. She is still one
of the most beautiful people in music, and her voice is still as crystal clear as it ever was. After so many years of success, Olivia is proving that she's still one of the major forces in the industry.
Written exclusively by Todd Durnil for ForFemmes
|
|
