Olivia Newton-John
AOThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
,
OBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 26 September 1948) is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles (including two platinum) and 14 of her albums (including two platinum and four double platinum) have been certified gold by the RIAA. Her music has been successful in multiple formats including pop,
countryCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and adult contemporary and has sold an estimated over 100 million albums worldwide. She co-starred with
John TravoltaJohn Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical,
GreaseGrease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
, which featured one of the most successful film soundtracks in Hollywood history.
Newton-John has been a long-time activist for
environmentalEnvironmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
and animal rights issues. Since surviving breast cancer in 1992, she has been an advocate for health awareness becoming involved with various charities, health products and fundraising efforts. Her business interests have included launching several product lines for Koala Blue and co-owning the Gaia Retreat & Spa in Australia.
Newton-John has been married twice. She currently lives with her second husband, John Easterling, in
Jupiter Inlet ColonyJupiter Inlet Colony is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 368 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 388.-Geography:Jupiter Inlet Colony is located at...
, Florida. She is the mother of one daughter,
Chloe Rose LattanziChloe Rose Lattanzi is an American singer and actress. She was born in Los Angeles to actress and singer Olivia Newton-John. Her father is actor Matt Lattanzi...
, with her first husband, actor
Matt LattanziMatt Lattanzi is an American actor and dancer.-Personal life:While filming Xanadu, he met Olivia Newton-John, whom he married in 1984. The couple has one daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, born in 1986...
.
Early life and beginnings
Olivia Newton-John was born in
CambridgeThe city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, England, to a Welsh father, Brinley ("Bryn") Newton-John, and a German-born mother, Irene Born, the eldest child of the
Nobel prizeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
-winning atomic physicist
Max BornMax Born was a German-born physicist and mathematician who was instrumental in the development of quantum mechanics. He also made contributions to solid-state physics and optics and supervised the work of a number of notable physicists in the 1920s and 30s...
. Her mother's family had left Germany before World War II to avoid the Nazi regime (Newton-John's maternal grandfather was Jewish, and her maternal grandmother was of paternal Jewish ancestry). She is closely related to
Ben EltonBenjamin Charles "Ben" Elton is an English comedian, author, playwright and director. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, as a writer on such cult series as The Young Ones and Blackadder, as well as also a successful stand-up comedian on stage and TV....
. Her maternal great-grandfather was jurist
Victor EhrenbergVictor Gabriel Ehrenberg was a German jurist.He is the uncle of historian Victor Ehrenberg, Geoffrey & Lewis Elton's great uncle and great-great uncle to Ben Elton....
and her matrilineal great-grandmother's father was German jurist
Rudolf von JheringRudolf von Jhering was a German jurist. He is known for his 1872 book Der Kampf ums Recht , as a legal scholar, and as the founder of a modern sociological and historical school of law.Jhering was born in Aurich, Kingdom of Hanover...
. Newton-John is the youngest of three children, following brother Hugh, a doctor, and sister Rona, an actress who was married to
GreaseGrease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
co-star
Jeff ConawayJeffrey Charles William Michael "Jeff" Conaway was an American actor best known for his roles in the movie Grease and the US television series Taxi and Babylon 5. Conaway was featured on the first season of reality series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew...
from 1980 until their divorce in 1985. Newton-John's father was an
MI.5The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
officer on the
EnigmaAn Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
project at
Bletchley ParkBletchley Park is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, England, which currently houses the National Museum of Computing...
who took
Rudolf HessRudolf Walter Richard Hess was a prominent Nazi politician who was Adolf Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party during the 1930s and early 1940s...
into custody during World War II. In 1954, at the age of six, Newton-John's family emigrated to Melbourne, Australia, where her father worked as a professor of German and as Master of
Ormond CollegeOrmond College is the largest of the residential colleges of the University of Melbourne. It is home to 332 undergraduates, 30 postgraduates and 27 professorial/academic residents.-Establishment:...
at the
University of MelbourneThe University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
.
At 14, Newton-John formed a short-lived all-girl band, Sol Four, with three classmates often performing in a coffee shop owned by her brother-in-law. She became a regular on local Australian radio and television shows including HSV-7's
The Happy ShowHarry "Happy" Hammond was an Australian comedian and children's show host.Happy was famous for his bright personality and wearing a tartan suit and hat, sometimes referred to as his "test pattern" outfit, that clashed awfully in real life but worked well on black and white TV...
where she performed as "Lovely Livvy." She also appeared on the Go Show where she met future duet partner,
Pat CarrollPat Carroll is an Australian singer from the 1960s.Carroll began her entertainment career at age eight when she started taking singing and dancing lessons. Appearances on children's TV shows followed by the time she was eleven years old...
, and future music producer
John FarrarJohn Farrar is a music producer, songwriter, music arranger, singer and guitarist who is best known for his work with Olivia Newton-John with whom he wrote and produced many hit songs....
(Carroll and Farrar would later marry). She entered and won a talent contest on the television program Sing, Sing, Sing, hosted by 1960s Australian icon
Johnny O'KeefeJohn Michael O'Keefe, known as Johnny O'Keefe was an Australian rock and roll singer whose career began in the 1950s. Some of his hits include "Wild One" , "Shout!" and "She's My Baby"...
, performing the songs "Anyone Who Had A Heart" and "Everything's Coming Up Roses." Newton-John was initially reluctant to use the prize she had won, a trip to England, but travelled there nearly a year later after her mother encouraged her to broaden her horizons.
Newton-John recorded her first single, Till You Say You'll Be Mine b/w Forever, in England for
Decca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
in 1966. Newton-John was homesick in England for her then-boyfriend,
Ian TurpieIan "Turps" Turpie is an Australian television celebrity, best known for hosting the long-running game show The Price Is Right before being replaced by Larry Emdur.-Early life:...
, with whom she had co-starred in the Australian telefilm, Funny Things Happen Down Under. Newton-John would repeatedly book trips back to Australia that her mother would subsequently cancel. Newton-John's outlook changed when Pat Carroll also moved to England. The two formed a duo called "Pat and Olivia" and toured nightclubs in Europe. (In one incident, they were booked at Paul Raymond's Revue in Soho, London. Dressed primly in frilly, high-collared dresses, they were unaware that this was a
strip clubA strip club is an adult entertainment venue in which striptease or other erotic or exotic dance is regularly performed. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, but can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style....
until they began to perform onstage.) After Carroll's visa expired forcing her to return to Australia, Newton-John remained in England to pursue solo work until 1975. She became engaged to
The ShadowsThe Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
' guitarist
Bruce WelchBruce Welch OBE, is an English guitarist, songwriter, producer and singer, best known as a member of The Shadows.-Biography:...
, but they never married.
Newton-John was recruited for the group Toomorrow formed by American producer
Don KirshnerDon Kirshner , known as "The Man With the Golden Ear", was an American song publisher and rock producer who is best known for managing songwriting talent as well as successful pop groups, such as The Monkees, Kansas and The Archies.-Early life:Don Kirshner was born to Gilbert Kirshner, a tailor,...
who was also the music consultant for the earliest recordings of
The MonkeesThe Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
. In 1970, the group starred in a "science fiction musical" film and recorded an accompanying soundtrack album both named after the group. The project bombed and the group disbanded.
Early success
Newton-John released her first solo album, If Not For You (No. 158 Pop), in 1971. The
title track"If Not for You" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, recorded for his 1970 album New Morning. George Harrison released a version of the song in November 1970 on his album All Things Must Pass...
, written by
Bob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and previously recorded by
BeatleThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
George HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
for his 1970 album,
All Things Must PassAll Things Must Pass is a triple album by George Harrison, recorded and released in 1970. The original vinyl release featured two LPs of rock songs as well as Apple Jam, a third LP of informal jams...
, was her first international hit (No. 25 Pop, No. 1 AC). Her follow-up single, "
Banks of the Ohio"Banks of the Ohio" is a 19th century murder ballad, written by unknown authors, in which "Willie" invites his young lover for a walk during which she rejects his marriage proposal. Once they are alone on the river bank, he murders the young woman....
," was a Top 10 hit in England and Australia. She was voted Best British Female Vocalist two years in a row by the magazine
Record MirrorRecord Mirror was a British weekly pop music newspaper, founded by Isadore Green and featured, news articles, interviews, record charts, record reviews, concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became respected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record collectors...
. She made frequent appearances on
Cliff RichardSir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
's weekly show, It's Cliff Richard, and starred with him in the telefilm, The Case.
In 1974, Newton-John represented the United Kingdom in the
Eurovision Song ContestThe Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
with the song "
Long Live Love"Long Live Love" was the British entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 in Brighton, United Kingdom. It was sung by Olivia Newton-John in English....
". The song was chosen for Newton-John by the British public out of six possible entries. (Newton-John later admitted that she disliked the song.) Newton-John placed fourth at the contest held in
BrightonBrighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
behind
ABBAABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
's winning Waterloo. All six Eurovision contest song candidates were recorded by Newton-John and included on her Long Live Love album, her first for the
EMI RecordsEMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
label.
In the United States, Newton-John's career floundered after If Not For You. Subsequent singles including "
Banks of the Ohio"Banks of the Ohio" is a 19th century murder ballad, written by unknown authors, in which "Willie" invites his young lover for a walk during which she rejects his marriage proposal. Once they are alone on the river bank, he murders the young woman....
" (No. 94 Pop, No. 34 AC) and remakes of
George HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
's "What Is Life" (No. 34 AC) and
John DenverHenry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" (No. 119 Pop) made minimal chart impact until the release of "
Let Me Be There"Let Me Be There" is a popular song written by John Rostill. It was first recorded by Olivia Newton-John in 1973 and included on her album of the same title. The country influenced song was Newton-John's first Top 10 single in the U.S., peaking at No. 6, and also won her a Grammy Award for Best...
" in 1973. The song reached the American Top 10 on the Pop (No. 6), Country (No. 7), and AC (No. 3) charts and earned her a Grammy for Best Country Female and an Academy of Country Music award for Most Promising Female Vocalist. The album, Let Me Be There, charted No. 1 on Country Albums for two weeks as well as No. 54 on the Billboard 200.
The Long Live Love album was released in the United States as
If You Love Me, Let Me KnowIf You Love Me, Let Me Know was a United States and Canada-only album by singer Olivia Newton-John, released in 1974.-History:Half of the tracks on the album are from her European and Australian release, Long Live Love, and the other half are tracks from Olivia with the title song and the much...
with the six Eurovision songs dropped for four different, more country-oriented tracks intended to capitalize on the success of "
Let Me Be There"Let Me Be There" is a popular song written by John Rostill. It was first recorded by Olivia Newton-John in 1973 and included on her album of the same title. The country influenced song was Newton-John's first Top 10 single in the U.S., peaking at No. 6, and also won her a Grammy Award for Best...
." The title track was the first single reaching No. 5 Pop, No. 2 Country (her best country placement to date) and No. 2 AC. The next single, "
I Honestly Love You"I Honestly Love You" was a worldwide pop hit single for Olivia Newton-John in 1974. The song was Newton-John's first number-one single in the United States and Canada, thus cementing her as a household name in North America....
," became Newton-John's signature song. Written and composed by
Jeff BarryJeff Barry is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer.-Early career:...
and
Peter AllenPeter Allen was an Australian songwriter and entertainer. His songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Elkie Brooks, Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, with one, Arthur's Theme, winning an Academy Award in 1981...
, the ballad became her first No. 1 Pop (two weeks), second No. 1 AC (three weeks) and third Top 10 Country (No. 6) hit and earned Newton-John two more Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance-Female. The success of both singles helped the album reach No. 1 on both the Pop (one week) and Country (eight weeks) Albums charts.
Newton-John's country success sparked a debate among purists who believed a foreigner singing country-flavored pop music did not belong in country music. In addition to her Grammy for "Let Me Be There," Newton-John was also named the
Country Music AssociationThe Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
Female Vocalist of the Year in 1974, defeating more established nominees
Loretta LynnLoretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
, Canadian
Anne MurrayMorna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....
,
Dolly PartonDolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, and
Tanya TuckerTanya Denise Tucker is a female American country music artist who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13...
. This outrage led to the formation of the short-lived Association of Country Entertainers (ACE). Newton-John was eventually supported by the country music community.
Stella PartonStella Parton is an American Country Music singer and songwriter. She is a younger sister of country music icon Dolly Parton, and musician and businessman Randy Parton. Stella Parton became a mildly successful country singer in the 70s, and though having nowhere near the success of her elder...
,
Dolly'sDolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
sister, recorded "Ode To Olivia" and Newton-John recorded her 1976 album,
Don't Stop Believin'Don't Stop Believin' was an album by Olivia Newton-John, released in 1976. The album was certified Gold and peaked at No. 33 - Pop and No. 7 - Country....
, in Nashville.
Encouraged by expatriate Australian singer
Helen ReddyHelen Reddy , often referred to as "The Queen of 70s Pop", is an Australian-American singer and actress. In the 1970s, she enjoyed international success, especially in the United States, where she placed fifteen singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Six of those 15 songs made the Top 10...
, Newton-John left England and moved to the United States. Newton-John topped the Pop (one week) and Country (six weeks) Albums charts with her next album,
Have You Never Been MellowHave You Never Been Mellow was an album by Olivia Newton-John, released in 1975.-Reception:Both the title single and the album rose to the top of their respective U.S. charts . The title song and its follow-up, "Please Mr...
. The album generated two singles – the
John FarrarJohn Farrar is a music producer, songwriter, music arranger, singer and guitarist who is best known for his work with Olivia Newton-John with whom he wrote and produced many hit songs....
penned title track (No. 1 Pop, No. 3 Country, No. 1 AC) and "
Please Mr. Please"Please Mr. Please" is the title of a popular song from 1975 by the Australian singer Olivia Newton-John. The song was written by Bruce Welch and John Rostill, both members of British pop singer Cliff Richard's backing band, The Shadows. Welch had originally recorded the song himself in 1974 with...
" (No. 3 Pop, No. 5 Country, No. 1 AC). Newton-John's pop career cooled with the release of her next album,
Clearly LoveClearly Love was an album by Olivia Newton-John, released in 1975.-Reception:The album's peak of #12 in the U.S. was also something of a disappointment, considering that Newton-John's previous two albums, If You Love Me, Let Me Know and Have You Never Been Mellow, had both reached #1...
. Her streak of five consecutive gold Top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 ended when the album's first single, "
Something Better To Do"Something Better to Do" is a song written by John Farrar and recorded by Olivia Newton-John. The song was included in Newton-John's 1975 album, Clearly Love...
," stopped at No. 13 (also No. 19 Country and No. 1 AC). Although her albums still achieved gold status, she did not return to the Top 10 on the Hot 100 or Billboard 200 charts again until 1978.
Newton-John's singles continued to easily top the AC chart, where she ultimately amassed ten No. 1 singles including a record seven consecutively:
- "I Honestly Love You
"I Honestly Love You" was a worldwide pop hit single for Olivia Newton-John in 1974. The song was Newton-John's first number-one single in the United States and Canada, thus cementing her as a household name in North America....
" (1974) – 3 weeks
- "Have You Never Been Mellow
"Have You Never Been Mellow" is a popular song written by John Farrar and recorded by Olivia Newton-John as the title track for her album of the same name.-History and release:...
" (1975) – 1 week
- "Please Mr. Please
"Please Mr. Please" is the title of a popular song from 1975 by the Australian singer Olivia Newton-John. The song was written by Bruce Welch and John Rostill, both members of British pop singer Cliff Richard's backing band, The Shadows. Welch had originally recorded the song himself in 1974 with...
" (1975) – 3 weeks
- "Something Better to Do
"Something Better to Do" is a song written by John Farrar and recorded by Olivia Newton-John. The song was included in Newton-John's 1975 album, Clearly Love...
" (1975) – 3 weeks
- "Let It Shine"/"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
"He Ain't Heavy... He's My Brother" is a popular music ballad written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell. Originally recorded by Kelly Gordon in 1969, the song became a worldwide hit for The Hollies later that year and again for Neil Diamond in 1970....
" (1976) – 2 weeks
- "Come on Over" (1976) – 1 week
- "Don't Stop Believin'
"Don't Stop Believin" is the title track from the 1976 album by Olivia Newton-John. The song was written by John Farrar and peaked at number thirty-three on the Billboard Hot 100. It was her seventh number one on the Easy Listening chart, spending one week at the top of the chart in September...
" (1976) – 1 week
She also provided a prominent, but uncredited, vocal on
John DenverHenry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
's "
Fly Away"Fly Away" is a 1975 song written and performed by John Denver, with Olivia Newton-John on backup vocals. Released as a single from the Windsong album, "Fly Away" peaked at number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and spent two weeks atop the adult contemporary chart in early-1976, Denver's...
" single which was succeeded by her own single, "Let It Shine"/"
He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"He Ain't Heavy... He's My Brother" is a popular music ballad written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell. Originally recorded by Kelly Gordon in 1969, the song became a worldwide hit for The Hollies later that year and again for Neil Diamond in 1970....
," at No. 1 on the AC chart. ("
Fly Away"Fly Away" is a 1975 song written and performed by John Denver, with Olivia Newton-John on backup vocals. Released as a single from the Windsong album, "Fly Away" peaked at number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and spent two weeks atop the adult contemporary chart in early-1976, Denver's...
" returned to No. 1 after the two week reign of "Let It Shine".) Newton-John also continued to reach the Country Top 10 where she tallied seven Top 10 singles through 1976's "Come on Over" (No. 23 Pop, No. 5 Country, No. 1 AC) and six consecutive (of a career nine total) Top 10 albums through 1976's
Don't Stop Believin'Don't Stop Believin' was an album by Olivia Newton-John, released in 1976. The album was certified Gold and peaked at No. 33 - Pop and No. 7 - Country....
(No. 30 Pop, No. 7 Country). She headlined her first U.S. television special, A Special Olivia Newton-John, in November 1976.
By mid-1977, Newton-John's AC and country success also began to wane. Her
Making a Good Thing BetterMaking a Good Thing Better is an album by Olivia Newton-John, released 1977.-Reception:The album peaked at No. 34 Pop and No. 13 Country. It was Newton-John's first album not to reach the Country Top 10...
album (No. 34 Pop, No. 13 Country) failed to be certified gold, and its only single, the title track (No. 87 Pop, No. 20 AC), did not reach even the AC Top 10 or the Country chart. Later that year,
Olivia Newton-John's Greatest HitsOlivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits was the first compilation album released by Olivia Newton-John in the United States. Olivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits (1977) was the first compilation album released by Olivia Newton-John in the United States. Olivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits (1977) was the...
(No. 13 Pop, No. 7 Country) became her first platinum album as she prepared to launch a new phase in her career.
Grease
Newton-John's career soared after starring in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical,
GreaseGrease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
, in 1978. She was offered the lead role of Sandy after meeting producer
Allan CarrAllan Carr was an American producer and manager of stage and screen. Carr was nominated for numerous awards, winning a Tony Award and two People's Choice Awards, and was named Producer of the Year by the National Association of Theatre Owners.-Early career:Born Allan Solomon in Chicago, Illinois,...
at a dinner party at
Helen ReddyHelen Reddy , often referred to as "The Queen of 70s Pop", is an Australian-American singer and actress. In the 1970s, she enjoyed international success, especially in the United States, where she placed fifteen singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Six of those 15 songs made the Top 10...
's home. Burned by her
ToomorrowToomorrow is a 1970 British musical film starring Olivia Newton-John, and directed by Val Guest.-Synopsis:A group of students pay their way through school by forming a pop band called Toomorrow; sonic vibrations from a special instrument called a "tonaliser" cause an extraterrestrial to abduct the...
experience and concerned that she was too old to play a high school senior (she turned 29 during the latter 1977 filming), Newton-John insisted on a screen test with the film's co-star,
John TravoltaJohn Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
. The film accommodated Newton-John's Australian accent by recasting her character from the play's original American Sandy Dumbrowski to Sandy Olsson, an Australian who vacations and then moves with her family to the United States. Newton-John previewed some of the film's soundtrack during her second American network television special, Olivia, featuring guests
ABBAABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
and
Andy GibbAndy Gibb was an English singer and teen idol, and the youngest brother of the family whose other male siblings formed the Bee Gees: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb.-The early years:...
.
GreaseGrease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
became the biggest box-office hit of 1978. The soundtrack album spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 and yielded three Top 5 singles for Newton-John: the platinum "
You're The One That I Want"You're the One That I Want" is a song written by John Farrar for the 1978 film version of the musical Grease. It was performed by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John....
" (No. 1 Pop, No. 23 AC) with John Travolta, the gold "
Hopelessly Devoted To You"Hopelessly Devoted to You", written by John Farrar, is a song originally performed by Olivia Newton-John. The song, featured in the film version of Grease, received an Oscar nomination as Best Original Song, losing to "Last Dance" at the 51st Academy Awards. She performed the song at the 21st...
" (No. 3 Pop, No. 20 Country, No. 7 AC) and the gold "Summer Nights" (No. 5 Pop, No. 21 AC) with John Travolta and the film's cast. The former two songs were written and composed by Newton-John's long-time music producer,
John FarrarJohn Farrar is a music producer, songwriter, music arranger, singer and guitarist who is best known for his work with Olivia Newton-John with whom he wrote and produced many hit songs....
, specifically for the film. ("Summer Nights" was from the original play written by
Jim JacobsJim Jacobs is an American composer, lyricist, and writer for the theatre. He is known for writing the book, lyrics and music, with Warren Casey, for the stage and film musical Grease.-Career:...
and
Warren CaseyWarren Casey was an American theatre composer, lyricist, writer, and actor. He is best known for being the writer and composer, with Jim Jacobs of the stage and film musical Grease.-Career:...
.) Newton-John became the second female (after
Linda RonstadtLinda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
in 1977) to have two singles – "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "Summer Nights" – in the Billboard Top 5 simultaneously. Newton-John's performance earned her a People's Choice award for Favorite Motion Picture Actress. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actress in a Musical and performed the Oscar-nominated "Hopelessly Devoted To You" at the 1979
Academy AwardsAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
.
The film's popularity has endured through the years. It was re-released for its 20th anniversary in 1998 and ranked as the second highest grossing film behind Titanic in its opening weekend. It was most recently re-released in July 2010 as a sing-along version in select American theatres. The soundtrack still sells strongly enough to often appear on Billboard's Top Soundtracks chart.
New image
Newton-John's transformation in
GreaseGrease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
from goody-goody "Sandy 1" to
spandex-cladSpandex or elastane is a synthetic fibre known for its exceptional elasticity. It is strong, but less durable than natural Latex, its major non-synthetic competitor. It is a polyurethane-polyurea copolymer that was co-invented in 1959 by chemists C. L. Sandquist and Joseph Shivers at DuPont's...
"Sandy 2" emboldened Newton-John to do the same with her music career. In November 1978, she released her next studio album,
Totally HotTotally Hot is Olivia Newton-John's ninth US and tenth international studio album. Released in November 1978, it became her first solo Top 10 album since 1975's Have You Never Been Mellow...
, which became her first solo Top 10 (No. 7) album since Have You Never Been Mellow. Dressed on the cover all in leather, the album's singles "A Little More Love" (No. 3 Pop, No. 94 Country, No. 4 AC), "Deeper Than The Night" (No. 11 Pop, No. 87 Country, No. 4 AC), and the title track (No. 52 Pop) all demonstrated a more aggressive and uptempo sound for Newton-John. Although the album de-emphasized country, it still reached No. 4 on the Country Albums chart. Newton-John released the B-side, "Dancin' 'Round And 'Round," of the "Totally Hot" single to Country radio peaking at No. 29 (as well as No. 82 Pop and No. 25 AC), becoming her last charted solo Country airplay single to date.
Newton-John began 1980 by releasing I Can't Help It (No. 12 Pop, No. 8 AC), a duet with
Andy GibbAndy Gibb was an English singer and teen idol, and the youngest brother of the family whose other male siblings formed the Bee Gees: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb.-The early years:...
from his After Dark album, and by starring in her third television special, Hollywood Nights. Later that year, she appeared in her first film since
GreaseGrease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
starring in the musical
XanaduXanadu is a 1980 romantic musical fantasy film written by Marc Reid Rubel and directed by Robert Greenwald. The title is a reference to the poem "Kubla Khan, or, A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which is quoted in the film. Xanadu is the name of the Chinese province...
with
Gene KellyEugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
and
Michael BeckJohn Michael Beck Taylor , commonly known as Michael Beck, is an American actor, perhaps best known for his role as Swan in the 1979 film, The Warriors.-Life and career:...
. Although the movie was a critical failure, its soundtrack (No. 4 Pop) was certified double platinum boasting five Top 20 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Newton-John charted with
Magic"Magic" is a hit 1980 song performed by Olivia Newton-John, from the soundtrack to the film Xanadu. The song was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for four weeks beginning on 2 August 1980...
(No. 1 Pop, No. 1 AC), Suddenly with
Cliff RichardSir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
(No. 20 Pop, No. 4 AC) and the title song with the
Electric Light OrchestraElectric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
(No. 8 Pop, No. 2 AC). (The
Electric Light OrchestraElectric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
also charted with "I'm Alive" (No. 16 Pop, No. 48 AC) and "All Over The World" (No. 13 Pop, No. 46 AC).) Magic was Newton-John's biggest Pop hit to that point (four weeks at No. 1) and still ranks as the biggest AC hit of her career (five weeks at No. 1). The film has since become a cult classic and the basis for a well-reviewed Broadway show that ran for more than 500 performances beginning in 2007 and was nominated for four Tony Awards including Best Musical. (A successful international tour of the show followed.)
In 1981, Newton-John released her most successful studio album, the double platinum
PhysicalPhysical is a 1981 MCA Records studio album by Olivia Newton-John. It is her most successful studio album, being certified double Platinum in the US. The title track, written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick, spent ten weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 matching the then record of most weeks at No....
. The title track, written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick, spent ten weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, matching the then record of most weeks spent at No. 1 in the rock era held by
Debby BooneDeborah Anne Boone is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, "You Light Up My Life," which spent a then record ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist the following year...
's
You Light Up My LifeMany artists have covered "You Light Up My Life" since 1977. The following year, Johnny Mathis recorded and named his album after the song. LeAnn Rimes released her version as a single in 1997, 20 years after Boone's version was released and on the same record label . Her version fared modestly...
. The single was certified platinum and it ultimately ranked as the biggest song of the decade. (In 2008, Billboard ranked the song No. 6 among all songs that charted in the 50-year history of the Hot 100.) "Physical" even earned Newton-John her only placement ever on the R&B Singles (No. 28) and Albums (No. 32) chart. The
PhysicalPhysical is a 1981 MCA Records studio album by Olivia Newton-John. It is her most successful studio album, being certified double Platinum in the US. The title track, written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick, spent ten weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 matching the then record of most weeks at No....
album spawned two more singles,
Make a Move on Me"Make A Move On Me" is a song recorded by Olivia Newton-John. The follow-up single to her huge U.S. #1 Hit Physical, it peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100...
(No. 5 Pop, No. 6 AC) and Landslide (No. 52 Pop).
The provocative lyrics of the title track prompted two Utah radio stations to ban the single from their playlists. (In 2010, Billboard magazine ranked this as the most popular single ever about sex.) To counter its overtly suggestive tone, Newton-John filmed an exercise-themed video that turned the song into an aerobics anthem and made headbands a fashion accessory outside the gym. Newton-John became a pioneer in the nascent music video industry by recording a
video albumOlivia Physical is a 1982 video collection featuring the singer Olivia Newton-John and various of her songs, most from the album Physical. A somewhat expanded version of the video was aired as an ABC prime-time special, Let's Get Physical, which was in the top 10 of the Nielsen ratings...
for Physical featuring videos of all the album's tracks and three of her older hits. The video album earned her a fourth Grammy and was aired as an ABC prime time special, Let's Get Physical, becoming a Top 10 Nielsen hit. The success of Physical led to an international tour and the release of her second hits collection, the double platinum
Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2-Charts:Year-end...
(No. 16 Pop), which yielded two more Top 40 singles: Heart Attack (No. 3 Pop) and Tied Up (No. 38 Pop). The tour was filmed for her Olivia In Concert television special which premiered on HBO in January 1983. The special was subsequently released to video earning Newton-John another Grammy nomination.
Newton-John re-teamed with Travolta in 1983 for the critically and commercially unsuccessful
Two of a KindTwo of a Kind is a 1983 American romantic comedy film directed by John Herzfeld and starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The original music score was composed by Patrick Williams. The film has Travolta as an inventor and Newton-John as a bank teller. It is up to both criminally-minded...
, redeemed by its platinum soundtrack (No. 26 Pop) featuring Twist Of Fate (No. 5 Pop), Livin' In Desperate Times (No. 31 Pop), and a new duet with Travolta, Take A Chance (No. 3 AC). Newton-John released another video package, the Grammy-nominated Twist Of Fate, featuring videos of her four songs on the Two of a Kind soundtrack and the two new singles from
Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2-Charts:Year-end...
.
The same year, Newton-John and Pat Carroll founded Koala Blue. The store, originally for Australian imports, evolved into a chain of women's clothing boutiques. The chain was initially successful, but it eventually declared bankruptcy and closed in 1992. Newton-John and Farrar would later license the brand name for a line of Australian produced wines, confections, and bed/bath products.
Newton-John married her long-time boyfriend, actor
Matt LattanziMatt Lattanzi is an American actor and dancer.-Personal life:While filming Xanadu, he met Olivia Newton-John, whom he married in 1984. The couple has one daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, born in 1986...
, in December 1984. The couple had met four years earlier while filming
XanaduXanadu is a 1980 romantic musical fantasy film written by Marc Reid Rubel and directed by Robert Greenwald. The title is a reference to the poem "Kubla Khan, or, A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which is quoted in the film. Xanadu is the name of the Chinese province...
. Their daughter,
Chloe Rose LattanziChloe Rose Lattanzi is an American singer and actress. She was born in Los Angeles to actress and singer Olivia Newton-John. Her father is actor Matt Lattanzi...
, was born in January 1986. (They divorced in 1995.)
Newton-John's music career cooled again with the release of her next studio album, the gold
Soul KissSoul Kiss is the thirteenth studio album released by Olivia Newton-John in 1985. The sleeve contains photography by Helmut Newton and Herb Ritts.-Reception:...
(No. 29 Pop), in 1985. The album's only charted single was the title track (No. 20 Pop, No. 20 AC). Due to her pregnancy, Newton-John limited her publicity for the album. The video album for
Soul KissSoul Kiss is the thirteenth studio album released by Olivia Newton-John in 1985. The sleeve contains photography by Helmut Newton and Herb Ritts.-Reception:...
featured only five of the album's ten tracks (concept videos for the album's singles Soul Kiss and Toughen Up as well as performance videos of the tracks Culture Shock, Emotional Tangle and The Right Moment).
Motherhood and advocacy
After a nearly three-year hiatus following the birth of Chloe, Newton-John resumed her recording career with the 1988 album, The Rumour. The album was promoted by an HBO special, Olivia Down Under, and its first single, the title track, was written and produced by
Elton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
. Both the single (No. 62 Pop, No. 33 AC) and the album (No. 67 Pop) fizzled as the nearly 40 year-old Newton-John seemed "old" when compared with the teen queens Debbie Gibson and
TiffanyTiffany Renee Darwish , known popularly as Tiffany, is an American singer and former teen icon. She is most notable for her 1987 cover version of "I Think We're Alone Now", originally recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells in 1967. Released as the second single from her eponymous album, Tiffany,...
ruling the Pop charts at that time. (Ironically, this album was praised by critics as more mature with Newton-John addressing topics such as AIDS, the environment and single-parent households.) The second single, Can't We Talk It Over In Bed, did not chart, but was released in 1989 by
Grayson HughGrayson Hugh is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, Hammond B3 organ player and composer born in Hartford, Connecticut. He was the first generation of his family to be born in the United States. Hugh grew up surrounded by classical music, his father being the classical music radio host Ivor...
, the song's arranger, as Talk It Over becoming a Top 20 Pop hit. A year later, Newton-John recorded her self-described "self-indulgent" album,
Warm and TenderWarm and Tender is an album of children's lullabies released by Olivia Newton-John in 1989.- Track listing :# "Jenny Rebecca" – 3:46# "Rocking" – 3:05# "Way You Look Tonight" – 2:59# "Lullaby My Lovely" – 1:16# "You'll Never Walk Alone" – 2:49...
. Inspired by her daughter, who appeared on the album cover, the album featured lullabies and love songs for parents and their children. This album, the last one produced by John Farrar, also failed to revive her recording career struggling to No. 124 Pop.
Newton-John was primed for another comeback in 1992 when she compiled her third hits collection, Back To Basics – The Essential Collection 1971–1992, and planned her first tour since her Physical trek ten years earlier. Shortly after the album's release, Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer forcing her to cancel all publicity for the album including the tour. (Newton-John received her diagnosis the same weekend her father died.) Newton-John recovered and since became a tireless advocate for breast cancer research and other health issues. She is a product spokesperson for the Liv-Kit, a breast self-examination product. She is also partial owner of the Gaia Retreat and Spa in Byron Bay, Australia advertised as "the ideal place to renew, refresh, and restore your mind, body and soul."
Newton-John's advocacy for health issues was presaged by her prior involvement with many humanitarian causes. Newton-John cancelled a 1978 concert tour of Japan to protest the slaughter of dolphins caught in tuna fishing nets. (She subsequently rescheduled the tour when the Japanese government assured her the matter was being addressed.) She was a performer on the 1979
Music for UNICEF ConcertThe Music for UNICEF Concert: A Gift of Song was a benefit concert of popular music held in the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on January 9, 1979. It was intended to raise money for UNICEF world hunger programs and to mark the beginning of the International Year of the Child. The...
for the UN'
International Year of the Child* Maureen Millicent Bomford founded International Year of The Child and it was endorsed by the United Nations. Maureen was born in Canterbury Punchbowl in 1930 and had four brothers. Her father was a Mayor and she always learned to appreciate the value of leadership. As the wife of a prominent...
televised worldwide. During the concert, artists performed songs for which they donated their royalties, some in perpetuity, to benefit the cause. She was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations Environment Programme. In 1991, she became the National Spokesperson for the Colette Chuda Environmental Fund/CHEC (Children’s Health Environmental Coalition) following the death of four year old Colette Chuda, a family friend, from cancer. (Chuda was featured along with Newton-John and daughter Chloe on the cover of Newton-John's
Warm and TenderWarm and Tender is an album of children's lullabies released by Olivia Newton-John in 1989.- Track listing :# "Jenny Rebecca" – 3:46# "Rocking" – 3:05# "Way You Look Tonight" – 2:59# "Lullaby My Lovely" – 1:16# "You'll Never Walk Alone" – 2:49...
album.)
Newton-John's cancer diagnosis also affected the type of music she recorded. In 1994, she released Gaia: One Woman's Journey which chronicled her ordeal. This was the first album on which Newton-John wrote all of the songs encouraging her to become more active as a songwriter thereafter. In 2005, she released Stronger Than Before, sold exclusively in the United States by Hallmark. Proceeds from the album's sales benefited breast cancer research. The album featured the song Phenomenal Woman based on the poem by
Maya AngelouMaya Angelou is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly...
that featured guest vocals from
Diahann Carroll,
Beth Nielsen ChapmanBeth Nielsen Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, mostly known for her numerous hits recorded by country and pop music performers.-Early history:...
,
Delta GoodremDelta Lea Goodrem is an Australian singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress. Signed to Sony at the age of 15, Goodrem rose to prominence in 2002, starring in the Australian soap opera Neighbours as Nina Tucker. Goodrem has achieved eight number-one singles and three number-one albums in her home...
,
Amy HollandAmy Holland is a pop rock singer. She is of Dutch descent and changed her name from Boersma to Holland , because she thought it would make a better stage name. Her mother was country star Esmereldy and her father was opera singer Harry Boersma...
,
Patti LaBellePatricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
, and
Mindy SmithMindy Smith is an American singer-songwriter. Her music can be classified as all of the following: folk, country, Americana, bluegrass, pop, rock, and even alternative. Her voice and music have been compared to that of Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin, Norah Jones, and Alison Krauss.-Biography:Smith...
– all survivors of or affected by cancer.
The following year, Newton-John released a healing CD,
Grace And Gratitude-Charts:AlbumYear-endSingles-Release history:...
. The album was sold exclusively by Walgreens also benefitting various charities including Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization. The CD was the "heart" of their "Body – Heart – Spirit" Wellness Collection which also featured a re-branded Liv-Kit and breast-health dietary supplements. Newton-John re-recorded some tracks from
Grace And Gratitude-Charts:AlbumYear-endSingles-Release history:...
in 2010 and re-released the album as
Grace And Gratitude Renewed-Charts:AlbumYear-endSingles-Release history:...
on the Green Hill music label. The Renewed CD includes a new track, "Help Me To Heal," not featured on the original album. The Renewed CD yielded Newton-John's first appearances on the Billboard Christian Albums (No. 36), Christian & Gospel Albums (No. 54) and New Age Albums (No. 2) charts.
In 2008, Newton-John raised funds to help build the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne, Australia. She led a three-week, 228 km. walk along the Great Wall of China during April joined by various celebrities and cancer survivors throughout her trek. The walk
http://www.greatwalktobeijing.com/ symbolized the steps cancer patients must take on their road to recovery. Newton-John released a companion CD, A Celebration In Song, the following month in Australia and later worldwide featuring new and previously recorded duets by "Olivia Newton-John & Friends." Her "Friends" included
Jann ArdenJann Arden is a Canadian singer-songwriter.-Life and career:Arden was born and raised near Calgary in Springbank, Alberta and attended Springbank Community High School. Her breakthrough came with her critically acclaimed 1993 debut album Time for Mercy and her first single "I Would Die For You"...
,
Jimmy BarnesJames Dixon Swan , better known as Jimmy Barnes, is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer-songwriter. His father Jim Swan was a prizefighter and his older brother John Swan is also a rock singer. It was actually John who had encouraged and taught Jim how to sing as he wasn't really interested at...
,
John FarrarJohn Farrar is a music producer, songwriter, music arranger, singer and guitarist who is best known for his work with Olivia Newton-John with whom he wrote and produced many hit songs....
,
Barry GibbBarry Alan Crompton Gibb, CBE , is a singer, songwriter and producer. He was born in the Isle of Man to English parents. With his brothers Robin and Maurice, he formed The Bee Gees, one of the most successful pop groups of all time. The trio got their start in Australia, and found their major...
,
Delta GoodremDelta Lea Goodrem is an Australian singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress. Signed to Sony at the age of 15, Goodrem rose to prominence in 2002, starring in the Australian soap opera Neighbours as Nina Tucker. Goodrem has achieved eight number-one singles and three number-one albums in her home...
, Sun Ho,
Richard MarxRichard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"...
,
Cliff RichardSir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
, Melinda Schneider,
Amy SkyAmy Sky is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, theatre actress, and television host. Sky started classical music lessons at the age of five , and plays piano, guitar, cello and recorder....
and
Keith UrbanKeith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
. (The album was re-released by Green Hill Records with different artwork in 2011.) In October, Newton-John helped launch the www.liv.com website and teamed with fitness franchise Curves to distribute one million Liv-Aid breast self-examination aids for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Newton-John collaborated with producer
David FosterDavid Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
to record Hope Is Always Here for the November 2009 television special, Kaleidoscope. The song was written and composed for the show's performance by another breast cancer survivor, figure skater
Dorothy HamillDorothy Stuart Hamill is an American figure skater. She is the 1976 Olympic champion in Ladies' Singles and 1976 World Champion.-Early life:...
. The song was released as a digital single after the show aired.
Newton-John was featured in UniGlobe Entertainment's breast cancer docu-drama,
1 a Minute, released in October 2010. The documentary was made by actress
Namrata Singh GujralNamrata Singh Gujral born 26 February 1976 is an American actress.She is of Sikh faith and Indian as well as Tibetan descent. She was born in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh and is a 1998 graduate from the University of West Florida.-Roles:...
and featured other celebrities who survived breast cancer or were affected by the disease. During the same month, Bluewater Productions released a comic book featuring Newton-John to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Later career
Newton-John continued to record and perform pop-oriented music as well. In 1998, she returned to Nashville to record
Back With A HeartBack With a Heart is an album released by Olivia Newton-John in 1998.-Production, Release and Singles:The album was recorded in Nashville and marked a return to the U.S Country charts after an absence of almost twenty years. The album featured the single "I Honestly Love You," a re-recording of her...
(No. 59 Pop). The album returned her to the Top 10 (No. 9) on the Country Albums chart. Its first single was a re-recording of
I Honestly Love You"I Honestly Love You" was a worldwide pop hit single for Olivia Newton-John in 1974. The song was Newton-John's first number-one single in the United States and Canada, thus cementing her as a household name in North America....
produced by
David FosterDavid Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
and featuring Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds on background vocals that charted Pop (No. 67) and AC (No. 18). Country radio dismissed the song, though it did peak at No. 16 on the Country Sales chart. The album track, Love Is A Gift, won Newton-John a 1999 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song after being featured on the daytime serial,
As The World TurnsAs the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
.
Newton-John's subsequent secular albums were released primarily in Australia. Newton-John,
John FarnhamJohn Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
and
Anthony WarlowAnthony Warlow is an Australian opera and musical theatre performer, noted for his character acting and considerable vocal range ....
toured Australia as
The Main EventThe Main Event Tour was a 1998 joint concert tour by Australian singers John Farnham, Olivia Newton-John and Anthony Warlow.-Description:The overture would start with the percussionist on the timpani, and the Drummer . Then the brass would come in, and the last four bars of "You're the Voice"...
. The live album won an
ARIA AwardThe Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
for Highest Selling Australian CD and was also nominated for Best Adult Contemporary Album. She and Farnham performed Dare To Dream at the Opening Ceremony of the
2000 Sydney OlympicsThe Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. In 2002, Newton-John released (2), a duets album featuring mostly Australian artists (
Tina ArenaFilippina Lydia "Tina" Arena is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. She has won several awards, most notably 6 ARIA Awards and in both 1996 and 2000 she received the World Music Award for the world's best selling Australian artist...
,
Darren HayesDarren Stanley Hayes is a UK-based Australian singer-songwriter. Hayes was the front man and singer of the pop duo Savage Garden, whose 1997 album Savage Garden peaked at No. 1 in Australia, No. 2 in United Kingdom and No. 3 in United States...
, Jimmy Little, Johnny O'Keefe, Billy Thorpe,
Keith UrbanKeith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
) as well as a heartfelt "duet" with the deceased
Peter AllenPeter Allen was an Australian songwriter and entertainer. His songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Elkie Brooks, Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, with one, Arthur's Theme, winning an Academy Award in 1981...
. The same year, Newton-John was inducted into Australia's
ARIA Hall of FameSince 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association has inducted artists into its ARIA Hall of Fame. While most have been recognised at the annual ARIA Music Awards, in 2005 ARIA sought to create a separate standalone "ARIA Icons: Hall of Fame" event as only one or two acts could be inducted...
. Indigo: Women of Song, a tribute album covering songs by female artists such as
Joan BaezJoan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
,
The CarpentersCarpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
,
Doris DayDoris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
,
Nina SimoneEunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
,
Minnie RipertonMinnie Julia Riperton was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single "Lovin' You". She was married to songwriter and music producer Richard Rudolph from 1972 until her death in the summer of 1979. They had two children - music engineer Marc Rudolph and actress/comedienne Maya...
and others, was released in 2004. Newton-John dedicated the album to her mother, who had died the previous year.
Newton-John also released several Christmas albums. In 2000, she teamed with
Vince GillVincent Grant "Vince" Gill is an American neotraditional country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman to the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s, and as a solo artist beginning in 1983, where his talents as a...
and the London Symphony Orchestra for Tis The Season sold exclusively through Hallmark. The following year, she released The Christmas Collection which compiled seasonal music previously recorded for her Hallmark Christmas album, her appearance on
Kenny LogginsDuring the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...
' 1999 TNN Christmas special and her contributions to the Mother And Child and Spirit Of Christmas multi-artist collections. (Green Hill Records re-released this album with different artwork in 2010.) In 2007, she re-teamed with her Grace And Gratitude producer,
Amy SkyAmy Sky is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, theatre actress, and television host. Sky started classical music lessons at the age of five , and plays piano, guitar, cello and recorder....
, for Christmas Wish (No. 187 Pop) which was sold exclusively by Target in its first year of release.
Newton-John acted occasionally since
Two of a KindTwo of a Kind is a 1983 American romantic comedy film directed by John Herzfeld and starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The original music score was composed by Patrick Williams. The film has Travolta as an inventor and Newton-John as a bank teller. It is up to both criminally-minded...
. She appeared in a supporting role in the 1996 AIDS drama, It's My Party. In 2000, she appeared in a dramatically different role as Bitsy Mae Harling, a lesbian ex-con country singer, in
Del ShoresDel Shores is an American film director and producer, television writer and producer, playwright and actor.-Biography:...
'
Sordid LivesSordid Lives was a 2000 independent film, written and directed by Del Shores. The movie is based on Shores' play of the same name and includes elements of his life, according to the director's DVD commentary...
. Newton-John reprised her role for
Sordid Lives: The SeriesSordid Lives: The Series is an American television series created, written, and directed by Del Shores and acts as a prequel to 2000 film Sordid Lives, also by Shores, self-described as a "Black comedy about white trash"...
which aired one season on the LOGO television network. The series featured five original songs written and composed by Newton-John specifically for the show. In 2010, Newton-John starred in the film
Score: A Hockey MusicalScore: A Hockey Musical is a 2010 Canadian musical film, written and directed by Michael McGowan.-Synopsis:Seventeen-year old Farley Gordon has led a sheltered life, home-schooled and isolated by his parents. His closest friend is Eve, their next door neighbour. When his skill at hockey is...
, released in Canada. Newton-John portrayed Hope Gordon, the mother of a home-schooled hockey prodigy. The film opened the 2010
Toronto International Film FestivalThe Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
.
Newton-John's television work included starring in two Christmas movies, A Mom For Christmas (1990) and A Christmas Romance (1994) – both Top 10 Nielsen hits. Her daughter,
ChloeChloe Rose Lattanzi is an American singer and actress. She was born in Los Angeles to actress and singer Olivia Newton-John. Her father is actor Matt Lattanzi...
, starred as one of her children in both A Christmas Romance and in the 2001 Showtime film The Wilde Girls. Newton-John guest-starred as herself in the sitcoms Ned and Stacey,
Murphy BrownMurphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...
, and Bette, and made two appearances as herself on
GleeGlee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
. For her first
GleeGlee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
appearance, Newton-John re-created her "Physical" video with series regular
Jane LynchJane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
. The performance was released as a digital single, returning Newton-John to the Billboard Hot 100 (No. 89) for the first time since her 1998 re-release of
I Honestly Love You"I Honestly Love You" was a worldwide pop hit single for Olivia Newton-John in 1974. The song was Newton-John's first number-one single in the United States and Canada, thus cementing her as a household name in North America....
. In Australia, Newton-John hosted the animal and nature series Wild Life and guest starred as Joanna on two episodes of the Australian series
The Man From Snowy RiverThe Man from Snowy River is an Australian television series based on Banjo Paterson's poem "The Man from Snowy River". Released in Australia as Banjo Paterson's The Man from Snowy River, the series was subsequently released in the United States as Snowy River: The McGregor Saga.The television...
.
Newton-John met gaffer/
cameramanA camera operator or cameraman is a professional operator of a film or video camera. In filmmaking, the leading cameraman is usually called a cinematographer, while a cameraman in a video production may be known as a television camera operator, video camera operator, or videographer, depending on...
Patrick McDermottPatrick Kim McDermott is a light technician who was a long time boyfriend of Olivia Newton-John.-Early life:McDermott is half-Korean, and was adopted from Korea by an American couple....
a year after her 1995 divorce from
Matt LattanziMatt Lattanzi is an American actor and dancer.-Personal life:While filming Xanadu, he met Olivia Newton-John, whom he married in 1984. The couple has one daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, born in 1986...
. The couple dated on and off for nine years. McDermott disappeared following a 2005 fishing trip off the California coast. Various theories abounded regarding his disappearance ranging from his death by accident or foul play to McDermott staging his disappearance to avoid child support payments to his ex-wife, actress Yvette Nipar. Newton-John, who was in Australia at her Gaia Retreat & Spa at the time of his disappearance, was never a suspect in McDermott's disappearance and has refused to comment on any speculation. A US Coast Guard investigation released in 2008 "suggest[ed] McDermott was lost at sea," although some have claimed contact with McDermott since his disappearance.
Newton-John returned to the tabloid headlines again in 2007 when it was revealed that her daughter
ChloeChloe Rose Lattanzi is an American singer and actress. She was born in Los Angeles to actress and singer Olivia Newton-John. Her father is actor Matt Lattanzi...
was recovering from anorexia.
Newton-John released another concert DVD, Olivia Newton-John and the Sydney Symphony: Live at the Sydney Opera House, and a companion CD, Olivia's Live Hits, in January 2008. An edited version of the DVD premiered on PBS station, WLIW (Garden City, New York), in October 2007 and subsequently aired nationally during the network's fund-raising pledge drives. This was Newton-John's third live album after the 1981 Japanese release, Love Performance, and her 2000 Australian release, One Woman's Live Journey.
In June 2008, Newton-John secretly wed John ("Amazon John") Easterling, founder and president of natural remedy firm, Amazon Herb Company. The couple had first met 15 years earlier, but they only became romantically involved in 2007. (Like Newton-John, this was Easterling's second marriage.) The couple married alone in a private Incan spiritual ceremony in Cuzco, Peru on June 21 followed nine days later by a legal ceremony on the
Jupiter IslandJupiter Island is a town on the barrier island of Jupiter Island in Martin County, Florida, United States. It has no post office and all mail comes from Hobe Sound on the mainland. The population was 620 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2004,...
beachfront in Florida. There were no guests at either service since the couple preferred to marry simply and privately. Only Newton-John's daughter, Chloe, was aware of the nuptials. The couple did not announce their marriage until a 4 July barbecue at Newton-John's Malibu, California home, where guests were surprised with the news. The wedding was confirmed thereafter by HELLO! Magazine which published exclusive pictures of both weddings. In June 2009, the Easterlings purchased a new $4.1 million home in Jupiter Inlet, and Newton-John sold her home in Malibu, California.
Current activities
- Newton-John still occasionally tours. Most of her recent public performances have been at charitable functions or to promote products such as Zamu, produced by Amazon Herb, a company founded by John Easterling. Her tour schedule can be found at http://olivianewton-john.com/tour.html.
- Newton-John joined Judy Brooks and Roy Walkenhorst as co-host of the health and well-being series Healing Quest, currently airing on PBS.
- In January 2011, Newton-John began filming "A Few Best Men" in Australia with director Stephan Elliott
Stephan Elliott is an Australian film director and screenwriter.-Life and career:Elliott began his career as an assistant director working in the boom of the Australian film industry of the 1980s....
in the role of mother of the groom played by (Xavier SamuelXavier Samuel is an Australian actor. He has appeared in leading roles in the feature films September, Further We Search, and Newcastle, and played Riley Biers in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, the third movie in Stephenie Meyer's The Twilight Saga film series.-Early life and education:Samuel was...
).
- Ten of Newton-John's albums were re-released separately and combined as a box set in October 2010 by Universal Music Japan. The albums include Long Live Love
Long Live Love is an album recorded by Olivia Newton-John, released in 1974 on EMI .-Singles:The song "I Honestly Love You" was her first number one single in the United States, released on the album If You Love Me, Let Me Know....
, Clearly LoveClearly Love was an album by Olivia Newton-John, released in 1975.-Reception:The album's peak of #12 in the U.S. was also something of a disappointment, considering that Newton-John's previous two albums, If You Love Me, Let Me Know and Have You Never Been Mellow, had both reached #1...
, Come On OverCome On Over is an album by Olivia Newton-John, released in 1976. It peaked at #2 on the Country album charts, and #13 on the all-genre chart....
, Don't Stop Believin'Don't Stop Believin' was an album by Olivia Newton-John, released in 1976. The album was certified Gold and peaked at No. 33 - Pop and No. 7 - Country....
, Making A Good Thing BetterMaking a Good Thing Better is an album by Olivia Newton-John, released 1977.-Reception:The album peaked at No. 34 Pop and No. 13 Country. It was Newton-John's first album not to reach the Country Top 10...
, Totally HotTotally Hot is Olivia Newton-John's ninth US and tenth international studio album. Released in November 1978, it became her first solo Top 10 album since 1975's Have You Never Been Mellow...
, PhysicalPhysical is a 1981 MCA Records studio album by Olivia Newton-John. It is her most successful studio album, being certified double Platinum in the US. The title track, written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick, spent ten weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 matching the then record of most weeks at No....
, Soul KissSoul Kiss is the thirteenth studio album released by Olivia Newton-John in 1985. The sleeve contains photography by Helmut Newton and Herb Ritts.-Reception:...
, and The RumourOlivia Down Under is a compilation of music and clips from the album The Rumour released in 1989, featuring the singer Olivia Newton-John.-Product Description:...
. Each studio album featured two additional bonus tracks not included on the original releases of each album. On the same day, Universal Music Japan also released a "40/40" compilation that included 40 of Newton-John's hits as voted for by her Japanese fans as well as a previously unreleased bonus track, "Come on Home". Newton-John promoted these re-releases with a five-date tour of Japan.
- On 12 February 2011, the BBC website reported that Newton-John was keen to join the 'Hetton Thunderer' project, a collaboration between musicians and the Hetton-le-Hole Historical Musical Society to re-invent forgotten musical instruments. Newton-John wished to keep the project under-wraps until demonstrations of the remodelled musical instruments were made public.
- In October 2011, Newton-John appeared in regional radio adverts (in the UK) for Barclays Bank, where she spoke about how she opened a farm using a loan from the bank.
Discography and videography
Studio albums
- Olivia Newton John (1971)
- If Not For You
If Not for You is Olivia Newton-John's first studio album. It followed her release of one single in 1966 and her participation in the soundtrack of the film Toomorrow...
(1971)
- Olivia
Olivia is the second album from the singer Olivia Newton-John. Two of its songs were released as singles .In its initial release, it was not issued in the United States, though it was sold there as an import...
(1972)
- Music Makes My Day (1973)
- Let Me Be There
Let Me Be There is a 1973 album by Olivia Newton-John. It consisted of her performances of a collection of 11 cover songs, plus Let Me Be There, a new song first recorded by Newton-John herself...
(1973) [US compilation]
- Long Live Love
Long Live Love is an album recorded by Olivia Newton-John, released in 1974 on EMI .-Singles:The song "I Honestly Love You" was her first number one single in the United States, released on the album If You Love Me, Let Me Know....
(1974)
- If You Love Me, Let Me Know
If You Love Me, Let Me Know was a United States and Canada-only album by singer Olivia Newton-John, released in 1974.-History:Half of the tracks on the album are from her European and Australian release, Long Live Love, and the other half are tracks from Olivia with the title song and the much...
(1974) [US compilation]
- Have You Never Been Mellow
Have You Never Been Mellow was an album by Olivia Newton-John, released in 1975.-Reception:Both the title single and the album rose to the top of their respective U.S. charts . The title song and its follow-up, "Please Mr...
(1975)
- Clearly Love
Clearly Love was an album by Olivia Newton-John, released in 1975.-Reception:The album's peak of #12 in the U.S. was also something of a disappointment, considering that Newton-John's previous two albums, If You Love Me, Let Me Know and Have You Never Been Mellow, had both reached #1...
(1975)
- Come On Over
Come On Over is an album by Olivia Newton-John, released in 1976. It peaked at #2 on the Country album charts, and #13 on the all-genre chart....
(1976)
- Don't Stop Believin'
Don't Stop Believin' was an album by Olivia Newton-John, released in 1976. The album was certified Gold and peaked at No. 33 - Pop and No. 7 - Country....
(1976)
- Making a Good Thing Better
Making a Good Thing Better is an album by Olivia Newton-John, released 1977.-Reception:The album peaked at No. 34 Pop and No. 13 Country. It was Newton-John's first album not to reach the Country Top 10...
(1977)
- Totally Hot
Totally Hot is Olivia Newton-John's ninth US and tenth international studio album. Released in November 1978, it became her first solo Top 10 album since 1975's Have You Never Been Mellow...
(1978)
- Physical
Physical is a 1981 MCA Records studio album by Olivia Newton-John. It is her most successful studio album, being certified double Platinum in the US. The title track, written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick, spent ten weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 matching the then record of most weeks at No....
(1981)
- Soul Kiss
Soul Kiss is the thirteenth studio album released by Olivia Newton-John in 1985. The sleeve contains photography by Helmut Newton and Herb Ritts.-Reception:...
(1985)
- The Rumour
Olivia Down Under is a compilation of music and clips from the album The Rumour released in 1989, featuring the singer Olivia Newton-John.-Product Description:...
(1988)
- Warm and Tender
Warm and Tender is an album of children's lullabies released by Olivia Newton-John in 1989.- Track listing :# "Jenny Rebecca" – 3:46# "Rocking" – 3:05# "Way You Look Tonight" – 2:59# "Lullaby My Lovely" – 1:16# "You'll Never Walk Alone" – 2:49...
(1989)
- Gaia
Gaia: One Woman's Journey is an album released by Olivia Newton-John in 1994. For the first time in her career; the album was entirely written by Newton-John herself...
(1994)
- Back With a Heart
Back With a Heart is an album released by Olivia Newton-John in 1998.-Production, Release and Singles:The album was recorded in Nashville and marked a return to the U.S Country charts after an absence of almost twenty years. The album featured the single "I Honestly Love You," a re-recording of her...
(1998)
- 'Tis the Season
'Tis the Season is an album of Olivia Newton-John and Vince Gill, launched in 2000.The album is an album with Christmas music also counted on the participation of the London Symphony Orchestra and The Bradford Singers...
(2000)
- The Christmas Collection (Olivia Newton-John album)
The Christmas Collection is a christmas compilation album by English-born Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John. The album consists of songs from Newton-John's studio album Tis The Season, with some of her performances on Kenny Loggins's 1999 TNN television special and plus new songs.-Track...
(2001)
- (2)
is the nineteenth studio album by Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John, released on November 12, 2002 in Australia. A duets album, the majority of tracks are with Australian artists, along with two American performers...
(2002)
- Indigo: Women of Song
Indigo: Women of Song is an album by Olivia Newton-John, released in 2004. It is an album of covers, each song written or immortalized by a woman.The album was certified Gold in Australia.-Track listing:...
(2004)
- Stronger Than Before
Stronger Than Before is an album of Olivia Newton-John, launched in 2005. It is an album of inspiration and encouragement to women who have dealt with cancer .-Track listing:#"Stronger Than Before"...
(2005)
- Grace and Gratitude
-Charts:AlbumYear-endSingles-Release history:...
(2006)
- Christmas Wish
Christmas Wish is an album of Olivia Newton-John, launched in 2007. It is the third album of Christmas Music recorded by Newton-John and the second album produced by Amy Sky.-Track listing:...
(2007)
- A Celebration in Song
A Celebration in Song is the twenty-fourth studio album by Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John, released in 3 June 2008 by Warner Bros. in Australia. The worldwide release of album was by EMI, in 2 September 2008...
(2008)
- Grace And Gratitude Renewed
-Charts:AlbumYear-endSingles-Release history:...
(2010)
Main compilation albums
- First Impressions (1975) (EMI/Festival compilation)
- Greatest Hits
Olivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits was the first compilation album released by Olivia Newton-John in the United States. Olivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits (1977) was the first compilation album released by Olivia Newton-John in the United States. Olivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits (1977) was the...
(1977)
- Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2
-Charts:Year-end...
(1982)
- Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971–1992
Back to Basics is a greatest hits album by Olivia Newton-John that was released in 1992, and the first compilation to contain both her country and pop hits. The album contained four new tracks: "Deeper Than A River", "Not Gonna Be The One", "I Want To Be Wanted" and "I Need Love"...
(1992)
Live albums
- Love Performance
Love Performance is a live album released in 1981. It was recorded during Olivia Newton-John's 1976 Japanese tour which supported the Don't Stop Believin' album...
(1981)
- Highlights from The Main Event
Highlights from The Main Event is a live album released in 1999, which consisted of music from the 1998 Australian tour The Main Event Tour which features Olivia Newton-John, John Farnham, and Anthony Warlow...
(1998)
- One Woman's Live Journey
One Woman's Live Journey is a live album released by Olivia Newton-John in 2000. The album is a recording of Olivia's concert at the Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey on August 26 and 27, 1999.-Track listing:#"Xanadu"#"Magic"...
(2000)
- Olivia's Live Hits
Olivia's Live Hits is a live album released in 2008, based on the tour of Olivia Newton-John in Sydney Opera House in 2006. A DVD, called Live at the Sydney Opera House was also recorded.-Production:...
(2008)
Soundtracks
- Toomorrow (1970)
- Grease (1978)
- Xanadu
Xanadu is the soundtrack of the 1980 musical film of the same name, featuring the Australian singer Olivia Newton-John and the Britsh group Electric Light Orchestra....
(1980)
- Two of a Kind
-Twist of Fate video:Twist of Fate is a 1983 video collection of the music videos from the Two of a Kind soundtrack by Olivia Newton-John. The video was released on VHS and laserdisc by MCA Home Video...
(1983)
- Sordid Lives
Sordid Lives was a 2000 independent film, written and directed by Del Shores. The movie is based on Shores' play of the same name and includes elements of his life, according to the director's DVD commentary...
(2000)
- Sordid Lives: The Series
Sordid Lives: The Series is an American television series created, written, and directed by Del Shores and acts as a prequel to 2000 film Sordid Lives, also by Shores, self-described as a "Black comedy about white trash"...
(2008)
DVDs/Laserdisc(12")/VHS/Betamax
- Olivia Physical
Olivia Physical is a 1982 video collection featuring the singer Olivia Newton-John and various of her songs, most from the album Physical. A somewhat expanded version of the video was aired as an ABC prime-time special, Let's Get Physical, which was in the top 10 of the Nielsen ratings...
(1982)
- Olivia in Concert
Olivia in Concert is a video, released in 1983, of a concert by singer Olivia Newton-John. It premiered on HBO.-Track listing:#"Deeper Than the Night"#"Let Me Be There"#"Please Mr...
(1983)
- Twist of Fate
"Twist of Fate" is an early-1984 hit from Olivia Newton-John that headed the soundtrack for the film, Two of a Kind, starring Newton-John and John Travolta. It was written by Peter Beckett & Stephen Kipner and produced by David Foster for the film. It reached number four in Australia and Canada,...
(1983)
- Soul Kiss (1985)
- Olivia Down Under (1988)
- Live at the Sydney Opera House
Olivia Newton-John and the Sydney Symphony: Live at the Sydney Opera House is a HD video released in 2008 for a tour of four concerts at the Sydney Opera House of singer Olivia Newton-John. The show was done in March 2006 with her band and Sydney Symphony conducted by Rick King...
(2008)
- Video Gold 1
Video Gold is a compilation of music and clips featuring the singer Olivia Newton-John. They were released on two DVDs separately, but there is one issue that unites the two into one.-Volume I:*Deeper Than The Night...
(2005)
- Video Gold 2
Video Gold is a compilation of music and clips featuring the singer Olivia Newton-John. They were released on two DVDs separately, but there is one issue that unites the two into one.-Volume I:*Deeper Than The Night...
(2005)
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1965 |
Funny Things Happen Down Under Funny Things Happen Down Under is a 1965 Australian musical/family film directed by Joe McCormick. Today it is best remembered for being Olivia Newton-John's first film.-Plot:...
|
Olivia |
Supporting role |
| 1970 |
Toomorrow Toomorrow is a 1970 British musical film starring Olivia Newton-John, and directed by Val Guest.-Synopsis:A group of students pay their way through school by forming a pop band called Toomorrow; sonic vibrations from a special instrument called a "tonaliser" cause an extraterrestrial to abduct the...
|
Olivia |
Lead role |
| 1972 |
The Case |
Herself |
BBC2 TV special w/Cliff Richard & Tim Brooke-Taylor |
| 1976 |
A Special Olivia Newton-John |
Herself |
TV special |
| 1977 |
Only Olivia |
Herself |
TV special |
| 1978 |
Olivia |
Herself |
TV special |
| Grease Grease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
|
Sandy Olsson |
Lead role |
| 1980 |
XanaduXanadu is a 1980 romantic musical fantasy film written by Marc Reid Rubel and directed by Robert Greenwald. The title is a reference to the poem "Kubla Khan, or, A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which is quoted in the film. Xanadu is the name of the Chinese province...
|
KiraIn Greek mythology, Terpsichore "delight of dancing" was one of the nine Muses, ruling over dance and the dramatic chorus. She lends her name to the word "terpsichorean" which means "of or relating to dance". She is usually depicted sitting down, holding a lyre, accompanying the dancers' choirs...
|
Lead role |
| Hollywood Nights |
Herself |
TV special |
| 1983 |
Two of a KindTwo of a Kind is a 1983 American romantic comedy film directed by John Herzfeld and starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The original music score was composed by Patrick Williams. The film has Travolta as an inventor and Newton-John as a bank teller. It is up to both criminally-minded...
|
Debbie |
Lead role |
| 1988 |
She's Having a Baby She's Having a Baby is a 1988 American romance film directed by John Hughes.The film portrays a young newlywed couple, Kristy and Jake Briggs played by Elizabeth McGovern and Kevin Bacon, who try to cope with being married and what is expected of them by their parents. Jake must also deal with the...
|
Herself |
Cameo |
| 1989 |
Mothers & Others |
Herself |
TV special |
| 1990 |
A Mom for Christmas A Mom for Christmas is a 1990 fantasy/comedy television movie directed by George T. Miller and starring Olivia Newton-John. Based on the book A Mom by Magic by Barbara Dillon, the film originally aired on NBC on December 17, 1990.-Plot:...
|
Amy Miller |
Lead role in television film |
| 1991 |
A Christmas Romance |
Julia Stonecypher |
Lead role in television film |
| Madonna: Truth or Dare Madonna: Truth or Dare is a 1991 American documentary film chronicling the life of American singer-songwriter Madonna during her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour...
|
Herself |
Cameo |
| 1996 |
It's My Party It's My Party is a 1996 American drama film written and directed by Randal Kleiser, it was one of the first feature films to address the topic of AIDS patients dying with dignity....
|
Lina Bingham |
Supporting role |
| 2000 |
Sordid Lives Sordid Lives was a 2000 independent film, written and directed by Del Shores. The movie is based on Shores' play of the same name and includes elements of his life, according to the director's DVD commentary...
|
Bitsy Mae Harling |
Supporting role |
| 2001 |
The Wilde Girls |
Jasmine Wilde |
Lead role in television film |
| 2002 |
A Night with Olivia |
Herself |
TV special |
| 2003 |
Live in Japan '03 |
Herself |
TV special |
| 2008 |
Sordid Lives: The Series Sordid Lives: The Series is an American television series created, written, and directed by Del Shores and acts as a prequel to 2000 film Sordid Lives, also by Shores, self-described as a "Black comedy about white trash"...
|
Bitsy Mae Harling |
Supporting role in TV Series |
| 2009 |
Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List |
Herself |
Guest appearance |
| 2010 |
1 a Minute |
Herself |
Documentary |
| Glee Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
|
Herself |
Special guest – 2 episodes: "Bad Reputation "Bad Reputation" is the 17th episode of the American television series, Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on May 4, 2010. It was directed by Elodie Keene, and written by series creator Ian Brennan. In "Bad Reputation", cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester is publicly ridiculed when a...
" and "Journey"Journey to Regionals" is the 22nd episode and first season finale of the American television series Glee. The episode was written and directed by series creator Brad Falchuk, and premiered on the Fox network on June 8, 2010. In "Journey to Regionals", New Directions performs at Regionals in front...
" |
| Score: A Hockey Musical Score: A Hockey Musical is a 2010 Canadian musical film, written and directed by Michael McGowan.-Synopsis:Seventeen-year old Farley Gordon has led a sheltered life, home-schooled and isolated by his parents. His closest friend is Eve, their next door neighbour. When his skill at hockey is...
|
Hope Gordon |
Supporting role |
| 2011 |
A Few Best Men A Few Best Men is an upcoming 2011 Australian comedy film written by Dean Craig and directed by Stephan Elliott. The film stars Xavier Samuel as a young groom heading to the Australian outback with his three best men for his wedding.-Plot:...
|
Mother-in-Law |
Supporting role |
Tours
- If Not For You Tour (1972)
- Cliff Richard Japan tour w/Pat Carroll (1972)
- Clearly Love Tour (1975)
- Love Performance Tour (1976)
- Totally Hot World Tour
The Totally Hot World Tour is the fourth concert tour by English-born Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John...
(1978)
- Physical World Tour (1982)
- The Main Event Tour (1998)
- Greatest Hits Tour (1999)
- One Woman's Live Journey Tour (1999)
- Millennium Tour (2000)
- 30 Musical Years Tour
The 30 Musical Years Tour was the tenth tour by English-born Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John. The tour, in the United States and Canada, gave support to her greatest hits album, Magic: The Very Best of Olivia Newton-John.-Background:...
(2001)
- Heartstrings World Tour
- Tour dates :-Personnel:Andy Timmons - Guitar & VocalsDan Wojciechowski - BatteryLee Hendricks - LowCatherine Marx - KeyboardsWarren Ham - Puffs & VocalsSteve Real - Vocals...
(2002)
- Japan 2006 Tour (2006)
- Live at the Sydney Opera House Tour
The Olivia Newton-John with the Sydney Symphony is the thirteenth tour by English-born Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John. The tour had four shows, all at the Sydney Opera House in Australia.-Background:...
(2006)
- Grace and Gratitude Tour
- Tour dates :-Personnel:Andy Timmons - Guitar & VocalsDan Wojciechowski - BatteryLee Hendricks - LowCatherine Marx - KeyboardsWarren Ham - Puffs & VocalsSteve Real - Vocals...
(2006)
- Body Heart & Spirit Tour
The Body Heart & Spirit Tour is the fifteenth concert tour by English-born Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John. The tour, now in China, Singapore and Malaysia, is a continuation of North American tour Grace and Gratitude Tour, also giving support to her twenty-second album, Grace and...
(2007)
- Verona-Canadian 2007 Tour (2007)
- United States 2009 Tour (2009)
Awards and honours
| Year |
Category |
Genre |
Recording |
Result |
| Grammy Awards |
| 1973 |
Best Female Country Vocal Performance |
Country |
"Let Me Be There" |
|
| 1974 |
Record of the Year Record of the Year may refer to:*Grammy Award for Record of the Year*The Record of the Year, a British award based on public polling...
|
General |
"I Honestly Love You" |
|
| Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |
Pop |
"I Honestly Love You" |
|
| 1975 |
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |
Pop |
"Have You Never Been Mellow" |
|
| 1978 |
Album of the Year The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
|
General |
"Grease" (Soundtrack) |
|
| Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |
Pop |
"Hopelessly Devoted to You" |
|
| 1980 |
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |
Pop |
"Magic" |
|
| 1981 |
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |
Pop |
"Physical" |
|
| 1982 |
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |
Pop |
"Heart Attack" |
|
| Video of the Year The Grammy Award for Video of the Year was an honor presented to recording artists at the 24th Grammy Awards in 1982 and the 25th Grammy Awards in 1983 for music videos...
|
General |
Olivia Physical |
|
| 1983 |
Best Long Form Music Video |
General |
Olivia in Concert |
|
| 1984 |
Best Short Form Music Video |
General |
Twist of Fate |
|
See also
External links