Olivia Newton-John - Biography
By J Poet
Olivia Newton-John is a Grammy winning Australian singer who had a major impact on the country, rock and dance charts during the 70s and 80s. She became an international sex symbol with songs and videos like 1981’s "Physical," racking up 15 gold albums and 10 platinum and multi-platinum titles. She went into semi-retirement in the late 80s to raise her daughter and run a clothing store chain. In 1992 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and after beating the disease, began recording inspirational and meditative music. Newton-John was inducted into the Australian Music Hall Of Fame in 2002 and made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2006.
Newton-John is the youngest child of Professor Brin Newton-John, a British intelligence officer and Irene Born, daughter of Nobel Prize winning physicist, Max Born. The family moved to Melbourne, Australia when she was five. Newton-John started singing in grammar school, and had an all-girl band called Sol Four in high school. She had a regular slot on Australian TV’s The Happy Show performing as Lovely Livvy. When she was 16, she won a talent contest sponsored by the Sing, Sing, Sing TV show, and won a trip to London. Newton-John made a one off single for Decca Records in 1966, Jackie DeShannon’s "Till You Say You’ll Be Mine” b/w "Forever." It was not successful. When her friend Pat Carroll moved to England they performed as a duo until Carroll’s visa ran out.
In 1969, Don Kirshner, creator of The Monkees, tried to create a similar British group called Toomorrow. Newton-John was hired to be part of the band, but after one album and an ill-fated science fiction musical film the group disbanded. In 1970, she moved to the US and got signed by MCA Nashville. If Not for You (1971 MCA) earned a nomination for Best Traditional Female Vocal for the track “Banks of the Ohio.” Her next album, Let Me Be There (1971 MCA) was a million selling smash. The title track was her first top ten single and she was named Most Promising Female Vocalist by Academy Of Country Music. “Let Me Be There” won her a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance. If You Love Me, Let Me Know (1974 MCA) went gold and the track won “I Honestly Love You” won Grammys for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Record of the Year. In the next two years she made four more gold albums Have You Never Been Mellow (1975 MCA), Clearly Love (1975 MCA), Come On Over (1976 MCA) and Don't Stop Believin' (1976 MCA.) In 1977 Greatest Hits (MCA) quickly went platinum.
Tired of her MOR image, Newton-John appeared as the seductive character Sandy in the film of Grease (1978 RSO) with John Travolta. The album hit #1 for 12 weeks and went 12X platinum behind the Newton-John hits "You're The One That I Want,” “Hopelessly Devoted To You," and "Summer Nights." The platinum Totally Hot (1978 MCA) started her move from country good girl to naughty dance diva; a transformation completed on Physical (1981 MCA) her double platinum new wavy dance club record. The title track won a Video of the Year Grammy. In between she appeared in the film Xanadu (1980 MCA.) It was a box office bomb, but the soundtrack went platinum behind two more Newton-John hits “Magic” and “Xanadu” with the Electric Light Orchestra. Another film with Travolta, Two of a Kind (1983 MCA) generated another double platinum soundtrack album; Olivia’s Greatest Hits Volume II (1982 MCA) also went multi-platinum. Her golden era came to a close with the sultry collection Soul Kiss (1985 MCA), which went gold.
Newton-John dropped out for three years to raise her daughter and returned with The Rumour (1988 MCA.) The title track was written and produced by Elton John. She followed with Warm and Tender (1989 Geffen), a collection of lullabies for children and inspirational pop standards. After the release of Back to Basics The Essential Collection 1971–1992 (1992 Geffen), which went gold over the course of eight years, Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer and dropped out again. After she beat the disease, she founded the Gaia Retreat and Spa in Byron Bay, Australia and recorded Gaia, One Woman's Journey (1994 Hip-O) an album of healing songs that she wrote and produced herself. Stronger Than Before (2005 Hallmark), featuring Diahann Carroll, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Delta Goodrem, Amy Holland, Patti LaBelle, and Mindy Smith was a benefit album for breast cancer research. Grace and Gratitude (2007 EMI) an album of inspirational and meditative music featured spiritual songs from many faiths and traditions.
In 2008, Newton-John built the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne, Australia and released A Celebration In Song (2008 Warner) a collection of duets with Jann Arden, Barry Gibb, Richard Marx, Cliff Richard, and Keith Urban. In 2012 she reteamed with John Travolta and recorded a new Christmas LP entitled This Christmas.
