Olivia Newton John Biography Largely regarded as an Australian, due to her accent, Olivia Newton John was actually born in Cambridge, England on 26 September 1948. At the age of nine her parents relocated Olivia and her two siblings, Hugh and Rona to Melbourne, Australia. Olivia was just five years old and by the time she was eleven her parents had divorced. Olivia had put together her own girl band by the time she was fifteen and named them, Sol Four. They started making regular appearances on local television and radio stations in Melbourne.At sixteen Olivia returned to England to live with her mother and began touring around Europe in a duo she had formed with her friend Pat Carroll. Newton John's solo career started to take off with her first solo album titled Olivia Newton John, which was released in the United Kingdom. In 1968 Olivia met Bruce Walsh, a guitarist with the group “The Shadows”. Together they appeared on the Cliff Richard show, “Its Cliff Richard”. Her first international hit was a song written by Bob Dylan called “If Not For You".
She then went on to represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with the song, Long Live Love, which gave her fourth position in the contest. Later in 1974 she released her album, “If You Love Me Let Me Know” from which she released the single, “If Not for You” which gave Olivia her first # 1 hit across the Atlantic in America. Following this with three other #1 hits including “Physical. Throughout her career she has received four Grammy Awards.Encouraged by her friend Helen Reddy she moved to America in 1975 and became known for singing country and popular music. Olivia won the Country Music Female Vocalist of the Year award finishing ahead of Dolly Parton. In 1978 Olivia’s film breakthrough came when she was cast as Sandy in “Grease”, in which she played opposite John Travolta's character, Danny Zucko. In 1979 Olivia received the O.B.E. (Order of the British Empire) from H.R.H Queen Elizabeth II. In 1992 Newton John underwent breast cancer surgery, from which she recovered. She now actively promotes public awareness of the importance of early detection of the diseaseThe death of her mother Irene in 2004 saw the release of “Indigo: Women of Song”, a tribute album covering songs by The Carpenters, Minnie Riperton, Doris Day, Nina Simone, Joan Biaz, and others. Newton John dedicated the album to her mother and the record went gold in Australia.Olivia’s long time boyfriend, Patrick McDermott went missing while on a fishing trip off the coast of California in June 2005. Foul play has not been ruled out but some witnesses claim to have seen McDermott in Mexico.
In 2005 Olivia presented fellow Australian, Keith Urban with Entertainer Of The Year award in New York.At the beginning of 2007 Olivia Newton John appeared as a guest judge on the reality television program, “You’re the one that I Want” which was a search for the next stars of the Broadway production of “Grease”. Later in January she was also a judge on American Idol along with Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul. Let us know about updates to the Olivia Newton John Biography at editor@yuddy.com ABB |
