Olivia Newton-John
Biography
Early Life
Olivia Newton-John was born on September 26, 1948, in Cambridge, England. She moved to Melbourne, Australia at a young age with her family. By the age of fifteen, she had formed an all-girl group called Sol Four. Later that year Olivia managed to win a talent quest on a popular Tv show called “Sing, Sing, Sing”, this earned her a trip to London. There she performed in many clubs and on television. By 1963 Olivia Newton John was appearing on the local daytime TV shows and weekly pop programs in Australia.
While in Melbourne Olivia met lifelong friends, Pat Carroll and John Farrar on the “Go Show”. She went to London with them and they then toured Europe as a duo act, they appeared on BBC television, played at nightclubs and in the cabaret circuit. This was until Pat’s visa ran out meaning she had to return back to Australian. Forcing the duo act to break up this left Olivia to make her first single with Decca Records in 1966. It was a version of Jackie DeShannon's "Till You Say You'll Be Mine." In 1971 she recorded a cover for Bruce Welch of the Shadows co-produced her cover of Bob Dylan’s “If Not For You”, with her Australian friend John Farrar, who she still even continues to collaborate with today. She remained in Britain to pursue solo work until 1975. She became engaged to The Shadow's guitarist Bruce Welch, but they never married.
Olivia Newton-John and Pat Carroll
Acting Career
Newton-John then tried again to succeed in movie but sadly she was unable to replicate her earlier success with her next film, Xanadu (1980). An attempt to cash in two popular trends of the time - roller skating and disco, the movie bombed, but the soundtrack did well. Newton-John hit the charts again with the song "Magic." She changed her image for her next album Physical (1981), going for a more sexy, athletic look. It featured the hit single, "Let's Get Physical."
While she continued making albums in the mid-1980s, Newton-John's musical career quieted down. She focused on other aspects of her life, including starting a chain of clothing stores called Koala Blue, and starting a family. She had a daughter, Chloe Rose, in 1986 with husband Matt Lattanzi.
Battle With Breast Cancer
Newton-John's life took a dramatic turn in 1992 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She undertook chemotherapy and got a partial mastectomy. She recovered and went on to record Gaia (1994). But in 1995 Olivia experienced another hard experience in her life when she and her husband announced their separation that April.
Eventually back in the spotlight for the twentieth anniversary of the release of Grease, Newton-John released Back with a Heart in 1998. The album featured a new version of her classic hit "I Honestly Love You." She tackled a subject very close to her heart with 2005's Stronger than Before. As a cancer survivor, she donated a portion of the proceeds to cancer research, and she recorded songs she thought would provide hope and courage to cancer patients and their families. It includes the track "Can I Trust Your Arms," which she co-wrote with her daughter Chloe. The next year, Olivia made the album Grace and Gratitude. Filled with music intended to help people relax, the recording was designed to complement a line of Olivia Newton-John's wellness products for women. Newton-John spent much of the fall of 2006 on tour to support her new album.
Music Music Music
Olivia Newton-John released more than 150 albums throughout her singing career. But her most popular albums included Grease Soundtrack, Xanadu, Gold, This Christmas, Physical, Rumour, Greatest Hit V2, Back To The Basics: The Essentials and Come On Over.
OVERALL HER TOP 10 SONGS WERE:
10. Olivia, ABBA and Andy Gibb - Beach Boys medley
A TV performance of a medley of Beach Boys hits still gets us going enough to put it at number 10
9. Have You Never Been Mellow
Released in 1975, this hit from the album of the same name earned Newton-John a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. She didn't win the Grammy, but she gained more fans!
8. Jolene
Released on Come On Over in 1976 and then as a single in 1978, this is a top notch version of Dolly Parton's classic.
7. Magic
The film was a flop, but this smash hit from Xanadu that still got everyone grooving.
6. Suddenly
The soundtrack for the film Xanadu, the song is performed as a duet between Olivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard and was very successful
5. You're The One That I Want
From her very successful film Grease.
4. I Honestly Love You
Very popular reaching number #1 in Australia, Canada, Sweden and the US.
3. Hopelessly Devoted To You
A Grease smash-hit, that was very easy to fall in love with, this making it so famous.
2. Xanadu
High camp and high energy, this disco dance floor filler still rates, from her film that didn't go so well but a song that went extremely well.
1. Physical
Leg warmers, headbands, micro jogging shorts and a chorus you can't get out of your head for days? For the best of Olivia Newton-John, you can't go past this 1981 hit that reached #1 in more than 3 countries.
Present
Newton-John has been married twice. She currently lives with her second husband, John Easterling, in Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida. She is the mother of one daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, with her first husband, actor Matt Lattanzi.
Olivia Newton-John is healthy and happy to this day.