A Photographic Retrospective By John Robert Rowlands

Olivia Newton-John

b. 26 September 1948, Cambridge, England. Her showbusiness career began
when she won a local contest to find 'the girl who looked most like Hayley
Mills' in 1960 after the Newton-Johns had emigrated to Australia. Later she
formed the Sol Four with schoolfriends. Though this vocal group disbanded,
the encouragement of customers who heard her sing solo in a cafe led her to
enter - and win - a television talent show. The prize was a 1966 holiday in
London during which she recorded her debut single, Jackie DeShannon 's
'Till You Say You'll Be Mine' after a stint in a duo with Pat Carroll. Staying on
in England, Olivia became part of Toomorrow, a group created by
bubblegum-pop potentate Don Kirshner, to fill the gap in the market left by
the disbanded Monkees (not to be confused with Tomorrow ). As well as a
science-fiction movie and its soundtrack, Toomorrow was also responsible for
'I Could Never Live Without Your Love,' a 1970 single, produced by the
Shadows' Bruce Welch - with whom Olivia was romantically linked. Although
Toomorrow petered out, Newton-John's link with Cliff Richard and the
Shadows was a source of enduring professional benefit. A role in a Richard
movie, tours as special guest in The Cliff Richard Show, and a residency - as
a comedienne as well as singer - on BBC Television's It's Cliff! guaranteed
steady sales of her first album, and the start of a patchy British chart career with
a Top 10 arrangement of Bob Dylan 's 'If Not For You' in 1971. More typical
of her output were singles such as 'Take Me Home Country Roads', penned by
John Denver, 'Banks Of The Ohio' and, from the late John Rostill of the
Shadows, 1973's 'Let Me Be There'. This last release was sparked off by an
appearance on the USA's The Dean Martin Show and crossed from the US
country charts to the Hot 100, winning her a controversial Grammy for Best
Female Country Vocal. After an uneasy performance in 1974's Eurovision
Song Contest, Newton-John became omnipresent in North America, first as its
most popular country artist, though her standing in pop improved considerably
after a chart-topper with 'I Honestly Love You,' produced by John Farrar,
another latter-day Shadow (and husband of the earlier-mentioned Pat Carroll),
who had assumed the task after the estrangement of Olivia and Bruce.
Newton-John also became renowned for her duets with other artists, notably in
the movie of the musical Grease in which she and co-star John Travolta
performed 'You're The One That I Want'. This irresistibly effervescent song
became one of the most successful UK hit singles in pop history, topping the
charts for a stupendous nine weeks. The follow-up, 'Summer Nights' was also
a UK number 1 in 1978. 'Xanadu', with the Electric Light Orchestra, the title
song of a film in which she starred, was another global number 1. However, not
such a money-spinner was a further cinema venture with Travolta (1983's 'Two
Of A Kind'). Neither was 'After Dark', a single with the late Andy Gibb in
1980, nor Now Voyager, a 1984 album with his brother Barry. With singles
such as 'Physical' (1981) and the 1986 album Soul Kiss on Mercury
Records she adopted a more raunchy image in place of her original perky
wholesomeness. During the late 80s/early 90s much of her time was spent,
along with Pat (Carroll) Farrar, running her Australian-styled clothing business,
Blue Koala. Following The Rumour, Newton-John signed to Geffen for the
release of a collection of children's songs and rhymes, Warm And Tender. The
award of an OBE preceded her marriage to actor and dancer Matt Lattanzi.
She remains a showbusiness evergreen, although her life was clouded in 1992
when her fashion empire crashed, and it was announced that she was
undergoing treatment for cancer. She subsequently revealed that she had won
her battle with the disease, and in 1994 released an album that she had written,
produced and paid for herself. At the same time, it was estimated that in a
career spanning nearly 30 years, she has sold more than 50 million records
worldwide. Sales rocketed in 1998, when the Grease movie was re-released,
and both the soundtrack and single 'You're The On That I Want', returned to
the upper reaches of the charts.

Photograph of Olivia Newton-John by John Robert Rowlands