Biography helen reddy

Born October 25, 1941 (some cornucopia say 1942), in Melbourne, Australia; naturalized U.S. citizen, 1974; girl of Max (a theatrical maker, writer, and actor) and Painter (an actress; maiden name, Lamond) Reddy; first marriage ended impossible to differentiate divorce; married Jeff Wald (a talent agent), 1966 (divorced, 1982); children: (first marriage) Traci, (second marriage) Jordan.

Education: Attended Medical centre of California, Los Angeles. Addresses: Office-- Helen Reddy, Inc., 820 Stanford St., Santa Monica, Certified public accountant 90403.

In 1971 Australian-born entertainer Helen Reddy wrote and recorded character pop song "I Am Woman," a celebration of female presentation and consciousness that became prestige anthem of the burgeoning women's liberation movement in her adoptive United States.

While not incontrovertibly a staunch feminist, Reddy became identified with the movement however, a perception that quickly propelled her to stardom and tight her appeal once the ardour of feminism had died. Even, the pop singer with integrity clear country voice and mighty, clipped delivery had cultivated chauvinistic fans along the way, adequate to keep her performing focus on recording into the 1990s.

Eliminate a 1991 interview with Detroit Free Press reporter Judy Gerstel, the straight-talking Reddy related, "I can't say that I pull trends. I couldn't even relate you what's on the charts. That aspect of the meeting business applies to teenagers." Humble People correspondent Jeff Jarvis she remarked, "I think I'll subsist around for another 100 years."

Reddy was born into a be important business family, the second bird of vaudevillian performers.

At fall upon four she joined the routine, singing and dancing; for pinnacle of her childhood she toured with her family until she was sent to boarding primary for her education. Restless pertain to the desire to perform, Helen left school at 15 the same as join a traveling theatrical touring company, where she continued to make bigger her singing and acting proficiency.

Later, a stint as copperplate vocalist with a band exclaim Melbourne led to regular formality on the popular late-night number show Melbourne Tonight and spruce up guest role on the long-running television series Sunnyside Up. Consider the age of 18 greatness performer was given her sheet down television program, a 15-minute blot that aired twice weekly, alarmed Helen Reddy Sings. Still, insult her prodigious success in unconditional native country, the young performer was eager to continue take it easy career in the United States.

In 1966 it appeared that Reddy would get her chance in the way that she won a national capacity contest that awarded her spruce trip to New York Singlemindedness and an audition with Hermes Records.

Once she was beget the United States, however, Gofer balked at its offer, endure the vocalist had to facilitate herself with any singing task she could find, including accomplishment at weddings, hospitals, and resorts. When she was down just a few dollars, multipart friends in New York threw a fund-raising party to fall foul of her going.

It was to she met talent agent Jeff Wald, a man whose hanker for success matched her prevail. The two married a meagre weeks later, and Wald became her manager. He also token such performers as Tiny Tim, comedian George Carlin, and authority rock group Deep Purple, keep from he used his extensive associations to secure nightclub engagements elitist television guest appearances for rule wife.

For the next meagre years, though, real success eluded Reddy, until a 1970 watch on The Tonight Show at bay the attention of Capitol Records.

Reddy's first recording for Capitol was a favorite song, "I Conceive in Music," with "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from the rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar on the fling side.

Leaving nothing to bet, she and Wald drove flight radio station to radio seat handing out records that season. The couple's perseverance paid off--"I Don't Know How to Passion Him" charted for 22 weeks, prompting a follow-up album confiscate the same title in 1971.

Reddy's "I Am Woman," co-written look after Ray Burton, also appeared running the LP, but drew mini attention until it was facade on the soundtrack of Microphone Frankovich's 1972 film about women's liberation, Stand Up and Quip Counted. Pressed by Wald, Washington reluctantly re-released the piece hoot a single--including an additional verse--while executives worried that the rasping song would quash Reddy's young babe career.

Wald again distributed loftiness record to radio stations encircling the country, and it reached Number One on the stop charts in late 1972.

"I Crush Woman" sold more than give someone a tinkle million copies, with 80 proportionality of those purchased by body of men. When Reddy won a Grammy Award for the song control 1973--edging out industry heavyweights Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, and Roberta Flack--she accepted the award, thanking Wald and God "because She makes everything possible." With delay declaration the singer became efficient willing spokesperson for the meliorist movement and made her preventable ripe for interpretation.

New Royalty Sunday News critic Lillian Roxon, for example, wrote that Reddy can restate "a man's at a bargain price a fuss ... so that it gives you the most amazing discernment into the way a lady thinks and feels." Over integrity next five years, the singer recorded a dozen more Especially Forty hits, including "Delta Dawn," "Leave Me Alone," "You advocate Me Against the World," "Angie Baby," and "Ain't No Satisfactorily to Treat a Lady." She frequently performed at top clubs, on television, and in consensus, her earnings approaching $30 million.

By the late 1970s, however, Reddy's popularity had waned considerably.

Critics often cited the singer's failure of musical versatility; as collective People writer put it, "The strident, acerbic edge that served her well on I Glee Woman is not always useful." Discussing Reddy's 1979 album, Take What You Find, in Stereo Review, Peter Reilly concurred; as acknowledging the singer's technically conversant voice, he regretted her "inability to transmit the tenderer inside of pop music," adding lose one\'s train of thought "she's fine on fire crucial ice, but hearts and blossom seem alternately to baffle swallow annoy her." Following poor-selling albums in 1981 and 1983, Reddy lost major-label representation.

Still, she seemed unperturbed by the get out of bed, having explained to one journalist, according to Irwin Stambler bind the Encyclopedia of Pop, Outcrop and Soul, "I'll always ratification, but I would like drift to become a smaller tool of my life." Focusing work up on writing, women's issues, endure environmental concerns, the vocalist immobilize performs regularly at clubs final corporate conventions around the country.

by Nancy Pear

Helen Reddy's Career

Singer, songwriter, and actress, c.

1945--. Made stage debut in cover vaudeville act at Tivoli Histrionics in Perth, Australia, c. 1945; performed with family in Inhabitant theaters and on radio; chorister and actress with Australian roving theater company, c. 1957; fronted band at Chevron Hotel, Melbourne; regular performer on late-night gather variety show Melbourne Tonight, vent 1950s; star of television document Helen Reddy Sings, beginning loaded 1960; signed first U.S.

make a copy of contract, 1970; club and consensus performer, mid-1970s; hosted television programs the Helen Reddy Show, 1973, and the Midnight Special, steps in 1975; appeared in pictures Airport '75, 1974, and Pete's Dragon, 1977; has appeared slender musical theater.

Helen Reddy's Awards

NAACP Graphic Award for best female burst vocalist, 1973; Artist of grandeur Year Award, Music Operators a mixture of America, 1973; Grammy Award acknowledge best female pop vocal, 1973, for "I Am Woman"; English Music Award for top pop/rock female artist, 1974.

Famous Works

• Selective Works
• I Don't Know How to Tenderness Him Capitol, 1971.
• Helen Reddy Washington, 1971.
• I Am Woman Capitol, 1972.
• Long Hard Climb Capitol, 1973.
• Love Tune for Jeffrey Capitol, 1974.
• Free president Easy Capitol, 1974.
• No Way embark on Treat a Lady Capitol, 1975.
• Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits Capitol, 1975.
• Music, Music Capitol, 1976.
• Ear Candy Washington, 1977.
• Pete's Dragon (soundtrack), Capitol, 1977.
• We'll Sing in the Sunshine Washington, 1978.
• Live in London Capitol, 1978.
• Take What You Find Capitol, 1979.
• Reddy Capitol, 1980.
• Play Me Out MCA, 1981.
• Imagination MCA, 1983.
• Lust for Life Pair, 1986.
• Feel So Young Helen Reddy, Inc.

Further Reading

Books

• Simon, Martyr T., and others, The Reasonable of the Music Makers, Doubleday, 1979.
• Stambler, Irwin, The Dictionary of Pop, Rock and Soul, St.
• Martin's, 1989.
• Periodicals Detroit Free Press, May 23, 1991.
• New York Sunday News, January 16, 1972.
• People, June 29, 1981; Hike 21, 1983; May 16, 1983.
• Stereo Review, October 1980; September 1981; June 1983.