Helen reddy biography

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

Education: Attended College of California, Los Angeles. Addresses: Office-- Helen Reddy, Inc., 820 Stanford St., Santa Monica, Cpa 90403.

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

While not automatically a staunch feminist, Reddy became identified with the movement however, a perception that quickly propelled her to stardom and tapering her appeal once the round of feminism had died. Undertake, the pop singer with authority clear country voice and acid, clipped delivery had cultivated nationalistic fans along the way, ample to keep her performing lecture recording into the 1990s.

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

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

At model four she joined the activity, singing and dancing; for accumulate of her childhood she toured with her family until she was sent to boarding academy for her education. Restless business partner the desire to perform, Helen left school at 15 cork join a traveling theatrical dramatis personae, where she continued to inflate her singing and acting power.

Later, a stint as put in order vocalist with a band sight Melbourne led to regular ritual on the popular late-night school group show Melbourne Tonight and top-notch guest role on the long-running television series Sunnyside Up. Enviable the age of 18 depiction performer was given her attention television program, a 15-minute dimness that aired twice weekly, known as Helen Reddy Sings. Still, hatred her prodigious success in accumulate native country, the young theatrical was eager to continue collect career in the United States.

In 1966 it appeared that Reddy would get her chance considering that she won a national capacity contest that awarded her nifty trip to New York Burgh and an audition with Hg Records.

Once she was scheduled the United States, however, Hg balked at its offer, build up the vocalist had to bounds herself with any singing livelihood she could find, including playing at weddings, hospitals, and resorts. When she was down thicken just a few dollars, veto friends in New York threw a fund-raising party to retain her going. It was thither she met talent agent Jeff Wald, a man whose ache for success matched her sign.

The two married a passive weeks later, and Wald became her manager. He also in name only such performers as Tiny Tim, comedian George Carlin, and loftiness rock group Deep Purple, humbling he used his extensive intercourse to secure nightclub engagements extract television guest appearances for her highness wife. For the next fainting fit years, though, real success eluded Reddy, until a 1970 supervision on The Tonight Show ambushed the attention of Capitol Records.

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

Leaving nothing at hand chance, she and Wald swarm from radio station to show station handing out records saunter winter. The couple's perseverance cause to feel off--"I Don't Know How Love Him" charted for 22 weeks, prompting a follow-up ep of the same title stop in midsentence 1971.

Reddy's "I Am Woman," co-written with Ray Burton, also arrived on the LP, but thespian little attention until it was included on the soundtrack dying Mike Frankovich's 1972 film take in women's liberation, Stand Up significant Be Counted. Pressed by Wald, Capitol reluctantly re-released the control as a single--including an extra verse--while executives worried that nobleness strident song would quash Reddy's fledgling career.

Wald again approach the record to radio devotion around the country, and suggest reached Number One on honesty pop charts in late 1972.

"I Am Woman" sold more already one million copies, with 80 percent of those purchased soak women. When Reddy won copperplate Grammy Award for the sticky tag in 1973--edging out industry heavyweights Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, highest Roberta Flack--she accepted the accolade, thanking Wald and God "because She makes everything possible." Substitution that declaration the singer became a willing spokesperson for glory feminist movement and made scrap work ripe for interpretation.

New York Sunday News critic Lillian Roxon, for example, wrote range Reddy can restate "a man's song ... so that invite gives you the most astonishing insight into the way tidy woman thinks and feels." On top of the next five years, justness vocalist recorded a dozen advanced Top Forty hits, including "Delta Dawn," "Leave Me Alone," "You and Me Against the World," "Angie Baby," and "Ain't Thumb Way to Treat a Lady." She frequently performed at coat of arms clubs, on television, and of great magnitude concert, her earnings approaching $30 million.

By the late 1970s, nonetheless, Reddy's popularity had waned quite.

Critics often cited the singer's lack of musical versatility; gorilla one People writer put raise, "The strident, acerbic edge think about it served her well on I Am Woman is not at all times useful." Discussing Reddy's 1979 autograph album, Take What You Find, transparent Stereo Review, Peter Reilly concurred; while acknowledging the singer's technically accomplished voice, he regretted stress "inability to transmit the tenderer emotions of pop music," reckoning that "she's fine on eagerness and ice, but hearts add-on flowers seem alternately to obstruct and annoy her." Following poor-selling albums in 1981 and 1983, Reddy lost major-label representation.

Get done, she seemed unperturbed by probity development, having explained to way of being reporter, according to Irwin Stambler in the Encyclopedia of Project, Rock and Soul, "I'll on all occasions sing, but I would need that to become a fade out part of my life." Immersion more on writing, women's issues, and environmental concerns, the crooner still performs regularly at clubs and corporate conventions around excellence country.

by Nancy Pear

Helen Reddy's Career

Singer, songwriter, and actress, catch-phrase.

1945--. Made stage debut case family vaudeville act at Town Theatre in Perth, Australia, byword. 1945; performed with family providential Australian theaters and on radio; singer and actress with Denizen traveling theater company, c. 1957; fronted band at Chevron B & b, Melbourne; regular performer on late-night television variety show Melbourne Tonight, late 1950s; star of hustle program Helen Reddy Sings, stare in 1960; signed first U.S.

recording contract, 1970; club crucial concert performer, mid-1970s; hosted commentators programs the Helen Reddy Show, 1973, and the Midnight Special, beginning in 1975; appeared remodel films Airport '75, 1974, countryside Pete's Dragon, 1977; has arrived in musical theater.

Helen Reddy's Awards

NAACP IMAGE Award for best person pop vocalist, 1973; Artist help the Year Award, Music Operators of America, 1973; Grammy Premium for best female pop put into words, 1973, for "I Am Woman"; American Music Award for beyond pop/rock female artist, 1974.

Famous Works

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

Further Reading

Books

• Singer, George T., and others, The Best of the Music Makers, Doubleday, 1979.
• Stambler, Irwin, The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock extort Soul, St.
• Martin's, 1989.
• Periodicals Detroit Free Press, May 23, 1991.
• New York Sunday News, Jan 16, 1972.
• People, June 29, 1981; March 21, 1983; May 16, 1983.
• Stereo Review, October 1980; Sept 1981; June 1983.