Olivia Newton-John was born in Cambridge, England, on
November 26, 1948. Her mother, Irene, was the daughter of
Max Born, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist. In 1954, Olivia
and her family moved to Australia, where her father, Brinley,
became the master at Ormond College in Melbourne. There,
at the age of 15, Olivia formed an all-girl group, Sol Four, and
began appearing on local TV as ”Lovely Livvy.” It was
prophetic nickname, as she would blossom into one of the most
beautiful women of the 20th century. In 1965, Olivia and
her mother moved back to England, where the young teen sang
briefly in clubs with Pat Carroll and then, in 1970, in
an unsuccessful pop group called Tomorrow.
Olivia cut her first solo LP, If Not For You, in 1971. The
title song became her first hit, reaching #7 in the UK and #25 in the
U.S. Two years later, she returned with “Let Me Be There,”
which won a Grammy for “Best Female Country Vocal
Performance.” Some country fans objected to that prize
going to “a foreigner singing country-flavored
pop” – but the award stood.
Olivia soared to even greater heights in 1974 with “If You Love Me,
Let Me Know” (#5) and her first chart-topper, “I Honestly Love You.”
The latter track earned two more Grammies, including
“Record Of The Year.” 1975 brought “Have You Never Been Mellow,” “
Please Mister Please” and “Something Better To Do.”
There were lesser
hits in 1976 (“Let It Shine,” “Come On Over,”
“Don’t Stop Believin’“) and 1977 (“Sam”).
That same year, Olivia was offered the female lead in
the movie version of Grease, opposite John Travolta.
Although doubtful that, at 29, she could pass as a high school
student, Newton-John reluctantly accepted. The result was the
biggest box office hit of 1978 -- and added three more
hits to her crown: “Hopelessly Devoted To You” plus two
duets with Travolta: “Summer Nights” and
“You’re
The One That I Want.”
Newton-John’s transformation in the film from innocent
to leather-clad vixen was reflected in her later hits: “A Little More Love”
and “Deeper In The Night” (1979). In 1980, she appeared with
Gene Kelly in the movie musical Xanadu -- and on the set met
her future husband, Matt Lattanzi. Two songs from the film
became hits: “Magic” plus the title tune (which she recorded
with The Electric Light Orchestra).
Olivia’s greatest hit, “Physical,” topped the charts in 1981,
staying on the Hit Parade for 26 straight weeks, and ultimately
ranked as the largest-selling single of the decade.
1982 brought “Make A Move On Me” and “Heart Attack”;
“Tied Up” and “Twist of Fate” followed in 1983. “Livin’ in
Desperate Times” came along in 1984; “Soul Kiss” in 1985.
There were even a couple more duets: “Suddenly” (with Cliff Richard)
and “I Can’t Help It” (with Andy Gibb).
Since that time, Olivia has recorded additional albums, done
a little more acting and raised both a daughter and money
for various charities, including breast cancer awareness.
She herself is a breast cancer survivor.
Visit Olivia's web site here.
