polls for favourite girl singer
TOP GIRL singers generally are known by just one name. Years back, mention Ella… and it was obvious who you meant. Sarah same thing. Doris same
And on to that rich vein of British girls, like Sandie, Dusty, Lulu, Petula, Cilla, Shirley. This was added to by the likes of Olivia, who won our popularity poll last year.. and is tops again this time round.
Incidentally, Olivia Australian-born, and she came to Britain as part of a singing duo is currently winning great popularity in the country music field, even in Nashville, Tennessee, where it takes an authentic voice to break through.</strong>
The new ladies in the top ten are also ONE NAMERS Suzi (Quatro), Lynsey (de Paul) and Linda (Lewis). From last year’s top ten, those departing are Sonja Kristina, Sandy Denny, Mary Hopkin, and Petula Clark.
The two main new girls are number two Suzi, and number three Lynsey. And it’s hard to find a more “different” pair. Suzi, American and tough, loves getting out on stage and putting on a violent often unladylike performance. She says: “I like to hit ‘em right between the eyes. Call it butch if you like but the on-stage me honestly isn’t the same as the off-stage Suzi.”
And then there is Lynsey, with her little girl voice, and her reluctance to get up there and sing. Lynsey is an artistic little soul she writes stories, composes poems, writes lovely little songs of wistful romance like Won’t Someone Dance With Me. She says she genuinely is shy. That she can’t sing very well, and really would rather just make records and produce and write songs for other singers.
A mention here for Linda Lewis, because her arrival in the top ten is not quite so predictable. Her luscious voice has long been praised, via albums and personal appearances, but there’s that touch of real class and quality about her.. and it’s not easy for girls in that category to make the pop break-through. But girl singers know they ALWAYS have to fight that bit harder to do the overnight-sensation routine unless your family surname happens to be Osmond, that is Polly Brown, for instance, left Pickettywitch, but despite good singles hasn’t returned to the charts.
And Madeline Bell made solo records, but wasn’t a chart regular until she joined Blue Mink. Unlucky Lesley Duncan has contributed hugely to umpteen hits for other people, but still hasn’t broken herself. Still, at least there are signs that Kiki Dee is on the fringe of something, having long been a ludicrously under-rated seller of blue-eyed British soul.
But the last word rests on behalf of Olivia Newton-John. She doesn’t have to have regular top ten records to maintain her popularity. Hasn’t she done well?