Olivia Charms audience at Martin Campus
By Richard Mcfalls Staff Writer
MARTIN - Grammy award-winning songstress Olivia Newton-John brought her soft pop-country sound to the University of Tennessee at Martin this week, appearing before a wildly appreciative audience of over 1,000 at the campus field house Tuesday night.
The 25-year-old Australia native who now lives in London, is in the midst of her first major American tour which includes three weeks of performances at midwestern U.S. college campuses.
Opening the show with her million-seller. “Let Me Be There,” the Grammy-winning song largely responsible for her being named “most promising female country vocalist” by the Academy of Country Music, she also performed songs by the Beatles, Bread, and John Denver, plus the numbers which have brought her success in America.
Hauntingly beautiful renditions of “Love Song” (“my favorite song of all time,” she said) and “If” mesmerized the crowd. which later clapped and sang along with her on Banks of the Ohio.”
She capped the 35 minute set with her latest release. “If You Love Me (Let Me Know,” and following several minutes of cheers and applause, was persuaded to return to the stage for an encore.
“You all are fantastic,” she told the audience, seemingly a bit taken aback by the crowd’s enthusiasm. “I’ll have to repeat another song is “Let Me Be There” all right?”
The audience. some of which had flocked to the front of the stage, noisily agreed with her selection. Before she could get off the stage again, her excellent six-piece band launched into another encore of her latest hit record.
Backstage, she discussed her career, which is on the surface conflicting because in England she is known as a pop singer, while over here she is classified as a “rock” performer, whose songs have sold heavily in country music markets.
“In England I had a couple of country hits. “Country Roads” and “Banks of the Ohio,” but more emphasis is put on the pop scene over there,” she said in a quiet voice still touched with an Australian accent.
“I just represented them in a big song contest, and I have a hit with that which is completely opposite to what I’m doing over here.” she said. Her English hit. “Long Live Love,” broke into the top 10 over there.
“The first few records I made. “If Not For You” was the first, which was Bob Dylan - that was sort of country.” she said “I do a lot of country-sounding songs partly because my voice suits that sort of material and my managers thought that’s what I should record.”
“I never went out to be a country singer,” she continued. “because when you think of country singers you think of songs like “Home On The Range.” or something like that. I think my sound is more middle-of-the-road, country-pop, and easy listening.”
The blond-haired, brown-eyed singer said she had received no criticism for having won the Grammy despite the fact she is not considered a “hard-core” country artist.
“The Grammy award, I believe, is for best performance on a country-western record. I don’t think it has anything to do with where you were born as to how you perform on a song.” she said.
A native of Melbourne. Australia, she started singing folk songs when she was 15. “all for fun, nothing serious. Later, after becoming a “singer.” she won a song contest and took a trip to England, which was the prize for winning the contest. Once there she appeared on television show which required her to sing many songs of differing styles.
Her next album is scheduled for release this month, her third LP for MCA Records “There will he a few different things on this one, a few more ballads.” she said.