Olivia Newton-John comes back home to country
By Paulette Flowers and Otto Kitsinger
King Features Syndicate
Why, you may ask, are we writing a column on Olivia Newton-John? Isn’t she that Australian pop singer who starred with John Travolta in “Grease”?
Well, she did star in the movie, and she has won numerous awards and made many albums as a pop singer. But Newton-John, who is actually English (born in Cambridge), started out as a folk singer. The first record she ever owned was a Tennessee Ernie Ford album and her first Grammy and most of her very early awards were as a country artist.
In fact, her 1974 win as CIMA Female Vocalist of the Year stirred up quite a controversy in country music. A lot of people were upset that “this foreigner,” who was beginning to make waves as a pop singer in the United States, won over her fellow nominees: Loretta Lynn, Anne Murray, Dolly Parton and Tanya Tucker.
Newton-John did go on to have a very successful career as a pop artist. But motherhood (of daughter Chloe, now 12) and a bout with breast cancer slowed her down for a while.
About 18 months ago she decided she wanted to make another country album. Why? “My first success was in country music. Pop music today is not where I am. Country music is more about the song and the singer, and that’s where I am now,” she says.
“Back With a Heart,” which is due for release May 12, is a lovely album that is typical of the woman herself. Newton-John is a class act, and her music reflects this.
While she was in Nashville last year to collaborate on songs for this album, she appeared at the annual Operation Smile Benefit Concert. The audience, mostly Music Row heavy hitters who are not easily impressed, kept giving Newton-John standing ovations.
While we often report that a former pop or rock artist has decided to “go country,” somehow Newton-John’s new album doesn’t have that feel about it. Rather, it really does feel like she’s coming home, and we think country music is ready to welcome her back.