Judith and Olivia - 2 Aussies RIP

Two Australian female singers have passed away in the last couple of days. What is happening? Both of these deaths will leave many people shocked, as they both enjoyed enormous success in their day. Judith Durham, who has died aged 79, was the lead singer of the Seekers and enjoyed huge success in the sixties before leaving to go solo. The group arrived in the UK in late 1964 and had a number one hit early the next year with 'I'll Never Find Another You'. Other big hits followed in the form of 'A World Of Our Own', 'Morningtown Ride', 'Someday, One Day' and ' Georgie Girl'. 'The Carnival Is Over' remains one of the top 50 selling singles ever in the UK. I was never a great fan of the Seekers (as can be seen in my Croydon Advertiser review from 1966 - which shows what a poor judge I was of hit potential) but there is no disputing her success as a singer.

The same can be said for Olivia Newton John, who has died at the age of 73. There was a time in the seventies when Olivia seemed to be everywhere. She was born in England but moved to Australia when she was six. Her first recording, in 1966, was for Decca in the UK ('Till You Say You're Mine') and she was signed by producer Don Kirshner for a group called Toomorrow which had singles released on RCA and Decca. Her first solo album in 1971 featured the Bob Dylan song 'If Not For You' which gave her her first hit and the follow up 'Banks Of The Ohio' made the top ten in the UK. She had an entry in the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Long Live Love' in 1974 which finished fourth and afterwards her songs moved towards the country field, creating controversy among American country purists. She moved to the US where she enjoyed continued success but her greatest fame came from her appearance with John Travolta in 'Grease' in 1978 with major hits 'Hopelessly Devoted To You', 'Summer Nights' and, with Travolta, 'You're The One That I Want'. RIP to both these Australian artists. A sad day.