 |
| John Paul Young |
| Aussie singer John Paul Young (not to be confused with '80's rocker Paul Young) was born on June 21, 1950 in Glasgow, Scotland. Relocating to Sydney in 1966 he started working as a sheet metal worker prior to being discovered by songwriters and record producers Harry Vanda and George Young. The producers tried to mold him into a glam rock artist beginning with his 1971 single "Pasadena." Once abandoning the glam rock getup for a more traditional rock approach the Australian hits began coming. He charted 10 singles over the next six years with such gems as: "You Drive Me Crazy" (1973), "Show And Tell" (1974), "Yesterday's Hero" (1975), "The Love Game" (1975), "I Hate The Music" (1976), "Keep On Smiling" (1976), "I Wanna Do It With You" (1977), "Here We Go" (1977) and "Where The Action Is" (1977). The four albums that contained these hits, "Hero," "JPY," "Green" and "All The Best" were all top twenty hits down under making him somewhat of a pop idol. In addition to his Australian success, he achieved hit singles in Europe, Asia and South Africa. "Yesterday's Hero" also became a minor hit in the U.S. In 1978 he released the 12" single of "Standing In The Rain." The song charted throughout Europe and Australia and gained him an entire new following, the club generation. The follow-up 12" single, "Love Is In The Air," became his only worldwide hit, peaking at #-2 on the Australian charts, #-7 in the U.S., and #-5 in the U.K. In America the "Love Is In The Air" album was picked up for release by Atlantic records. Atlantic also released a 12" single of "Lost In Your Love." That single has since become a disco cult classic, despite being a thinly veiled reworking of "Love Is In The Air." Subsequent singles, "The Day That My Heart Caught Fire," "Fool In Love," "Heaven Sent" and "Hot For You Baby," continued in the disco style but did not find an audience. He turned to a more contemporary rock style in the 1980's and had his final top 10 hit in Australia in 1983 with the single "Soldier Of Fortune." He ceased recording new music and concentrated on a second career as a radio disc jockey until the film "Strictly Ballroom" was released in 1992. The film featured a remixed version of "Love Is In The Air." The film was a success throughout the world, and Young's single once again peaked at #-2 on the Australian charts, and charted in clubs around the world. Young doesn't deny the fact that the release of the movie, "Strictly Ballroom," virtually reinvented him in the public's eye. He calmly rode and enjoyed that wave which took him to Spain to appear on two of Spanish television's major European networks, Japan to perform for members of their Royal Family, Thailand, Fiji, and further. He performed at many of Australia's highest profile events like the Sydney Olympic 2000 bid, the AFI Awards, the Australian Music Awards and the Australian Grand Prix Ball. Over the last few years, John has released the "Now" album; then returned to Germany, after an absence of 20 years, to appear on all the major TV programs & specials. It also prompted a month-long cross-country tour there in 1998 with performances backed by his band of 20 years "The Allstar Band." He has played the role of record producer Gus Sharkey (aka Phil Spector) in the stage production of "Leader Of The Pack." He's had a reworked version of his 1976 hit, "I Hate The Music," recorded with contemporary band Ratcat, surface on the charts from an Australian movie "Occasional Course Language," from which, the video introduced John to a whole new generation. He's had another song, "All Hell Broke Loose," co-written with Angry Anderson and his long time keyboard player "Pig" Morgan, released by the contemporary band Rose Tattoo, for their 1998 national tour. John is currently appearing in a quirky Kraft Foods TV commercial which uses another of his big hits, "Yesterday's Hero." He currently has a syndicated radio program aptly named "Yesterday's Hero's" which is broadcast throughout the eastern states of Australia on the RG Network. John is happy, healthy and still living in Australia where he is a beloved television personality. |
 |