Helen Reddy

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Helen Reddy, 1976

Helen Maxine Reddy (born October 25, 1941 in Melbourne , Australia , † September 29, 2020 in Los Angeles , United States ) was an Australian singer , feminist and film actress who was also an American citizen from 1974. In the 1970s she had worldwide success. Her 1972 number one hit, I am Woman , became an anthem for the women's movement . A total of around 25 million records sold are attributed to her.

Career

Helen Reddy published her first single One Way Ticket in 1968. Overall, Reddy, who had already been a child star on Australian radio and until her first success in mid-1971 ( I Don't Know How To Love Him from the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar ) had studied parapsychology at the University of California , topped the American singles chart three times: the feminist anthem I Am Woman ( 1972 ), Delta Dawn ( 1973 ) and Angie Baby ( 1974 ). All three hits and the single Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress) were each awarded a gold record for over one million units sold. I Am Woman also received a Grammy for Best Female Vocal Performance. In 1973 and 1974, according to the Guardian, she was the world's most successful singer.

In addition, between 1971 and 1976, with one exception, all of Reddy's albums were awarded gold or platinum in the USA. There she received a total of ten gold and three platinum awards. Also in Great Britain she received once silver (Free And Easy) and once gold (Best Of Helen Reddy). That changed only in 1977: the two works Ear Candy (1977) and We'll Sing in the Sunshine (1978) were created under the direction of rock producer and musician Kim Fowley . With these releases, Reddy tried to find a more varied musical direction, but could no longer build on the previous successes. Subsequently, with Ready or Not (1978) and Make Love to Me (1979), she also recorded songs in the disco style, which was popular at the time, but only landed smaller hits in the American singles charts. With the ballad I Can't Say Goodbye to You , Reddy was listed there for the last time at number 88 in 1981.

Internationally under contract with Capitol Records until 1980 , Reddy's numerous publications were also released on the German-speaking market (distribution: EMI ). However, she could never really gain a foothold here. However, two of her best-known films ran successfully in domestic cinemas: Giganten am Himmel (1974) and Elliot, das Schmunzelmonster (1977). For the former film she received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Newcomer Actress .

In 2002 Reddy ended her career in show business, left the United States and retired to Norfolk Island , Australia for a few years . She later lived in Sydney and worked intermittently as a sleep therapist . In 2006 Reddy published her autobiography The Woman I Am . In the same year she was honored with induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame . She initially ruled out a musical comeback, but started giving concerts again in 2012.

From early summer 2015, Reddy lived at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital , a retirement home for actors and other artistic personalities in Los Angeles. Media reports that she suffered from dementia were confirmed by her son, but denied on Reddy's official website.

In September 2019, the biopic I Am Woman by Australian filmmaker Unjoo Moon premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival . Reddy is played by Tilda Cobham-Hervey. Her ex-husband Jeff Wald plays Evan Peters .

Private

In the mid-1970s, Helen Reddy was diagnosed with underactive adrenal cortex (Addison's disease) , which requires continuous treatment. She became the patron of the Australian Addison's Disease Association, a non-profit making efforts to raise awareness of the disease among the general public. Most recently she lived in Los Angeles to be close to her children. She spent her final years in a home due to progressive dementia .

Discography

Albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
UK UK US US
1971 I don't know how to love him - US100
gold
gold

(37 weeks)US
Helen Reddy - US167 (7 weeks)
US
1972 I am woman - US14th
platinum
platinum

(62 weeks)US
1973 Long hard climb - US8th
gold
gold

(43 weeks)US
1974 Love Song For Jeffrey - US11
gold
gold

(35 weeks)US
Free and Easy UK17th
silver
silver

(9 weeks)UK 		US8th
gold
gold

(28 weeks)US
1975 No way to treat a lady - US11
gold
gold

(34 weeks)US
Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits - US5
platinum
platinum

(51 weeks)US
1976 The Best of Helen Reddy UK5
gold
gold

(18 weeks)UK 		-
Music, music - US16
gold
gold

(13 weeks)US
1977 Ear candy - US75 (19 weeks)
US

More albums

  • 1978: We'll Sing in the Sunshine
  • 1979: Live in London
  • 1979: Reddy
  • 1980: Take What You Find
  • 1981: Play Me Out
  • 1983: Imagination
  • 1990: Feel So Young
  • 1998: Center Stage
  • 2000: The Best Christmas Ever

Singles

year Title
album 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
UK UK US US
1971 I Don't Know How To Love Him
I Don't Know How To Love Him 		- US13 (20 weeks)
US
Crazy Love
I Don't Know How To Love Him 		- US51 (9 weeks)
US
No Sad Song
Helen Reddy 		- US62 (8 weeks)
US
1972 I Am Woman
I Am Woman 		- US1
gold
gold

(22 weeks)US
1973 Peaceful
I Am Woman 		- US12 (17 weeks)
US
Delta Dawn
Long Hard Climb 		- US1
gold
gold

(20 weeks)US
Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)
Long Hard Climb 		- US3
gold
gold

(16 weeks)US
1974 Keep On Singing
Love Song For Jeffrey 		- US15 (13 weeks)
US
You And Me Against The World
Love Song For Jeffrey 		- US9 (20 weeks)
US
Angie Baby
Free and Easy 		UK5 (10 weeks)
UK 		US1
gold
gold

(17 weeks)US
1975 Emotion
Free and Easy 		- US22 (9 weeks)
US
Bluebird
No Way To Treat a Lady 		- US35 (6 weeks)
US
Ain't No Way To Treat A Lady
No Way To Treat a Lady 		- US8 (16 weeks)
US
Somewhere In The Night
No Way To Treat a Lady 		- US19 (14 weeks)
US
1976 Music Is My Life
Music, Music 		- US29 (6 weeks)
US
I Can't Hear You No More
Music, Music 		- US29 (9 weeks)
US
1977 You're My World
Ear Candy 		- US18 (22 weeks)
US
The Happy Girls
Ear Candy 		- US57 (7 weeks)
US
1978 Ready Or Not
We'll Sing In The Sunshine 		- US73 (5 weeks)
US
1979 Make Love To Me
Reddy 		- US60 (10 weeks)
US
1981 I Can't Say Goodbye To You
 UK43 (8 weeks)
UK 		US88 (3 weeks)
US

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Commons : Helen Reddy  - collection of images, videos and audio files

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Caroline Sullivan: Cult heroes: Helen Reddy, the 'queen of housewife pop' with a secret dark side. , The Guardian , February 2, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  2. ^ One Way Ticket - HELEN REDDY (1968) - Pop Archives - Sources of Australian Pop Records from the 50s, 60s and 70s. Retrieved December 3, 2019 .
  3. ^ Siegfried Schmidt-Joos, Barry Graves (1975/78), p. 292.
  4. ↑ More information on this title in: Fred Bronson: The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. 3rd revised and expanded edition Billboard Publications, New York City (New York) 1992, p. 324.
  5. ^ Joel Whitburn: Top Pop Singles 1955-1993. Record Research Ltd., Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin 1994, pp. 490f.
  6. ^ Adam White: The Billboard Book Of Gold And Platinum Records. 2nd revised edition, Omnibus Press, London 1990, p. 191.
  7. ↑ a b Music Sales Awards: US UK
  8. ^ ARIA Hall of Fame. Australian Recording Industry Association , accessed August 6, 2017 .
  9. ^ "Singer Helen Reddy is now a writer and a speaker," USA Today, April 16, 2008
  10. ↑ Update: Helen Reddy Family Publicly Confirms Singer Moved Into Nursing Home, But Denies Dementia | Lead stories. Retrieved December 3, 2019 .
  11. ↑ I am Woman in the Internet Movie Database (English)
  12. ↑ 'I Am Woman,' The Rise & Fall of Helen Reddy & The Women's Movement with Tilda Cobham-Hervey | TIFF. Retrieved November 25, 2019 (German).
  13. ^ Judy Adamson: A rare but deadly disease , Sydney Morning Herald , June 12, 2003 (via archive.org )
  14. ↑ Helen Reddy, Patron , Australian Addison's Disease Association, (as of 2016, via archive.org )
  15. ↑ Helen Reddy, Australian singer of hit song I Am Woman, dies aged 78 in Los Angeles , Australian Broadcasting Corporation , September 30, 2020
  16. ↑ a b Chart sources: UK US
  17. ↑ a b Music Sales Awards: UK US
personal data
SURNAME Reddy, Helen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES The Singing Nun (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Australian singer, composer and film actress
DATE OF BIRTH October 25, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH Melbourne , Australia
DATE OF DEATH 29th September 2020
Place of death Los Angeles , United States