JULIE ANTHONY

Julie Moncrief Anthony (nee Lush) AM OBE (born 24 August 1949 in Lameroo, South Australia), better known as Julie Anthony, is an Australian soprano and entertainer. Anthony was born to Betty and Les Lush, a sheep and wheat farmer and had an older brother. Steven. She is from a family of aunts, uncles, and grandparents who all worked in the farming sector. Les Lush played professional Australian rules football for Glenelg in the South Australian National Football League, playing 34 games and kicking 126 goals.

Anthony worked on the family farm before deciding on a singing career, citing her musical influences as Ella Fitzgerald and Burt Bacharach. She was billed originally in her career under her birth name of Julie Lush. She started performing in a local band and won a talent contest and began performing on The Country and Western Hour hosted by Reg Lindsay. She also appeared in her native Adelaide on The Ernie Sigley Show before performing regularly on The Graham Kennedy Show. In 1973 she signed with the EMI label and released her first album 'Julie Anthony' in the same year. Up until 2023 Anthony has recorded over a dozen albums. She has also released a number of singles with ''China Blue'' being the most successful charting at #34. 

She sang with the Seekers, first taking the place of Judith Durham as the lead vocalist in the song "The Carnival Is Over" for the Closing Ceremony of Expo '88. Later, Anthony became a member of the group with Bruce Woodley, Athol Guy and Keith Potger. They released an album, 'Live On', in March 1989, which peaked at number #26. In 1991, she recorded the song "Ordinary Miracles" for the 1991 Australian animated fantasy movie The Magic Riddle. In 1992, she also recorded another song, "Sleep Bush Baby Sleep", for the Yoram Gross movie Blinky Bill The Mischievous Koala.

Anthony starred in both the Australian and West End productions of the musical Irene in the mid-1970s. She won the Commercial Broadcasting Federation Award in Australia for Best Easy Listening Album 1975. Her first performance in the musical, at the Adelphi Theatre, London, was 15 June 1976. Her numerous theatre performances include The Sound of Music, I Do! I Do! and The Mikado.

At midnight between 31 December 1987 and 1 January 1988, in celebration of the start of Australia's Bicentennial year, Anthony sang the Australian National Anthem, "Advance Australia Fair", on the national broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which continued to show the recording of her performance at the close of broadcasting for many years afterwards, until the broadcaster introduced 24-hour broadcasting. Anthony was well-known. for her appearances for the St George Bank, in which she featured from 1974 to 1999. In 1993 she released a version of "Puff the Magic Dragon" in conjunction with the bank as part of an advertising campaign.

SINGLES
''Wonderful Dream / I Am'' 1974 EMI
''If Only He Knew / I'm Always Chasing Rainbows'' 1976 EMI
''I've Never Been To Me / We're All Alone'' 1977 EMI
''Sunday Sunrise / Lady Bug'' 1978 EMI
''I've Only Said "I Love You" In My Mind (#77) / If I Was Certain Of Your Love'' 1980 Wizard 
''China Blue (#34) / Lovers'' 1981 Wizard 
''Here I Go Again / Come Home Again'' 1983 J & B 
''More Than Friends / Walking On Thin Air'' 1984 Seven Eights 
''I Dreamed A Dream / More Than Friends'' 1987 RCA
''Look For A Rainbow'' 1988 EMI

EPs

'Something Special' 1978 EMI

ALBUMS
'Julie Anthony' 1974 EMI

'Hello in There' 1975 EMI
'A Part of Me' 1977 EMI
'Something Special' (#92) 1978 EMI
'China Blue' 1981 Axis 
'Here I Am' (#13)1982 J&B 
'What a Feeling' (#40) 1983 J&B 
'This Is It' (#15) 1985 J&B Records
'I Dreamed a Dream' 1991 J&B 
'Together at Last' [with Don Burrows] 1994 Castle Communications

'You And I' [with Michael Harvey] 1995 Cue
'Never Stop Believing' 1999 Festival 

'Together At Last' [with Simon Gallaher] 2006 Esgee Melodies

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Anthony_%28singer%29

http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/