Results for Yvonne Elliman
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Artist:

Yvonne Elliman

Born:
Dec 29, 1951 in Honolulu, Hawaii

Representative Songs:

"If I Can't Have You," "I Don't Know How to Love Him," "Love Pains"

Representative Albums:

The Best of Yvonne Elliman, The Very Best of Yvonne Elliman, Rising Sun

Similar Artists:

A Member of the Group:

Eric Clapton Band

Performed Songs By:

Worked With:

George Terry, Henry Spinetti, Dick Sims, Carl Radle, Jamie Oldaker, Glyn Johns, Tom Dowd, Albhy Galuten, Marcy Levy, Davey Johnstone
  • Genre: Rock
  • Active: '70s
  • Instrument: Vocals

Biography

Yvonne Elliman had a brief moment in the spotlight during the middle of the '70s, yet she appeared on many of the decade's biggest hits as a backing singer. While she was in high school in Hawaii, Elliman sang in a group called We Folk. She moved to London in 1969 and began singing at the Pheasantry folk club, located on Kings Road in Chelsea. It was here that songwriters Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice discovered her. The duo offered her the role of Mary Magdalene in their new rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar; the role brought her instant fame. Elliman played the Magdalene character in the film version of Superstar, for which she won a Golden Globe award; it also gave her a hit with "I Don't Know How to Love Him." The hit single became the title of her debut album, which was released in 1972. Pete Townshend helped Elliman prepare her second album, 1973's Food of Love. During this time, she appeared in the American production of Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway, where she met Bill Oakes, the president of RSO Records; the two married soon afterward. Oakes introduced her to Eric Clapton, inviting her to sing backup vocals on "I Shot the Sheriff." Elliman became part of the guitarist's band afterward; she stayed with him for five years.

She joined RSO's roster in 1975, releasing the Steve Cropper-produced Rising Sun. Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb wrote the title song for Elliman's next album, 1976's Love Me; the song became a U.K. hit, paving the way for her greatest chart success, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. The Bee Gees wrote several songs on the soundtrack specifically for Elliman, including the number one single "If I Can't Have You." She never followed through on the song's success -- she released two more albums before becoming solely a session musician. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
 
 
Wikipedia: Yvonne Elliman
Yvonne Elliman
Birth name Yvonne Marianne Elliman
Born December 29 1951 (1951--) (age 55)
Origin Flag of the United StatesFlag of Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii)
Genre(s) Disco music, Ballads
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, record producer
Years active 1970–present (singer)
Label(s) Polydor Records, Umgd Records, Umvd Import, , Taragon Records
Associated
acts
Eric Clapton, Bee Gees

Yvonne Marianne Elliman (born December 29, 1951 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American singer and actress. Her father was of Irish descent, and her mother shared Japanese and Chinese ancestries. She was born and raised in Honolulu, and graduated from President Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1970.

Career

Elliman's singing career began in the early 1970s in London where she performed as a vocalist at various bars and clubs. This led to a recording contract and a close association as a backing vocalist for Eric Clapton. She performed on many of his 1970s hits including "I Shot the Sheriff". She sang the role of Mary Magdalene in the original album of Jesus Christ Superstar and in the subsequent Broadway and film versions, and achieved her first hit single with the ballad "I Don't Know How to Love Him". The song was her first entry on the U.S. charts, peaking at #28 pop in 1971, although a cover version by Helen Reddy was a bigger hit. This performance led to a 1974 Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, making her the first Pacific Islander to be nominated for a Golden Globe in acting in a leading role.

Her recording career began to take off from this point and she scored several hit singles throughout the world, including cover versions of the Barbara Lewis hit "Hello Stranger" (which topped the Adult Contemporary charts for four weeks) and the Bee Gees' "Love Me". Her biggest success came in 1977 with her #1 hit from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, "If I Can't Have You" which was also written by the Bee Gees. When that song went to #1, Elliman became the first Asian/Pacific Islander woman to have a #1 song on the Billboard charts, a feat which was not noted at the time. The huge success of the latter song has resulted in Elliman being remembered as a disco artist, though this style of music was an exception to the medium-tempo ballads that she specialized in, and which comprised the bulk of her recordings.

A few minor Top 40 hits followed in 1979, including the title theme song from the film Moment by Moment and another disco track "Love Pains" which was a major club success. She appeared in a two-part episode of the television action series "Hawaii Five-O" during this period as an aspiring singer, performing the song "I Can't Get You Out of my Mind" with co-star James Darren. The single "Savannah" was also a minor hit and demonstrated Elliman's attempts to move away from disco music and create music that focused more on her vocal abilities. Around the same time Elliman married and shortly thereafter decided to dedicate herself to her growing family. A daughter, Sage, was born in 1982 and her brother Ben followed in 1985.

After a considerable hiatus, Yvonne Elliman reappeared on the music scene. An album titled Simple Needs, with all songs written by Elliman, was released in 2004. "Simple Needs" was re-released globally on June 12, 2007. Yvonne has continued performing in music festivals, benefits and concerts throughout the country and around the world. A follow-up album to the 2004 release is expected soon.

Discography

Year Album Pop Albums
1972 Yvonne Elliman
1973 Food of Love
1975 Rising Sun
1976 Love Me 68
1978 Night Flight 40
1979 Yvonne 174
1995 The Very Best of Yvonne Elliman
1997 The Best of Yvonne Elliman
1999 If I Can't Have You
1999 Yvonne Elliman
2001 The Collection
2004 Simple Needs
2004 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Yvonne Elliman

Noteworthy Songs

I Shot the Sheriff (Elliman sings backing vocals) (1974)

I Don't Know How To Love Him (1971) - US: Pop #28, AC #15

Everything's Alright (1971) - US: Pop #92

Love Me (1976) - US: Pop #14, AC #5

Hello Stranger (1977) - US: Pop #15, AC #1 (4 weeks)

I Can't Get You Outa My Mind (1977) - US: AC #19 (did not chart Pop)

If I Can't Have You (1977) - US: Billboard Hot 100 #1, AC #9, Dance #11

Lay Down Sally (Elliman Sings Backing vocals)(1978)

Savannah (1979)

Moment By Moment (1979) - US: Pop #59, AC #32

Love Pains (1979) - US: Pop #34, AC #33, Dance #2

Edge of the World (1983) - WarGames soundtrack

Slippery Slide (2003)

Simple Needs (2003)

Steady As You Go (2003)

Queen Of Clean (2003)

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Copyrights:

Artist. Copyright © 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ® , a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Yvonne Elliman" Read more

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