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John Farrar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the Australian-born musician and record producer. For other uses, seeJohn Farrar (disambiguation).

John Farrar
Birth nameJohn Clifford Farrar
Born(1946-11-08)8 November 1946(age 77)
Melbourne,Victoria,Australia
GenresRock and roll,pop
Occupation(s)
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • bass
  • keyboards
Years active1961–present
LabelsCBS,See4Miles
Spouse(s)
​
(m.1970)​

John Clifford Farrar(/ˈfɑːrər/FAR-ər;born 8 November 1946) is an Australianmusic producer,songwriter, arranger, singer, and guitarist. As a musician, Farrar is a former member of several rock and roll groups including The Mustangs (1963–64),The Strangers(1964–70),Marvin, Welch & Farrar(1970–73), andThe Shadows(1973–76). In 1980, he released a soloeponymousalbum. As a songwriter and producer, he worked withOlivia Newton-Johnfrom 1971 to 1989. He wrote her U.S. number-one hit singles: "Have You Never Been Mellow"(1975),"You're the One That I Want"(1978 duet withJohn Travolta), "Hopelessly Devoted to You"(1978), and"Magic"(1980). He also produced the majority of her recorded material during that time, including her number-one albums,If You Love Me, Let Me Know(1974),Have You Never Been Mellow(1975), andOlivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2(1982). He was a co-producer of thesoundtrackfor the filmGrease(1978).

Farrar also produced Newton-John's first American number-one hit single, "I Honestly Love You",which was awarded theGrammy Award for Record of the Yearin 1975. In 1969, Farrar married the Australian singer,Pat Carroll,who had been Newton-John's singing partner. In July 1970, Farrar and Carroll relocated to the United Kingdom and, since late 1975, they have resided in the United States. They are the parents ofSam Farrar,bassist ofPhantom PlanetandMaroon 5,and Max Farrar, a composer and producer whose work includes songs withLewis CapaldiandThe Script.[1]

Early life

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John Clifford Farrar was born on 8 November 1946, and grew up inMoonee Ponds,a suburb ofMelbourne.[2][3]He has an older brother, Reginald, and the family lived in a large household with aunts and uncles.[4]Farrar's mother bought him a country music guitar, which he began playing at the age of twelve.[4][5]

Early career

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In 1961, he started playing in a band, The Jaguars, with his older brother Reg. When he was fifteen, the family relocated to nearbyNiddrie.[4][5]In 1963, he joined The Mustangs, alongside Johnny Cooper on vocals, Peter Ramis on bass guitar and Billy on drums.

The Strangers

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Further information:The Strangers (Australian band)

In late January 1964, he joinedThe Strangers,replacing the founding guitarist Laurie Arthur, adding another lead vocalist to the group.[6][7]Other members were Peter Robinson on bass guitar and lead vocals, Graeme Thompson on drums, and Fred Weiland on guitar and backing vocals.[7]They had formed as an instrumental band inGlenroyin 1961, working in the Melbourne dance scene.[6]In June 1964, the band issued its first vocal single, "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Someone", which reached the top 30 on the Melbourne charts in July.[6]They became a popular backing and session band.[6][7]

In August 1964, The Strangers were hired as the house band for theATV Opop music program,The Go!! Show.[7][8]Both Farrar's future wife,Pat Carroll,and their close friend,Olivia Newton-John,appeared onThe Go!! Showas singers backed by The Strangers. Carroll and Newton-John formed a vocal duo, "Pat and Olivia", and in 1967, they first toured the United Kingdom, including a gig at the infamousRaymond Revuebarclub inSoho.[9]

After returning to Australia from a tour, Carroll could no longer work in the UK because her work visa had expired, while Newton-John, who was a British citizen, returned to work in the UK. Farrar dated and married Carroll and, following their wedding in 1970, Carroll stopped pursuing headliner status. She occasionally reprised the duo with Newton-John, and worked as a session singer on Farrar's or Newton-John's work.[6][7]During 1968, The Strangers supported the Australian leg of a tour by the British instrumental group,The Shadows.[5]In June 1970, The Strangers released their most successful hit, "Melanie Makes Me Smile", which peaked at No. 14 on theGo-SetNational Top 60 in August.[10]

Farrar left the Strangers in July 1970.

Marvin, Welch & Farrar/The Shadows

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Further information:Marvin, Welch & Farrar

In July 1970, Farrar left The Strangers, and he and Carroll moved to Britain, where he was invited to become a member ofMarvin, Welch & Farrar,a vocal harmony group featuring two former members of The Shadows,Hank MarvinandBruce Welch.[6][7]By that time, Newton-John and Welch were engaged, and Farrar and Welch became two of her songwriters and producers.[11]Welch and Farrar co-produced and performed on Newton-John's cover ofBob Dylan's track, "If Not for You",and the album of thesame title,released in November 1971.

Farrar also worked as a backing guitarist and vocalist withCliff Richard.[6][7]Marvin, Welch & Farrar put out two albums, aneponymousone in 1971, andSecond Opinion(in both quadraphonic and stereo formats) in 1972. In 1973, a third album featured just Marvin and Farrar.[6][7]The Shadows reformed soon after, and Farrar joined as second lead guitarist and vocalist. In 1975, the group represented the UK in theEurovision Song Contestwith "Let Me Be the One".[12]In 1973, Farrar had appeared in the same contest as a backing guitarist and vocalist for Richard's entry, "Power to All Our Friends".The following year he backed and produced Newton-John on her effort,"Long Live Love".[12]

From 1971 to 1976, various members of The Shadows were employed as session musicians for Newton-John's early albums, recorded at London's Abbey Road Studios. Aside from Farrar and Welch, they includedBrian Bennett,Alan Hawkshaw,Alan Tarney,Dave Richmond,andTrevor Spencer.Some other session musicians were the fellow AustraliansKevin PeekandTerry Britten,who had both worked with Richard, and some other musicians. They worked under co-producers Farrar and Welch until midway through Newton-John's second album,Olivia.Thereafter, Farrar was her main producer. He produced her number-one albums,If You Love Me, Let Me Know(1974),Have You Never Been Mellow(1975), andOlivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2(1982).[5]Farrar also produced Newton-John's first American number-one hit single, "I Honestly Love You",which was awarded theGrammy Award for Record of the Yearin 1975.[13]His last production for Newton-John was her album,Warm and Tenderin 1989.[5]

Other works

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In 1974, Farrar used thetalk box"SFX unit" on an instrumental track, "No, No, Nina", well beforePeter Frampton's 1975 single, "Show Me the Way",which featured the same device. However, Farrar's track was held back from release by EMI until 1997, when it appeared on the CD album,The Shadows at Abbey Road,containing mostly unreleased material. A vocal version of "No, No, Nina" appeared on theSpecs Appealalbum as a Eurovision contender track, but it was voted sixth out of six initial entries.[citation needed]Aside from instrumentation and vocals, Farrar worked as an arranger on The Shadows' albums:Rockin' with Curly Leads,Specs Appeal,TastyandLive at the Paris Olympia.[5]

Farrar's work with Newton-John embraced a wide range of styles, from "You're the One That I Want"(duet withJohn Travolta) to "Physical".Farrar's biggest success with Newton-John as a writer-producer came with the film version of the musical,Grease.In 1977, during filming, its producers were replacing some ofJim JacobsandWarren Casey's pieces from theoriginal scoreand wanted some more commercial songs, including a solo number for Newton-John, so Farrar wrote and submitted two originals, "Hopelessly Devoted To You"and" You're the One That I Want ". Both were accepted, despite strong reservations from directorRandal Kleiser,who believed that the songs didn't fit the style,[14]and became two of the soundtrack's most successful singles, being international number-one hits during 1978.

In June 2004, Farrar recalled writing the two songs: "'You're the One That I Want': The weird thing was it was the fastest song I ever wrote. It came so fast, the actual melody and the feel of it. 'Hopelessly Devoted To You': I spent the longest period writing the lyrics of any song I've ever written. Every thesaurus and every rhyming dictionary I had, just trying to really make it work properly".[15]Other number-one hits for Newton-John that were written and produced by Farrar are "Have You Never Been Mellow"(1975),"Don't Stop Believin'"(an easy-listening chart-topper from 1976, not the Journey song of the same name), and"Magic"(1980). Farrar produced one side of theXanadusoundtrack for the 1980 film of thesame name.[16]The other side featured tracks byElectric Light Orchestraand was produced by their guitarist-vocalist,Jeff Lynne.[5]In March 1981, Farrar was nominated for aGolden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Songfor the song "Suspended in Time" fromXanadu.[17]

In 1995, Farrar collaborated with Newton-John and lyricistTim Riceon the score of Cliff Richard's musical,Heathcliffbased on theEmily BrontënovelWuthering Heights.[18]Farrar also co-wrote songs for a musical based on the 1959 film,Gidget,which, as of April 2012,had been indefinitely postponed.[18]Farrar runs the Moonee Ponds Studio at Sweetwater Road in Malibu.[19]

Personal life

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Farrar and Carroll are the parents ofPhantom Planetbass guitaristSam Farrar(born 29 June 1978), and Max Farrar, composer and music producer.[1]As of April 2012,Farrar and Carroll reside inMalibu, California.[18]

Instruments

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According toAllMusicJohn Farrar has been credited with: vocals (lead, backing), guitars (lead, rhythm, bass guitar, acoustic, slide guitar, acoustic slide, electric slide), piano (electric), keyboards, mellotron, synthesizer, vocoder, synclavier, mandolin, and horn.[16]

Discography

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As a performer
As a songwriter
See also:Category:Songs written by John Farrar

Eurovision Song Contest appearances

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References

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General

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  • McFarlane, Ian(1999)."Whammo Homepage".Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop.St Leonards, NSW:Allen & Unwin.ISBN1-86508-072-1.Archived fromthe originalon 5 April 2004.Retrieved4 September2012.Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.
  • Read, Mike(1983).The Story of The Shadows.London: Elm Tree Books.ISBN0-241-10861-6.
  • Hoffman, T.; Hardwick, Alister; Duffy, S.; Jermy, Geoff; Lewis, A.; Auman, J.John Farrar – Music Makes My Day(booklet). Shadsfax-Tribute.

Specific

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  1. ^abFarrar, Max."Max Farrar".AllMusic.Retrieved21 February2023.
  2. ^Hardwick, Alister; Willis, Alan; Jermy, Geoff (14 February 2002)."John Farrar and Pat Carroll".David Dixon. Archived fromthe originalon 14 August 2010.Retrieved4 September2012.
  3. ^"'Have You Never Been Mellow' at APRA search engine ".Australasian Performing Right Association(APRA).Retrieved4 September2012.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^abcNick Black (interviewer),Derek Pellicci(interviewer), John Farrar (interviewee) (2003).Purple Haze with Nick Black –"Australian Rock Legends #11"(Podcast).88.3 Southern FM.Event occurs at 9:00.Retrieved5 September2012.
  5. ^abcdefgElder, Bruce."John Farrar".AllMusic.Retrieved4 September2012.
  6. ^abcdefghMcFarlane,'The Strangers' entryat theWayback Machine(archived 30 September 2004). Archived fromthe originalon 30 September 2004. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  7. ^abcdefghKimball, Duncan (2002)."The Strangers".Milesago: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. Ice Productions.Retrieved4 September2012.
  8. ^Jermy, Geoff; Robinson, Peter (January 2000)."The Strangers 1961–1975"(PDF).Retrieved4 September2012.
  9. ^McFarlane,'Pat Carroll' entryat theWayback Machine(archived 1 September 2004). Archived fromthe originalon 1 September 2004. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  10. ^Nimmervoll, Ed(29 August 1970)."Go-SetNational Top 60 ".Go-Set.Waverley Press.Retrieved4 September2012.
  11. ^"Strathaird Passengers – Olivia Newton-John, 1954".Australia For Everyone. Archived fromthe originalon 26 May 2013.Retrieved4 September2012.
  12. ^abO'Connor, John Kennedy (2007).The Eurovision Song Contest – The Official History.Carlton Books.ISBN978-1-84442-994-3.
  13. ^"1974 Grammy Award Winners".Grammy.com.1 March 1975.Retrieved5 September2012.
  14. ^Gibb Songs 1978
  15. ^Kruger, Debbie(June 2004)."The Making ofSongwriters Speak".Debbie Kruger.Retrieved5 September2012.
  16. ^abcde"John Farrar – Credits".AllMusic.Retrieved5 September2012.
  17. ^Wilson, John(31 March 1981)."1980 Archive".Golden Raspberry Award Foundation.Archived fromthe originalon 4 November 2013.Retrieved5 September2012.
  18. ^abcTorres, Jim (24 April 2012)."Xanadu"(PDF).SpeakEasy Stage Co. Boston Center for the Arts. p. 3. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 16 June 2013.Retrieved5 September2012.
  19. ^Glass, Keith (September 2004)."Cowboys at the Beach".Capital News.Vol. 29, no. 9. Rural Press. Archived fromthe originalon 25 March 2012.Retrieved5 September2012.
  20. ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992(illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 110.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
  21. ^https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Record-World-IDX/IDX/80s/80/RW-1980-11-29-OCR-Page-0020.pdf#search=%22john%20farrar%20reckless%22[bare URL]
  22. ^https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Record-World-IDX/IDX/80s/81/RW-1981-03-14-OCR-Page-0024.pdf#search=%22john%20farrar%20cheatin%22[bare URL]
  23. ^"Workin' on a Groovy Thing".Neil Sedaka Discography 1958–1969.Jozef Van Gorp, Arendonk.Retrieved5 September2012.
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