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Julie Covington

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Julie Covington
Born(1946-09-11)11 September 1946(age 77)
London, England
GenresPop
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • actress
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1967–present
LabelsVirgin

Julie Covington(born 11 September 1946) is an English singer and actress, best known forrecordingthe original version of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina",[1]which she sang on the 1976 concept albumEvita.

Early life[edit]

Julie Covington was born in London. Her parents were Ernest Gladden and Elsie Gladden (née Moody). Her parents divorced and her mother married Leslie Covington in 1957. She attended the girls'grammar schoolBrondesbury and Kilburn High Schoolin Kilburn, northwest London, then studied atHomerton College, Cambridge.She started acting at school, and performed both acting and singing at two Edinburgh festivals.[2]She won the firstEdinburgh Festival FringeBest Actress Award.[2]

Career[edit]

Covington started singing songs written byPete AtkinandClive Jamesafter joining theFootlightswhile still atteachers' training collegein Cambridge.[2]She toured North America with the Oxford and Cambridge Shakespeare Company.[2]Covington's break came in 1967 when, as a student at Homerton College, she was invited to sing onDavid Frost's television show.[3]After the show, she secured arecording contractwithColumbia.[3]

In 1971, she was cast in the original London production ofGodspellatThe Roundhouse,alongsideDavid Essex,Jeremy IronsandMarti Webb.A recording of the production, featuring Covington's lead vocal on the track "Day by Day", was released in 1972. This was followed by a role in the hit Australian comedy film,The Adventures of Barry McKenzie.She was then cast as Janet Weiss in the original production ofThe Rocky Horror Showin 1973.[1]Between 1974 and 1984 Covington appeared regularly in the companies of theNational Theatreand theRoyal Court Theatre,creating such roles as Alice inPlenty,Vivienne EliotinTom & Viv(for which she received anOlivier Awardnomination)[4]and Edward in the original production ofCaryl Churchill'sCloud Nine.

During the early 1970s she appeared in and sang in the children's television programmePlay Away.She starred in the BBC's 1975 Christmas productionGreat Big Groovy Horse,a rock opera based on the story of the Trojan Horse, shown on BBC2.[5](It was repeated on BBC1 in 1977.)[6]1976 and 1977 saw her appearing in both series of the primetime British television musical dramaRock Follies.[1]In 1976, the composerAndrew Lloyd Webbersaw her perform in cabaret, and recognising her fromRock Follies,suggested to lyricistTim Ricethat she might be the actress to play the title role in theiroriginal studio recordingof their musicalEvita.[1]The singerElkie Brookshad previously turned down an offer.

Covington's recording of the song "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"reached No. 1 in theUK Singles Chartin February 1977.[7]Later offered the opportunity to originate the role in the stage production ofEvita,she declined, which led toElaine Paigebeing cast.[8]Speaking in 1985, Covington expressed some regret at this decision, but explained that she did not likeEva Perónand that without some positive feeling for the person she preferred to turn the role down.[9]

AsEvitaopened in 1978, she instead appeared with theEnglish National Operaas Anna inThe Seven Deadly Sins.[10]Paige's successor inEvita,Marti Webb,later also played Anna in the ENO's production ofThe Seven Deadly Sins.

In 1978, Covington performed the role of Beth, wife of Parson Nathaniel (Phil Lynott), on the recording of "The Spirit of Man" fromJeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds.[1]

Covington achieved chart success with acover versionofAlice Cooper's "Only Women Bleed",which reached No. 12 on theUK Singles Chart.[7]It is included on reissues of her eponymous 1978 album.[1]

After recording a second solo album[citation needed]and guesting on other artists' albums, she returned to the theatre,[1]starring in the 1982National Theatreproduction ofGuys and Dolls,playing Sister Sarah oppositeIan Charleson's Sky Masterson.Russell Daviessaid that her performance "is of such a special timbre that she isn't easily matched."[11]

In 1989 she took part in a British television special withColm Wilkinson,Carol WoodsandPaul JonescalledLet's Face the Music of Lennon and McCartney.[12]Her solo performances of "If I Fell"and"In My Life"are available onYouTube.[13][14]

Albums[edit]

Solo albums[edit]

  • While the Music Lasts(1967)
  • The Party's Moving On(1969)
  • The Beautiful Changes(1971)
  • Julie Covington(1978)
  • The Beautiful Changes Plus(1999)[1]
  • Julie Covington Plus(2000)

Cast recordingsandsoundtracks[edit]

Singles[edit]

Year Single Chart Positions
UK
[15] 		AUS
[16]
1970 "The Magic Wasn't There" — —
1972 "Day by Day" — —
1973 "Two Worlds Apart"(Demo only) — —
1976 "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" 1 1
1977 "OK?"(withRula Lenska,Charlotte Cornwell,Sue Jones-Davies) 10 —
"Only Women Bleed" 12 —
1978 "(I Want to See the) Bright Lights" — 58
1982 "Housewives' Choice" — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Awards[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdefghEder, Bruce."Julie Covington – Music Biography, Credits and Discography".AllMusic.Retrieved12 February2013.
  2. ^abcdJeff Wayne -War of the Worlds(Media notes). CBS. 1978.
  3. ^abColin Larkin,ed. (1997).The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music(Concise ed.).Virgin Books.pp. 310–1.ISBN1-85227-745-9.
  4. ^"The Nominees and Winners of The Laurence Olivier Awards for 1984".Official London Theatre Guide. Archived fromthe originalon 16 May 2007.Retrieved9 April2008.
  5. ^"Great Big Groovy Horse".25 December 1975. p. 51 – via BBC Genome.
  6. ^"Great Big Groovy Horse".21 December 1977. p. 47 – via BBC Genome.
  7. ^abRoberts, David (2006).British Hit Singles & Albums(19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 124.ISBN1-904994-10-5.
  8. ^Bogdanski, Jennifer J (30 May 2007)."Evita – a Concept Album About Who?".Sir Tim Rice – Evita.Archived fromthe originalon 6 March 2008.
  9. ^"Observer: Covington interview".The Observer.17 March 1985.
  10. ^Challis, William (October 1978). "Ordinary Sins".Third Way Magazine.2(17). Hampstead, England: Thirty Press: 26.…the considerable talents of Julie Covington as Anna…
  11. ^The Guys and Dolls Book.NHB Books. 1997. p. 56.
  12. ^"TV - Let's Face the Music Of Lennon & McCartney: Yesterday par Carol Woods".Fandewilkinson.com.Retrieved25 July2020.
  13. ^"Julie Covington performing If I Fell".YouTube.
  14. ^"Julie Covington performing In My Life".YouTube.
  15. ^"JULIE COVINGTON - full Official Chart History".Official Charts Company.Retrieved12 March2022.
  16. ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992(illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 74.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
  17. ^"Julie Covington".London: Brit Awards Ltd. Archived fromthe originalon 2 February 2012.Retrieved26 March2012.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Julie_Covington&oldid=1222796997"