Olivia Newton-John was born on September 26, 1948 in Cambridge and is an English-born Australian singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, entrepreneur and activist. Olivia Newtown-John’s family emigrated to Melbourne, Australia when she was six, and by the age of 14 the music bug had bitten when she formed a girl group called Sol 4 with her classmates. Olivia Newton-John’s first significant break came in 1971 when her version of the Bob Dylan song If Not For You became an international hit, and her success in the field of country music saw her win three Grammy Awards in 1974 and 1975 for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Olivia Newton-John’s career reached giddier new heights when she appeared in the 1978 film Grease, achieving two UK Official Singles Chart Number 1s that year with the John Travolta duets You’re The One That I Want and Summer Nights, and the Grease soundtrack went on to top the UK Official Album Chart and sold over 25 million copies worldwide. Olivia Newton-John would top the UK chart again in 1980, performing the song Xanadu with Electric Light Orchestra. Olivia Newton-John’s most successful solo album Physical followed in 1981, which was one of the first video albums, and earned her another Grammy the following year. Olivia Newton-John received the OBE in 1979 and became a Dame Commander in the 2020 New Year’s Honours.
