I saw Olivia in concert in the U.S. several times. Those shows were great - So many hits! Olivia always surrounded herself with a great band. And as I posted on Facebook, I was very fortunate to get to meet her at the Farrar's house in Malibu. I also wrote a couple articles for Olivia's fan club magazine.
Her passing has been a major news story, particularly in the U.K., U.S. and Australia. Although a big star in the U.K. she had more chart success in the U.S. and the Shads were a major part of that, particularly before she moved to California in the mid seventies.
Here are just some of the Shads connections to Olivia's fantastic career...
John Rostill: Wrote or co-wrote 3 Top Ten U.S. singles hits including Please Mr Please with Bruce. John's Let Me Be There and If You Love Me (Let Me Know) were covered by Elvis Presley. Tragically, John did not live to see the huge success Olivia had with his songs in the U.S.
Bruce Welch: Co-produced Olivia's first 4 albums. Co-wrote several songs that Olivia recorded.
Brian Bennett: Drums on all of Olivia's early albums.
Hank Marvin: Wrote or co-wrote several songs that Olivia recorded, most notably Sam, which was a Top Ten UK hit and Silvery Rain.
John Farrar: One of the most successful partnerships in pop music history. 15 Top Ten U.S. singles, 100 million records worldwide. John wrote 4 U.S. Number 1's including You're The One That I Want - 5th best selling U.K. single ever.
Alan Hawkshaw: Won a Grammy for his arrangement of I Honestly Love You.
Others involved with Shads connections include Dave Richmond, Tarney & Spencer, Peter Vince, John Fiddy and of course Cliff who featured her on his weekly show It's Cliff Richard. Olivia sang on the Heathcliff soundtrack and recorded Suddenly with Cliff for the Xanadu movie.
Olivia was such a huge "star" that sometimes I think her actual singing talent is overlooked. She had a fantastic range and could also sing different styles - country, pop, rock etc. More importantly than all of that, she was a great person who is sadly missed by family, friends and fans alike.
Feel free to add more Shads connections to this thread.
Andrew