Lisa Anne Edwards (born 25 September 1958) is an Australian solo and session singer and musician. In July 1992 she had a top 5 hit on the ARIA Singles Chart with her

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

Godley and Creme Godley & Creme were an English rock duo formally established in Manchester in 1977 by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. The pair began releasing music as a duo after their departure from the rock band 10cc. In 1979, they directed their first music ...

's "

Cry Crying is the dropping of tears (or welling of tears in the eyes) in response to an emotional state, or pain. Emotions that can lead to crying include sadness, anger, and even happiness. The act of crying has been defined as "a complex secreto ...

". Edwards is primarily a backing vocalist and has worked for fellow Australian and international artists, including John Farnham and Kylie Minogue. Edwards also provided vocals on

Real Life Real life is a phrase used originally in literature to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds, and in acting to distinguish between actors and the characters they portray. It has become a popular term on th ...

's " Send Me an Angel" and

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

's " Stronger Than Before". As a solo artist, Edwards has issued two studio albums, ''Thru the Hoop'' (1993) and ''State of the Heart'' (2005).

Early and personal life

Lisa Anne Edwards was born in 1958 in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. Note: User may have to click "Search again" and provide details at "Enter a title:" e.g. Stay with Me; or at "Performer:" Lisa Edwards Her father is a jazz pianist and her mother was a stage performer. Edwards made her stage debut aged seven with her father, who regularly took her with him. In secondary school, with three other students, she formed a quartet, Harmonic, which went from talent programs to performing on the club circuit.Australia Day - Victoria - What's On - Ambassadors
For most of her career she has been based in Melbourne. Edwards' domestic partner is Michael Turner, a barrister, and the couple have a child.

Solo career

Lisa Edwards began her career as a solo artist and backing singer in the late 1970s, in South Australia and Sydney, supporting artists including

the Seekers The Seekers were an Australian folk-influenced pop quartet, originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States. They were ...

the Platters The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The a ...

the Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in ...

and

the Pointer Sisters The Pointer Sisters are an American pop and R&B singing group from Oakland, California, that achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. Their repertoire has included such diverse genres as pop, jazz, electronic music, bebop, bl ...

. In September 1981 she issued her debut single, "Centre Spread", on Mushroom Records. It was the theme song for a film soundtrack of the same name. The song was written and co-produced by John C. Sharp, which was recorded and mixed at Pepper Studios in Adelaide. Her second single, "You Are My Melbourne", was a duet with Adrian Campbell in 1985.Lisa Edwards at the Australian Rock Database: * Lisa Edwards: * Turbo Luv Nuns (1987): * John Farnham Band (1988–2010): * Noel's Cowards (1988): According to George Wilson of ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' it was written by Indian-born Australian resident, Raj Marwah. It was provided to celebrate of the 150th anniversary of the

foundation of Melbourne The city of Melbourne was founded in 1835. The exact circumstances of ''the foundation of Melbourne'', and the question of who should take credit, have long been matters of dispute. Exploration A series of colonisers, mostly operating from Syd ...

. Also in that year she provided vocals on Joe Lamont's album, ''Secrets You Keep''. In 1986 Edwards was lead vocalist in Short Circuit, a dance-disco group with Trevor Courtney on drums. Both Edwards and Courtney joined White Light Orchestra, a 36-member ensemble, which issued an album, ''Halley's Comet'', in April. Mike Daly of ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

'' described the track, "Moon and Stars", as an "uninspiring piece of technopop", which, written by "Bill Miller, is sung by dwards" Edwards and Lindsay Field provided vocals for the score of the comedy feature film, '' "Crocodile" Dundee'' (April 1986), with music composed by Peter Best. Edwards sang "Playing with Fire", music by Frank Strangio and lyrics by Eve Dembowski, for the feature film, '' Dead End Drive-In'' (August 1986). Turbo Luv Nuns was a group, in 1987, with Edwards on backing vocals, Ronnie Charles (ex-

The Groop The Groop were an Australian folk, R&B and rock band formed in 1964 in Melbourne, Victoria and had their greatest chart success with their second line-up of Max Ross on bass, Richard Wright on drums and vocals, Don Mudie on lead guitar, Br ...

) on lead vocals, Peter Coughlan on bass guitar, Mark Greig (ex- Australian Crawl) on lead guitar and Des McKenna on drums. They issued an album, ''They Don't Know''. She also provided vocals for Short Circuit's album, ''Waiting for the Big One'' (1988). In that year she joined with members of

Schnell Fenster Schnell Fenster were a New Zealand rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1986 by Noel Crombie on drums and percussion, Nigel Griggs on bass guitar and backing vocals, Phil Judd on lead vocals and guitar, and Eddie Rayner on keyboards and ...

–

Phil Judd Philip Raymond Judd (born 20 March 1953) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter known for being one of the founders of the bands Split Enz and The Swingers. Split Enz In 1972, Judd and Tim Finn founded the arty folk band Split Enz. In its early ...

on guitar, trumpet, keyboards and vocals;

Nigel Griggs Nigel Griggs (born 18 August 1949) is a musician who played bass guitar in Split Enz. He is the brother of Paul Griggs from the 1970s vocal group Guys 'n' Dolls. A professional musician since 1963, Nigel Griggs played in a number of bands, not ...

on bass guitar;

Noel Crombie Geoffrey Noel Crombie (born 17 April 1953) is a New Zealand percussionist and former member of the band Split Enz. He fulfilled multiple roles including costume and hair designer, singer, album cover designer, and music video director. Prior to ...

on drums and percussion; and Michael den Elzen on guitars, guitar synth, fretless guitar and keyboards – to form Noel's Cowards with

Vika Bull Vika and Linda, also known as Vika and Linda Bull, are an Australian vocal duo consisting of Vika Susan Bull (born 1966) and her younger sister, Linda Rose Bull . They came to prominence after singing backing vocals in Joe Camilleri's band The ...

on vocals; Michael Harris on fiddle;

Wendy Matthews Wendy Joan Matthews (born 13 January 1960) is a Canadian-born Australian singer-songwriter who has been a member of Models and Absent Friends and is a solo artist. She released Top 20 hit singles in the 1990s including " Token Angels", " ...

on lead vocals; and Louis McManus on mandolin. They provided six songs for the soundtrack of the feature film, ''

Rikky and Pete ''Rikky and Pete'' is a 1988 Australian film directed by Nadia Tass, written by David Parker, and starring Stephen Kearney and Nina Landis. Plot Rikky Menzies (Nina Landis) is an out-of-work geologist and aspiring singer (vocals by Wendy Ma ...

'' (1988). In April 1992 Edwards issued a single, "

", which reached the top5 on the ARIA Singles Chart. It is a cover version of

's single (March 1985). On the ARIA End of Year Singles Chart for 1992, it reached No.41. She released her debut solo album, ''Thru the Hoop'', in May 1993, with backing vocals from Farnham and Jack Jones (of John Farnham Band and

Southern Sons Southern Sons was an Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria in 1989 by members of The State along with lead vocalist and guitarist Irwin Thomas, who was then using the stage name Jack Jones. They are best known for their Australia ...

). Bevan Hannan of ''

The Canberra Times ''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times. History ''The Canberra Times'' was launched in ...

'', rated the album as seven out of ten. Hannan praised the opening track, "Satisfy Me", as having a "funky feel

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

grabs you by the ears, the type of sound which you would swear was stripped from Kate Ceberano's ''Brave'' or ''Think About It''." He opined that the rest of the album "doesn't sink to wallowing depths, but the conservative nature of the other nine tracks only earns it a solid rating." Edwards wrote the track, "Stay with Me", which Hannan described as "first class". Subsequent singles, "So Dangerous' (1992)", "Until the Day" (June 1993) and "Lose Myself in You" (September), had less chart success, and Edwards returned to performing as a backing singer. From 1993 Edwards has contributed

Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French ori ...

s for the annual '' The Spirit of Christmas'' album series, which is produced and compiled by fellow John Farnham Band backing singer, Lindsay Field. Her tracks include "Do You Hear What I Hear?" in November 1993, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (duet with Field) and "Amazing Grace" (quartet with Field, Farnham and

Venetta Fields Venetta Lee Fields (born 1941) is an American-born singer, musical theater actress and vocal coach. She was a backing vocalist for American and British rock and pop acts of the 1960s and 1970s, including Ike & Tina Turner, Pink Floyd, Humble Pi ...

) in November 1994, "Grown-Up Christmas List" (duet with Field) in November 1994 and compiled in November 1998 and "The Twelve Days of Christmas" (duet with Field) in November 2002. In 2001, Edwards,

Debra Byrne Debra Anne Byrne (born 30 March 1957), formerly billed as Debbie Byrne, is an Australian pop singer, variety entertainer, theatre and TV actress and writer, director and choreographer of cabaret. From April 1971 to March 1975 she was a founding ...

and

Wendy Stapleton Wendy Anne-Marie Stapleton (born 8 July 1954) is an Australian pop/ rock singer-songwriter, musical theatre performer and television actress and presenter Stapleton has performed as a backing singer, session musician and a solo artist; she fronte ...

toured with ''Girls, Girls, Girls'' a tribute show of hits by

the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...

, Cilla Black,

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dram ...

Patsy Cline Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, Patrice, or Patricia). Among I ...

and

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...

. Note: Overview n-linehas limited preview available. After a month, Edwards returned to backing vocals for John Farnham on his The Last Time Tour; she was replaced by Nikki Nicholls, ''Girls, Girls, Girls'' continued touring into 2002. She released her second solo studio album, ''State of the Heart'', in August 2005, which included a cover version of Icehouse's single, "

Man of Colours A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromos ...

" (February 1988). ''State of the Heart'' reached No.19 on the ARIA Hitseekers Albums Chart. Georgie Bryant of MediaSearch website felt it was "quite interesting" how Edwards handles "famous Australian songs with erown interpretation." Edwards' solo performances are often based around tributes to her childhood idols:

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

, Sarah Vaughan,

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

, Diana Ross and

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the h ...

. Edwards will release her third studio album, ''I'm Still the Woman'' in May 2021.

Backing vocalist for national and international performers

Aside from vocals Lisa Edwards plays

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

and flute: initially she was recruited as a flautist for the John Farnham Band in 1988. She has been one of his backing vocalists for both studio sessions and touring from '' Age of Reason'' (July 1988) to ''

Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...

'' (October 2010), inclusive. Aside from Farnham, Edwards has provided vocals for fellow Australian artists,

Noiseworks Noiseworks are an Australian hard rock band formed in Sydney in 1986 with bass guitarist Steve Balbi, guitarist Stuart Fraser, drummer Kevin Nicol, keyboardist Justin Stanley and lead vocalist Jon Stevens. They had four Australian Top 10 a ...

, Real Life's " Send Me an Angel" (May 1983), Black Sorrows' '' Hold On To Me'' (September 1988), Ross Wilson,

Billy Thorpe William Richard Thorpe AM (29 March 1946 – 28 February 2007) was an English-born Australian singer-songwriter, and record producer. As lead singer of his band Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, he had success in the 1960s with "Blue Day", " Poison Iv ...

Brian Cadd Brian George Cadd AM (born 29 November 1946) is an Australian singer-songwriter, keyboardist, producer and record label founder, a staple of Australian entertainment for over 50 years. As well as working internationally throughout Europe and the ...

and

Kate Ceberano Catherine Yvette Ceberano ( or , born 17 November 1966) is an Australian singer and actress who performs in the soul, jazz, and pop genres, as well as in film and musicals such as ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. Her song "Pash" received a gold sa ...

. She was one of the backing vocalists on Kylie Minogue's

Enjoy Yourself Tour Enjoy may refer to: Music *Enjoy, an album by Bob Sinclar *Enjoy, a song by Janet Jackson *Enjoy, a song from Björk's album ''Post'' * Enjoy Records, an American record label * ''Enjoy'' (play), a 1980 comedy play by Alan Bennett * ''Enjoy!'' (De ...

in 1990. As a result, she performed with Yoko Ono for the John Lennon tribute concert in Liverpool. She returned to Australia to support

and Tom Jones on the Australian legs of their tours. She again worked with Minogue in 1998 on the singer's

Intimate and Live Tour Intimate and Live was the fifth concert tour by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, in support of her sixth studio album, ''Impossible Princess'' (1997). Minogue confirmed the tour after her creative directors, William Baker and Stev ...

of Australia. Other international artists she has supported include

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

, Lenny Kravitz,

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...

and Sting. Edwards continues to perform, both as a solo artist, a member of Farnham's band and as a backing singer. She was part of the "Tour of Duty" concert for the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...

troops in appreciation of the peacekeeping effort in

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-west ...

. She is an

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port ...

ambassador for the state of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. ! , - , rowspan="2" , 1992 , Paul Goldman for "Cry" by Lisa Edwards , Best Video , , ARIA Award previous winners. , - , Doug Brady for "Cry" & "So Dangerous" by Lisa Edwards , Engineer of the Year , , , -

References

External links

*
"Poster advertising performance by Lisa Edwards and the Body Motors at The Continental Café, Prahran, Victoria"
22 September 1993, held at the State Library of Victoria. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Lisa Australian women singers Living people Musicians from Adelaide 1958 births