Sally Ann Boyden (born 21 May 1965) is an Australian singer, songwriter, children’s television program writer and actress. Boyden commenced her performance career, at the age of seven, on TV series, ''

Young Talent Time ''Young Talent Time'' is an Australian television variety program produced by Lewis-Young Productions and screened on Network Ten. The original series ran from 1971 until 1988 and was hosted by singer-songwriter and record producer Johnny Youn ...

'', in 1973. After leaving in 1976, she released her debut solo album, ''The Littlest Australian'' (early 1976), and appeared on United States TV's ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book ''Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 film ...

'' (season 6, a 2 part episode: The Children's Carol, in 1977) to begin her international acting career.

Biography

Early years to ''Young Talent Time''

Sally Boyden was born on 21 May 1965 to Bradley, a car dealership owner, and Carmen Boyden. Boyden grew up in Essendon with three siblings, she attended

Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School , motto_translation = Not for Ourselves Alone , established = , type = Independent comprehensive single-sex primary and secondary day school , denomination = Anglican , educational ...

for primary education. She later attended

Melbourne Girls Grammar , motto_translation = Without the Lord, All is in Vain , established = 1893 , type = Independent, single sex, day & boarding, Christian school. , years = ELC–12 , gender ...

for secondary education. Boyden began her television career as a performer on ''

'' (YTT) in 1973, at the age of seven. In June 1976 Bradley described how "Television has never interfered with Sally's schooling and it never will. Even if she decides to make a career out of show business, we want her to have a full education." While most YTT members waited until reaching age 16 to leave the show, Boyden left in 1976, aged ten, to concentrate on her solo career. While still a YTT member she had appeared on ''

The Don Lane Show ''The Don Lane Show'' was an Australian television talk show which aired twice a week on the Nine Network from 1975 to 1983. The show was created by Don Lane who co-hosted it with Bert Newton. Channel Nine was reluctant to cast Bert Newton, who ...

'' on rival TV network,

Nine 9 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 9 or nine may also refer to: Dates * AD 9, the ninth year of the AD era * 9 BC, the ninth year before the AD era * 9, numerical symbol for the month of September Places * Nine, Portugal, a parish in the ...

, after which fellow cast members made critical comments about that appearance. ''

The Australian Women's Weekly ''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known as simply ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Mercury Capital in Sydney. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before being outsold by ...

''s Wendy Cross described Boyden as "Performing both live and on television, she will broaden her horizons as Australia's youngest star. She is a 10-year-old prodigy; a whimsical mixture of seasoned sophisticate and freckle-faced kid-next-door."

''The Littlest Australian'' to ''Dead Man's Float''

After leaving YTT, Boyden issued her debut album, ''The Littlest Australian'', early in 1976, on Hammard Records, which was certified as a gold record by mid-year.Spencer et al, (2007) "Boyden, Sally" entry. She was the youngest Australian ever to receive a gold record. Cross felt it "boasts tracks ranging from such rock 'n' roll favourites as 'Tan Shoes and Pink Shoelaces' to 'The Lord's Prayer'." In November of that year she commenced filming in the starring role of Linda in a TV film, ''

Barnaby and Me ''Barnaby and Me'' is a 1978 Australian made-for-television film about a girl and her talking koala Barnaby who are pursued by criminals.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p11 The film was one o ...

'' (working title, ''Fuzzy'', 1977), which was a co-production of the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

(ABC-TV) and United States-based

Transatlantic Enterprises ''No Room to Run'' is a 1977 Australian television film about an American businessman who kills a man in Sydney. The lead actors, writer, producer and director were all American.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxfor ...

.Allmovie. Note: source refers to the film by its working title, ''Fuzzy''. Bradley and Carmen had refused an offer for their daughter to tour with

Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...

; Bradley explained "Faced with the choice of filming in Australia or going to the US. there was no question as to what we'd do. There are not many films made here with good parts for little girls, so it's a chance that doesn't come often." The Boydens travelled to Los Angeles to promote ''Barnaby and Me'' in September 1977, where their daughter successfully auditioned for a guest role on ''

'' double episode, "The Children's Carol", which was broadcast in December. She acted in other American-produced films and TV movies including ''Lassie: A New Beginning'' (September 1978) Note: The article refers to the TV movie as ''Lassie – The New Beginning''. and ''

The Little Dragons ''The Little Dragons'' (also known as ''Karate Kids U.S.A.'' or simply ''Karate Kids'') is a 1980 American action adventure film about two young brothers who use their karate skills to rescue a friend after she is held captive for ransom. The film ...

'' (filmed in 1978, broadcast in July 1980). Boyden undertook her first theatre acting role as Wendy in a pantomime, ''Peter Pan'', in January to February 1980 at the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne. She also starred in an Australian film, '' Dead Man's Float'' (1980) and TV series, ''

The Sullivans ''The Sullivans'' is an Australian period drama television series produced by Crawford Productions which ran on the Nine Network from 15 November 1976 until 10 March 1983. The series tells the story of a fictional average middle-clas ...

'' (1981) and ''

Come Midnight Monday ''Come Midnight Monday'' is a 1982 Australian children's TV series. It consisted of seven 30 minute episodes first broadcast in 1982.Albert Moran, ''Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series'', AFTRS 1993 p 124-125 Plot summary Four teenagers fight ...

'' (March 1982). Hal Erickson of

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

described ''Dead Man's Float'' as a "very short and occasionally sweet juvenile melodrama. A cheeky bunch of children who think they're pretty smart are in for a rude awakening when they confront a gang of drug smugglers who play for keeps." During 1981 Boyden was associated with US actor,

Christopher Atkins Christopher Atkins Bomann (born February 21, 1961) is an American actor and businessman, perhaps best known for his debut in the 1980 film '' The Blue Lagoon'' and playing Peter Richards in ''Dallas'' (1983–1984). Early life Christopher Atki ...

, which Ian Rolph of ''The Australian Women's Weekly'' described as "a warm friendship with that cool charmer from ''The Blue Lagoon'', tkins here to star in ''The Pirate Movie''." In May 1983 she acted in an Australian stage version of ''Sound of Music'' at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne.

Later career

As an adult Sally Boyden relocated to London and worked as a songwriter for

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

, providing songs for

Leo Sayer Gerard Hugh "Leo" Sayer (born 21 May 1948) is an English-Australian singer and songwriter whose singing career has spanned five decades. He has been an Australian citizen and resident since 2009. Sayer launched his career in the United Kingdom ...

David Cassidy David Bruce Cassidy (April 12, 1950 – November 21, 2017) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was best known for his role as Keith Partridge, the son of Shirley Partridge (played by his stepmother, Shirley Jones), in t ...

and

Shakin' Stevens Michael Barratt (born 4 March 1948), known professionally as Shakin' Stevens, is a Welsh singer and songwriter. He was the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s. His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, althoug ...

. She sang backing vocals for

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...

, featured with

Major Matt Mason Major Matt Mason was an action figure created by Mattel. He was an astronaut who lived and worked on the Moon. When introduced in 1966, the figures were initially based on design information found in ''Life Magazine, Air Force Magazine, Jane's,'' ...

, and is part of a group, the Candy Bombers who performed at the Queens Jubilee in June 2002. Back in Australia, Boyden toured the country with the ''Follow Your Dreams'' program as a motivational speaker talking to school children of her experiences in show business and life. She returned to London where she held residencies at music venues: Twelve Bar Club, Ground Floor, Acoustic Café and South Bar, and performed in her band, The Candy Bombers. Sally and the band have performed at the Edinburgh Festival, the Ibiza Millennium celebrations, and in Wales, New York and New Zealand. Boyden headlined in Hyde Park as part of the Queen's Jubilee festivities. She joined Duran Duran on stage at Wembley, Earls Court and in Boston and has recorded vocals for the group's albums: ''

Pop Trash ''Pop Trash'' is the tenth studio album by English new wave band Duran Duran. It was released on 19 June 2000 by Hollywood Records. ''Pop Trash'' was the band's first release after parting ways with EMI, with whom they had been signed since 198 ...

'', ''

Astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

'', ''

Red Carpet Massacre ''Red Carpet Massacre'' is the twelfth studio album by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 13 November 2007 by Epic Records. Most of the music on the final incarnation of the album was completed in late 2006 following the departure ...

'', and ''

All You Need Is Now ''All You Need Is Now'' is the thirteenth studio album by English New wave music, new wave band Duran Duran. Produced by Mark Ronson, a truncated version of the album was released digitally on 21 December 2010. A physical package was released on ...

''. Her vocals can also be heard on

The Dandy Warhols The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1994 by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström. They were later joined by keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford ...

' album ''

Welcome to the Monkey House ''Welcome to the Monkey House'' is a collection of 25 short stories written by Kurt Vonnegut, published by Delacorte in August 1968. The stories range from wartime epics to futuristic thrillers, given with satire and Vonnegut's unique edge. The s ...

'', and the

Stephen Duffy Stephen Anthony James Duffy (born 30 May 1960 in Alum Rock, Birmingham, England) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He was a founding member, vocalist, bassist and then drummer of Duran Duran. He went on to record as a solo perform ...

Nick Rhodes Nick Rhodes (born Nicholas James Bates, 8 June 1962) is an English keyboardist and producer, best known as a founding member, keyboardist, and only continuous member of the band Duran Duran. He is also informally monikered as "The Controller ...

project, The Devils. Sally moved to New York in early 2005 later on moving to Los Angeles. Boyden created ''Punktuition'', a children's entertainment, musical and educational based TV show, which was broadcast on PBS. ''Punktuition'' includes artwork by Dean Gorrisen, based in Australia, Chris Cerf in New York City, and graphics, writing and voices by Producer, George Cook in Hollywood. Boyden has performed on the recent ''Young Talent Time'' reunion shows. Along with producer, George Cook, she released two collections of her favourite self-penned tunes, ''Keepsake – Chapter 1'' (2011) and ''Keepsake – Chapter 2'' (2015) and is now signed to music publisher, Peer Music, in London. Punktuition is now in pre-production.

Film

* '' The Homecoming: A Christmas Story'' (1971) (TV movie, US) Tess Wrayburn (uncredited) * ''

Magic Fibre Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

'' (1975) (Film short) Student *
Barnaby and Me
' (1977) (ABC TV movie) Linda *
Lassie: A New Beginning
' (1978) (TV movie, US) Sam *
The Little Dragons
' (1979) (Feature film, US) *
Dead Man's Float
' aka 'Smuggler's Cove' (1980) (Feature film) Anne

Television

* ''

'' (1973–1976) (TV series) Regular team member. * ''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

'' (1975;1981) (ABC TV series) 1 episode. Sally sings "Shirley Got Married" * ''

'' (1975) (TV series) 1 episode. Herself as performer. * " The Children's Carol" – ''

'' (December 1977) (TV series US) 2 episodes. Tess Wrayburn. * '' Young Talent Time 10th Birthday Special'' (1981) (TV special) Sally sings "Blame It On The Boogie". * ''

'' (1981) (TV series) Guest role * ''

'' (1981) (ABC TV series) 1 episode. Guest with Christopher Atkins ('The Pirate Movie') * ''

'' (1982) (ABC TV series) 7 episodes. Regular role Beverley 'Biff' Hoolihan. * ''

Tonight Live With Steve Vizard ''Tonight Live with Steve Vizard'' was a nightly Australian comedy chat show broadcast on Seven Network in Australia, featuring live musical performances. Synopsis It was a one-hour live studio based show broadcast nationally 5 nights a week f ...

'' (1992) (TV series) 1 episode. Herself as Guest. * '' Young Talent Time Tells All'' (2001) (TV special) Herself as Performer. * '' Young Talent Time: The Collection'' (2003) (DVD) Herself as Performer. * ''

A Current Affair ''A Current Affair'' may refer to: * ''A Current Affair'' (Australian TV program), 1971–present Australian current affairs program that airs on Nine Network * ''A Current Affair'' (American TV program), a 1986–1998 American television news ...

'' (2011) (TV series - archive clips) 1 episode. Herself as performer.

Discography

Studio albums

References

;General * * Note: n-lineversion established a
White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd
in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition. ;Specific