Juice Newton

Judith Kay "Juice" Newton (born February 18, 1952) is an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician. Newton has received five Grammy Award nominations in the Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist categorieswinning once in 1983as well as an ACM Award for Top New Female Artist and two consecutive ''Billboard'' Female Album Artist of the Year awards. Newton's other awards include a People's Choice Award for "Best Female Vocalist" and the Australian Music Media's "Number One International Country Artist".

Newton has several Gold and Platinum records to her credit, including '' Juice'', ''Quiet Lies'' and her first ''Greatest Hits'' album. During the 1980s, she charted 14 Top-10 hits across the ''Billboard'' Country, AC, and Hot 100 charts, with many of the recordings achieving crossover success and six of the songs hitting the No. 1 position.

Early years

Newton was born in Lakehurst, New Jersey in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Her mother encouraged her interest in music, giving Newton a guitar for her 13th birthday. After high school graduation, Newton attended Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California, where she also performed folk music in some local coffeehouses. She then formed a folk-rock band with guitarist and songwriter Otha Young, and toured bars in Northern California with her band.

Early music career

In the early 1970s, Newton, Otha Young and Tom Kealey formed a band that would eventually be called Juice Newton & Silver Spur, which was signed to RCA Records. The group released two albums for RCA, in 1975 and 1976, but scored only one charting country single with "Love Is a Word". The band was dropped by RCA, then joined Capitol Records in 1977. The band disbanded shortly after releasing just one more album.

In late 1977, Newton went solo, continuing to record for Capitol, and until 1982 Silver Spur remained the name of her backing band. Newton also sang backing vocals for three tracks on Bob Welch's platinum solo debut album, including his hit " Ebony Eyes".

Near the end of 1977, "It's a Heartache" became Newton's first solo record and a major hit in Mexico, where it was eventually certified Gold, and 1978, she released it in the United States. “It’s a Heartache” became the first of what would eventually be her 11 "Hot 100" pop hits. Also in 1978, The Carpenters' version of the Newton/Young-penned song "Sweet, Sweet Smile" reached the Top 10 on both the Country and Adult Contemporary charts, and #44 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. In 1978, Newton legally changed her name from "Judy Kay Newton" to "Juice Newton" ("Juice" having long been her nickname).

Newton's solo debut album ''Well Kept Secret'' was released later in 1978. Neither ''Well Kept Secret'' nor its sole single "Hey Baby" charted, but Capitol Records did renew Newton's contract. In 1979 Capitol's investment in Newton began to pay off as Newton had her first Top-40 Country hit with "Let's Keep It That Way" (another one-off single). Later that year, the album '' Take Heart'' featured five modestly-charting singles: "Until Tonight", "Any Way That You Want Me", "You Fill My Life", "Lay Back In The Arms of Someone", and "Sunshine". In 1980, "Sunshine" became Newton's second top-40 country chart single, "You Fill My Life" reached No. 41, and "Until Tonight" was No. 42. Both of Newton's initial solo efforts performed with modest success but failed to have lasting impacts on the album charts.

Early 1980s pop music success

In 1981, Newton's third solo album, simply titled ''Juice,'' was released. It spawned three consecutive Top-10 pop hits, namely " Angel of the Morning" (written by Chip Taylor), "Queen of Hearts", and an updated version of " The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)" (the original version had appeared on the Silver Spur debut album) earned Newton the first of several No. 1 Country chart singles. A fourth single " Ride 'Em Cowboy" from ''Juice'' was released in 1984 to support Newton's first ''Greatest Hits'' album, reaching the Billboard Country Top 40 chart.

In 1981, Newton's video for "Angel of the Morning" was the first country-music video to air on MTV, and the 40th video to air on the channel overall. Newton was the third female solo artist to be featured on MTV's first air date (after videos by Pat Benatar and Carly Simon).

''Juice'' sold more than a million copies in the United States and went Triple-Platinum (300,000 copies) in Canada. "Angel of the Morning" and " The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)" each reached #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, where Newton would chart regularly for the next several years. In 1982, Newton received two Grammy nominations for Best Female Vocalist: one for "Angel of the Morning" in the Pop category, and another for "Queen of Hearts" in Country.

These two singles became her biggest sellers in the United States, each earning an RIAA Gold certification. (Note: in 1981 and 1982, when these singles were certified, the RIAA standard for Gold singles was "more than 1 million copies sold"; in 1989, RIAA lowered the standard to 500,000 for Gold single certifications.) The songs were also sizable hits in Canada, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, and other countries. For example, "Angel of the Morning" peaked at No. 1 in Canada and No. 43 in the UK Singles Chart in 1981. While "The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)" did not receive a U.S. certification, the song's popularity propelled album sales from Gold to Platinum, and the recording remained in the Top 40 (of the Hot 100) for 18 weeks. "Shot Full Of Love" was released as a single in the UK, but failed to chart.

In the spring of 1982 Newton released her fourth solo album, ''Quiet Lies,'' which sold 900,000 copies in the United States. The album went platinum in Canada (100,000 copies). From ''Quiet Lies'' came the Top 10 Pop and Adult Contemporary hit "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me" (which garnered her another Pop Female Vocalist Grammy nomination). "Break It to Me Gently" was the second single and hit #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, #2 on the Billboard Country chart, as well as #9 in Cash Box and #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. The recording, a contemporary remake of a Brenda Lee hit from the 1960s, won Newton her first Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, beating out contemporaries Dolly Parton, Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris and Sylvia. The album's third and final single, "Heart of the Night", reached #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart in early 1983 and climbed to #25 on the Hot 100.

The album also garnered Newton an award from Australia as the "Top International Country Artist" for the continent. In 1982, Newton toured with country band Alabama on the "Salem Spirit" double-headliner tour. (Various acts opened for Newton and Alabama.)

The direction for Newton's sixth and final Capitol album, 1983's ''Dirty Looks,'' was decidedly more rock-oriented and experimental than her usual blending of folk, pop and country styles. The album spawned a moderate-sized hit with "Tell Her No" (Hot 100 No. 27/AC No. 14) and the title track, a rock-edged number that charted low in the Hot 100. The single "Stranger at My Door" had a brief run on the country charts. The album was a moderate success, selling more than 300,000 copies in the United States and going Gold in Canada (50,000 copies). (The song "Dirty Looks" was written by Dave Robbins and Van Stephenson, who would later become part of the Country group Blackhawk in the 1990s. The pair also wrote Newton's 1984 country single "Restless Heart".)

According to a 1984 front-page article in ''Billboard'' magazine, changes at Capitol led Newton to return to RCA. The 1984 album ''Can't Wait All Night'' continued with a rock-oriented sound. The launch single, "A Little Love", and the title track became Newton's final charting pop singles to date, reaching No. 44 and No. 66, respectively; while "Restless Heart" made No. 57 on the country chart. "A Little Love" became Newton's seventh and final Top-10 hit on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, reaching the No. 7 spot. Newton's final double-header "Salem Spirit" tour with Alabama took place during this time, with Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers as the opening act.

From pop to country

Newton had always been moderately popular in country music; she responded to her waning popularity in the pop market by targeting her next album, 1985's ''Old Flame'', solely to country audiences. The strategic move was a success; the album revitalized her career, reached No. 12 on the Billboard album chart and featured six Top-10 country hits, including the No. 1s " You Make Me Want to Make You Mine", " Hurt", and " Both to Each Other (Friends and Lovers)" (with Eddie Rabbitt), none of which (unlike her previous efforts) appeared at all on the pop charts. The duet was released to the public before the pop version "Friends and Lovers" by Gloria Loring and Carl Anderson; the pop version was released to radio and stores two weeks after Newton and Rabbitt's version first appeared, even though it was recorded first. Newton's version was originally available only on a special edition of the ''Old Flame'' album and on the Eddie Rabbitt album ''Rabbitt Traxx''. The "Old Flame" album produced hit singles for more than sixteen months, with the final release being "What Can I Do with My Heart" (written by Otha Young), which reached the Top 10 in early 1987.

Newton returned to the Top 10 in 1988 with "Tell Me True" from her 1987 album ''Emotion''. The album's lead single, the progressive-country tune "First Time Caller", stalled at No. 24. Her final album of the decade, ''Ain't Gonna Cry'' (1989), was not promoted by the label and did not chart. But it did spawn her final Top-40 country hit to date, "When Love Comes Around the Bend", which RCA refused to release as a single because Newton's contract had not been renewed.

After being dropped by RCA Records in 1989 (along with several other country artists, including Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, as country music as a whole was about to undergo momentous change), Newton took time to focus on her family life. Newton took a hiatus from recording albums, touring sporadically until returning to the music scene in late 1990s when she released the albums '' The Trouble with Angels'' (1998) and ''American Girl'' (1999).

1990s to present

In 1994, Newton contributed the track "Lovers of One Day" to an Édith Piaf tribute album which also included songs by Pat Benatar and Donna Summer.

In 1995, Newton recorded a double-album of pop duets (which was slated to be sold via infomercial), but the project was riddled with legal issues, resulting in a low-impact, "accidental" release of the "Platinum & Gold" series of duets in the early 2000s (the CD set was released without Newton's permission). Subsequently, bootleg CDs including most of the duets turned up on U.S. store shelves as ''Gold & Platinum, Volumes 7 and 8''. Those CDs also contain 1995 solo versions of three of Newton's pop hits "Angel of the Morning", "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me" and "Queen of Hearts". Newton's duet partners included Willie Nelson, Melissa Manchester, The Pointer Sisters and Frankie Valli. In 1998, Newton released "The Trouble with Angels", a collection of seven re-recorded hits and three new songs, including the single "When I Get Over You". The 1998 effort was quickly followed by ''American Girl'' in 1999, which was Newton's first album of all-new material since 1989 and featured the single "They Never Made It to Memphis". The collection featured tracks written by Otha Young, Freddie Mercury, Nanci Griffith, Tom Petty and Newton herself.

'' Every Road Leads Back to You'' (which consists of live material and a bonus EP of four studio recordings of original songs) was released in 2002 with an accompanying DVD. ''American Girl Vol. II'', which was originally sold exclusively at cdbaby.com and at Newton's live shows, was released in 2003 and reissued in 2006 and again in 2011 by Brookside Records.

In 2005, Newton appeared on the TV show '' Hit Me Baby, One More Time'' on which she performed a folk-rock rendition of Ashlee Simpson's "Pieces Of Me" and a truncated version of "Queen of Hearts"; online voters selected Newton's performance as their favorite of the five acts that appeared on the episode. In the mid-2000s, Newton also contributed tracks to the albums ''An All-Star Tribute To Cher'' ("Reason to Believe") and ''An All-Star Tribute to Shania Twain'' ("Come On Over").

On November 15, 2007, Newton released ''The Gift of Christmas'', her first Christmas album. The 12-song album includes a new version of Newton's "Christmas Needs Love to Be Christmas" and "Mary's Boy Child", as well as a special Christmas version of "For Believers", an Otha Young-penned song first recorded in 1983 for the ''Dirty Looks'' album.

On August 6, 2009, Newton's longtime musical partner Otha Young died of cancer. The pair worked together for 37 years.

On October 26, 2010, Newton's ''Duets: Friends & Memories'' album was released by Fuel 2000. The album contained duets performed with Willie Nelson, Melissa Manchester, Frankie Valli and others. One single ("Funny How Time Slips Away") has been released. In addition to the domestic album, an import edition was released on November 30, 2010.

On July 26, 2011, Fuel 2000 released ''Juice Newton: The Ultimate Hits Collection'', which included her own version of the Carpenters' 1978 hit "Sweet Sweet Smile", which Newton and Otha Young wrote in the '70s.

On May 7, 2012, BGO Records issued a two-CD set containing Newton's three 1970s Capitol albums: ''Come To Me'', ''Well Kept Secret'' and ''Take Heart''. This marks the first time these albums have been available in the CD format. With the release of this set, all Newton's 17 studio albums have been issued on CD.

In the 2016 film ''Deadpool'', Juice Newton's version of "Angel of the Morning" was used for the opening credits montage. As a result, the track re-charted on the Billboard Country chart, reaching #43, and also hit #3 on Spotify's World Music chart.

In 2021, Juice Newton's version of "Angel of the Morning" was featured in the critically acclaimed, Oscar-winning film '' Promising Young Woman''. Newton's recording is played for longer than four minutes during the film's climactic scene.

Personal life

Newton bought a thoroughbred gelding named Puppy in 1983 and stabled him at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. The center's manager was polo star and coach Tom Goodspeed. Newton married Goodspeed in 1985, and the couple had two children: Jessica and Tyler. Now divorced, Newton lives in San Diego, California.

Besides continuing in the music business, Newton works as a horse trader. She deals mostly in European horses.

Discography

Studio albums

*''Juice Newton & Silver Spur'' (1975)
*'' After the Dust Settles'' (1976)
*'' Come to Me'' (1977)
*'' Well Kept Secret'' (1978)
*'' Take Heart'' (1979)
*'' Juice'' (1981)
*''Quiet Lies'' (1982)
*'' Dirty Looks'' (1983)
*''Can't Wait All Night'' (1984)
*'' Old Flame'' (1985)
*''Emotion'' (1987)
*''Ain't Gonna Cry'' (1989)
*'' The Trouble with Angels'' (1998)
*''American Girl'' (1999)
*''American Girl Volume 2'' (2003)
*'' The Gift of Christmas'' (2007)
*'' Duets: Friends & Memories'' (2010)

References

External links

Official website
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Austria Chart HistorySwitzerland Chart History

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Juice
1952 births
Living people
20th-century American musicians
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century American women guitarists
20th-century American singers
20th-century American women singers
21st-century American musicians
21st-century American singers
21st-century American women singers
American country singer-songwriters
American women country singers
American women singer-songwriters
American women pop singers
Grammy Award winners
Country musicians from Virginia
Country musicians from New Jersey
Country pop musicians
People from Lakehurst, New Jersey
Guitarists from Virginia
Guitarists from New Jersey
Singer-songwriters from New Jersey
Singer-songwriters from Virginia
Foothill College alumni
RCA Records artists
Capitol Records artists