Sharon Lea O'Neill (born 23 November 1952) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and pianist, who had an

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologic ...

n hit single in 1983 with " Maxine" which reached No. 16 on both the Australian

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent (historian), David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music ...

and

Recording Industry Association of New Zealand Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded ...

charts. Note: n-lineversion established at White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition.Australian chart peaks: *Top 100 (

) peaks to 19 June 1988: N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by

ARIA In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988. *Top 100 (

ARIA Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: *"Satin Sheets" (ARIA Chart) peak: *''The Very Best of Collette and Sharon O'Neill'': New Zealand chart peaks: *All except "Don't Let Love Go": *"Don't Let Love Go":

Career

1960s–1977: Career beginnings

Sharon O'Neill is a self taught musician who learned to play guitar by ear and started composing at an early age, by putting chords to her poetry. She began playing the acoustic guitar around Nelson in the 1960s. O'Neill began recording with Robin Winch and Nancy Richman under the name Suitewater. An entry into the 1970 Mobil Song Quest, saw Sharon & Nancy make the finals with a song called "Life Upon Life" written by O'Neill. Another of her songs, "Nothing Makes It Easy", got her to the finals of the ''New Faces'' television talent show in 1972 In 1972, O'Neill released "

Love Song A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order ...

" a

Lesley Duncan Lesley Cox (née Duncan; 12 August 1943 – 12 March 2010) was an English singer-songwriter, best known for her work during the 1970s. She received much airplay on British radio stations such as BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2, but never achieved ...

cover on Ode Records. Between 1972 and 1977 O'Neill joined New Zealand band Chapta, a covers band called Jessica, and a rock-pop band called Shiner. In 1977, encouraged by Shiner guitarist and future husband Brent Thomas, O'Neill began concentrating on song writing. O'Neill was featured on the track "If There's Still a Little Love" on Mark Williams' 1977 album ''Taking It All in Stride'', with the song also featuring on ''Mark Williams Greatest Hits'' compilation album released in late 1977. O'Neill also supported Williams on tour.

1978–1983: CBS Records

In 1978, O'Neill performed the track " Luck's on Your Table" on the New Zealand TV show ''The Entertainers'', where she finished third. She subsequently signed to CBS Records and released "Luck's on the Table" in September 1978. It reached number 27 on the New Zealand singles chart and was included on her debut album '' This Heart This Song'', which was released in February 1979. In June 1979, O'Neill released " Don't Say No to Tomorrow", which was featured on a Telethon. It reached number 6 on the charts. That same year she received an APRA Silver Scroll Award for the song "Face in a Rainbow" from her debut album. O'Neill won best female artist at the

New Zealand Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...

in 1978, and 1979. In February 1980, O'Neill released her second studio album titled '' Sharon O'Neill'', which peaked at number 3. At the 1980 New Zealand Music Awards, O'Neill won her third Female Artist of the Year as well as her first Album of the Year. The album gained moderate success in Australia with the hit "

Words A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no conse ...

" (AUS #56) and the subsequent singles "

Asian Paradise "Asian Paradise" is a song by New Zealand singer and songwriter Sharon O'Neill. The song was released in April 1980 as the third single from her second studio album, ''Sharon O'Neill Sharon Lea O'Neill (born 23 November 1952) is a New Zealand ...

" (AUS #76) and "

How Do You Talk to Boys "How Do You Talk to Boys" is a song by New Zealand singer and songwriter Sharon O'Neill. The song was released in August 1980 as the final single from the international edition of her second studio album ''Sharon O'Neill Sharon Lea O'Neill (bo ...

" (AUS #25). O'Neill joined

Jon Stevens Jon Stevens (born 8 October 1961) is a New Zealand singer, best known for his work with Noiseworks and ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. Biography 1980–1986: career beginnings and ''Jezebel'' Stevens was born in Upper Hutt, New Zealand, and is ...

on a duet called "

Don't Let Love Go "Don't Let Love Go" is a song recorded by New Zealand singer-songwriters, Sharon O'Neill and Jon Stevens. The song was produced by Jay Lewis. It was released in New Zealand as a single in February 1980 and peaked at number 5 in New Zealand in Marc ...

", which reached number 5 in New Zealand in March 1980. O'Neill's third studio album '' Maybe'' was released in October 1981. It produced the hits " Waiting for You" and " Maybe" (AUS #38). O'Neill supported

Boz Scaggs William Royce "Boz" Scaggs (born June 8, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. An early bandmate of Steve Miller in The Ardells and the Steve Miller Band, he began his solo career in 1969, though he lacked a major hit until ...

on his Australian tour before she moved to Australia to settle. O'Neill provided the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...

Roger Donaldson Roger Lindsey Donaldson (born 15 November 1945) is an Australian-born New Zealand film director, producer and writer whose films include the 1981 relationship drama '' Smash Palace'', and a run of titles shot in the United States, including ...

's 1982 movie ''

Smash Palace ''Smash Palace'' is a New Zealand feature film that premiered at Cannes in May 1981 and was released theatrically in April 1982. The film chronicles a former race car driver (played by Bruno Lawrence) who inadvertently contributes to the end of ...

''. It was a five-track extended play and won Best Film Soundtrack/Cast Recording/Compilation at the 1983

. O'Neill's fourth studio album ''

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy a ...

'' was released in May 1983. It contained the tracks " Losing You" (AUS #26) and " Maxine" (AUS #16), a song which chronicled the life of a Kings Cross prostitute. In a 2016 interview, O'Neill said: "I was living in a hotel in Kings Cross when I got the inspiration to write 'Maxine'. She was always out there working at 3am when we'd get home bleary-eyed from a gig." ''Foreign Affairs'' was certified gold in New Zealand.

1984–1999: Polydor Records and compilations

A legal battle with her then-record company CBS caused a delay in her career. In 1984, CBS budget label J&B released a best of collection titled '' So Far''. During the enforced hiatus, O'Neill wrote songs for ABC's 1984 TV series ''

Sweet and Sour Sweet and sour is a generic term that encompasses many styles of sauce, cuisine and cooking methods. It is commonly used in East Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been used in England since the Middle Ages. Dickson Wright, Clarissa (2011) ''A Histor ...

'' including the title song performed by

Deborah Conway Deborah Ann Conway (born 8 August 1959) is an Australian rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, and had a career as a model and actress. She was a founding member of the 1980s rock band Do-Ré-Mi with their top 5 hit "Man Overboard". Conw ...

(later recorded by O'Neill as "In Control") and "Glam to Wham". She wrote "Blood Red Roses" for the movie soundtrack of "

Street Hero ''Street Hero'' is a 1984 Australian film directed by Michael Pattinson and starring Vince Colosimo, Sigrid Thornton, Sandy Gore, Bill Hunter and Ray Marshall. The film won an AFI award. Plot Vinnie is a teenage boy who is an outcast at school, ...

" and music for "

Dancing Daze ''Dancing Daze'' is a 1986 Australian mini series about two sisters from Wagga Wagga who leave their family pig farm to make it as dancers in the big city.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p186 ...

". O'Neill met American keyboardist and songwriter Alan Mansfield on

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted a ...

's Body and the Beat Tour of New Zealand in 1984—they later became domestic and professional partners. In October 1987, O'Neill returned with her fifth studio album '' Danced in the Fire'' on

Polygram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...

, which featured some biographical songs about her legal wrangles with CBS. "

Physical Favours "Physical Favours" is a song by New Zealand singer and songwriter Sharon O'Neill. The song was released in September 1987 as the first single from her fifth studio album, '' Danced in the Fire'' (1987). It was O'Neill's first release on the Polydo ...

" peaked at number 25 in New Zealand and 39 in Australia. In 1988, CBS Records released a series of four-track EPs; ''Volume 18'' was O'Neill and featured four of O'Neill's greatest hits. In 1990, O'Neill released her sixth studio album '' Edge of Winter''. Two singles were taken from this album, "

Satin Sheets ''Satin Sheets'' is the second studio album released by American country artist Jeanne Pruett. The album was released in June 1973 on MCA Records and was produced by Walter Haynes. The album contained Pruett's first major hit and signature song of ...

" and "Poster Girl", both of which failed to find chart success. '' The Very Best of Collette and Sharon O'Neill'' was released in 1991 by J&B Records. It contained eight tracks from

Collette Roberts Collette Roberts (born 1968), who performed mononymously as Collette, is a New Zealand-born, Australian-based model turned disco, pop singer during the late 1980s and early 1990s. She had a top five single on both the Australian and Ne ...

and eight tracks from O'Neill, including the previously non-album single "Power" from 1984. In 1991, O'Neill collaborated with Robert Palmer and wrote " True Love" together for Palmer's ''

Rhythm & Blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

'' album. She also contributed vocals on that release. In 1994, O'Neill, Palmer, and Palmer's girlfriend Mary Ambrose co-wrote "Love Takes Time" for Palmer's ''

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

'' album. O'Neill contributed vocals to that release, as well as to Palmer's 1999 ''

'' and 2003's ''

Drive Drive or The Drive may refer to: Motoring * Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle * Road trip, a journey on roads Roadways Roadways called "drives" may include: * Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive" * ...

''.

2000–present: Later career

In 2001, she toured as a guest artist with New Zealand female act When the Cat's Away. In 2005, she toured Australia as a support act 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 ...

and a comprehensive collection of her greatest hits was released by

Sony Music Australia Sony Music Entertainment Australia is the predominant record label operated by American parent company Sony Music Entertainment in Australia. SMEA also formerly published and distributed video games in Australia & New Zealand on behalf of Sony ...

under the title '' The Best of Sharon O'Neill''. In 2006 and early 2007, O'Neill again toured Australia supporting Leo Sayer. From August–September 2007, O'Neill toured as part of the '

Countdown Spectacular The ''Countdown Spectacular'' is a series of concerts reviving the nostalgia of the Australian music television series ''Countdown''. Countdown Spectacular The first tour was staged from June to August 2006. It featured mainly Australian artists a ...

2' concert series Australia-wide and toured Australia and New Zealand on The Let It Be Tour (

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

tribute show) in November–December 2007. In 2014, Sony New Zealand released a new greatest hits collection titled '' Words: The Very Best of Sharon O'Neill''. The album peaked at number 6 on the New Zealand albums chart. In 2018, Sharon performed a duet with Ben Ransom titled "Young Years", the song she co-wrote for the group Dragon. The track is available via digital streaming service Apple Music.

Discography

Studio albums

*'' This Heart This Song'' (1979) *'' Sharon O'Neill'' / ''

'' (1980) *'' Maybe'' (1981) *''

'' (1983) *'' Danced in the Fire'' (1987) *'' Edge of Winter'' (1990)

Awards and nominations

, - , 1978 , Sharon O'Neill , New Zealand Music Awards - Top Female Vocalist , , - , 1979 , Sharon O'Neill , New Zealand Music Awards - Top Female Vocalist , , - , 1979 , "Face In a Rainbow" ,

APRA Awards (New Zealand) The APRA Music Awards are several annual and two-yearly award ceremonies run in New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members. APRA hold the annual Silver S ...

- Silver Scroll Awards , , - , rowspan="2" , 1980 , Sharon O'Neill , New Zealand Music Awards - Top Female Vocalist , , - , ''Sharon O'Neill'' , New Zealand Music Awards - Album of the Year , , - , 1981 , ''Sharon O'Neill'' , rowspan="3" , Australian Countdown Awards - Most Popular Female , , - , 1982 , ''Sharon O'Neill'' , , - , rowspan="2" , 1983 , ''Sharon O'Neill'' , , - , ''

'' , New Zealand Music Awards - Best Film Soundtrack/Cast Recording/Compilation , , - , rowspan="3" , 1984 , Sharon O'Neill , Australian Countdown Awards - Best Female Performance in a Video , , - , Sharon O'Neill , Australian Countdown Awards - Most Popular Female Performer , , - , Sharon O'Neill , Australian Countdown Awards - Best Songwriter , , - , 1985 , "Power" , Australian Countdown Awards - Best Female Performance in a Video , , - , 1988 , Sharon O'Neill , ARIA Music Awards - Best Female Artist , , - , 1989 , "We're Only Human" , ARIA Music Awards - Best Female Artist , , - , 2017 , , Sharon O'Neill , ,

New Zealand Music Hall of Fame The New Zealand Music Hall of Fame , Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa is a figurative hall of fame dedicated to noteworthy New Zealand musicians. The hall was created in 2007 by Recorded Music NZ (then known as the Recording Industry Associati ...

, , TELEVISION

References

External links

Sharon O'Neill MySpace
* * *
The essential Sharon O'Neill fan siteYahoo group sharononeilldownunder
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, Sharon 1952 births Living people APRA Award winners 20th-century New Zealand women singers New Zealand film score composers New Zealand women singer-songwriters People educated at Waimea College Sony Music New Zealand artists