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

Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...

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 historian David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July 19 ...

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 (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

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 love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres. They can come in various formats, from sad and emotion ...

" a

Lesley Duncan Lesley Anne 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 achi ...

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 "Luck's on Your Table" is a song by New Zealand singer and songwriter Sharon O'Neill. The song was released in September 1978 as the lead single from her debut studio album, ''This Heart This Song'' (1979). Background and release In the late 196 ...

" on the New Zealand TV show ''The Entertainers'', where she finished third. She subsequently signed to

CBS Records CBS Records may refer to: * CBS Records, a former name of Sony Music, a global music company * CBS/Sony, a former name of Sony Music Entertainment Japan, a Japanese music company division of Sony * CBS Records International, a label for Columbia Re ...

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 ''This Heart This Song'' is the debut studio album by New Zealand singer and songwriter Sharon O'Neill. ''This Heart This Song'' debuted and peaked at No. 12 in New Zealand in February 1979. Background and release Sharon O'Neill was signed to C ...

'', which was released in February 1979. In June 1979, O'Neill released "

Don't Say No to Tomorrow "Don't Say No to Tomorrow" is a song by New Zealand singer and songwriter Sharon O'Neill. The song was released in June 1979 and became O'Neill's first top 10, peaking at number 6 in New Zealand. It remains her career highest-charting single. B ...

", 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 Sharon Lea O'Neill (born 23 November 1952) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and pianist, who had an Australasian hit single in 1983 with "Maxine (Sharon O'Neill song), Maxine" which reached No. 16 on both the Australian Kent Music Report and Re ...

'', 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 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 consensus among linguists on its ...

" (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'' (1980) Track listing New Zealand 7" (BA 461975) *Side A ...

" (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'' titled ''Words'' (1980) ...

" (AUS #25). O'Neill joined

Jon Stevens Jon Stevens (born 8 October 1961) is a New Zealand singer, best known as the lead singer of the band Noiseworks in 1986–1992, the portrayal of Judas in a 1992 Australian production of '' Jesus Christ Superstar'', and as the lead singer fo ...

on a duet called " Don't Let Love Go", 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. He was a bandmate of Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller in the Ardells in the early 1960s and a member of the Steve Miller Band from 1967 to 196 ...

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

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

Roger Donaldson Roger Lindsey Donaldson (born 15 November 1945) is an Australian and New Zealand film director, screenwriter, and producer. His 1977 debut film, ''Sleeping Dogs (1977 film), Sleeping Dogs'', is considered landmark work of Cinema of New Zealand ...

's 1982 movie '' Smash Palace''. 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 foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...

'' 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 CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

caused a delay in her career. Sharon said publicly in an interview that CBS/Sony had asked for the next album recordings with no pre-warning due date and she was not ready. 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 ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

'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 English cuisine, England since the Middle Ages.Clarissa Dickson WDickson ...

'' 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". Conway pe ...

(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 drama 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 ...

" 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 Sir Alan James Mansfield, (30 September 1902 – 17 July 1980) was an Australian barrister, judge, and the 18th Governor of Queensland, serving from 1966 until 1972. Early life Mansfield was born on 20 September 1902 in Brisbane, Queensland, w ...

Dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

'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, which featured some biographical songs about her legal wrangles with CBS. " Physical Favours" 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" 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 Robert Allen Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful and soulful voice, sartorial elegance and stylistic explorations, combining soul, funk, jazz, rock, pop, regga ...

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 within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

'' 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 species of 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 pl ...

'' 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 Leo Sayer (born Gerard Hugh Sayer, 21 May 1948) is an English-Australian singer and songwriter who has been active since the early 1970s. He has been an Australian citizen and resident since 2009. Sayer launched his career in the United Kingd ...

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. Prior to 1995, SMEA published and distributed video games in Australia & New Zealand on behalf of So ...

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 ...

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. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

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, O'Neill 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. O'Neill's partner of 40 years, Alan Mansfield, died in October 2024.

Discography

Studio albums

*''

'' (1979) *''

'' / ''

'' (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 of its members. APRA hold the annual Silver Scroll Awards and song awards, ...

- 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'' , , - , '' Smash Palace'' , 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 New Zealand singer-songwriters People educated at Waimea College Sony Music New Zealand artists