Bev Harrell - An amazingly powerful superbly ranged voice

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Bev Harrell at 72, live 2015, at a various artists show called Yesterday's Heroes, put on by the Adelaide Music Collective to coincide with a collection of Adelaide music memorabilia at the State Library. Various acts with a strong connection to the city played a song each at the show, held in the Mortlock





Bev Harrell has an an amazingly powerful, superbly ranged voice.

She began her career when she was 6 in "Kangaroos on Parade" a radio series in her hometown of Adelaide, South Australia.
By the end of the 60's Bev had become a household name. 

Her first recording "What am I Doing Here with You?" was an instant national No. 1 hit.
    

Her two following records Come on Over to My Place and One in a Million were also huge hits.

In 1966 & 1967 Bev was awarded ”Australia’s best female vocal” and album of the year at The Major Network Awards (Now called the ARIA Awards). From that moment her career skyrocketed with many other music awards and tours with many international names including Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Winifred Atwell, the Rolling Stones and Roy Orbison. 



In 1970, she travelled overseas, and cut a single for the US Bell label. She toured through Europe, Canada (where Bev had her own television special "Two New" on Toronto TV), the Caribbean, South Africa and South East Asia. In January 1971 in London, Bev released a single on Bell, "Back To The People" / "Travelling Easy". The single is of interest to Bee Gees aficionados because the A-side was co-written and the single produced by Maurice Gibb. According to Bee Gees expert Joseph Brennan, Bev did not know the Gibbs and was simply offered the song by their publisher. Later that year, as England's representative in the 1971 Tokyo World Song Festival, Bev took out the 'Outstanding Composition and Performance' award.

Returning to Australia in 1972, she signed to RCA and issued three singles, "It Was Easy" / "The Right Thing to Do" (June 1973), "Carols by Candlelight" / "You've Got to Save Me" (October 1973) and "Mon Pere" / I Believe in Music" (March 1974), as well as the 1974 LP I Believe In Music.

In January 1987 Bev was chosen to entertain on the exclusive ship "Sea Goddess" which operates out of New York. "Sea Goddess" was brought out especially for the "Americas Cup" in Fremantle, Western Australia. Bev's performance was so successful her initial contract was extended from one to eight weeks.

Her last single, "Bring Back Those Memories" / "Sing", was released on the Polydor label. Today, Bev lives back in Adelaide and continues to work regularly on the musical stage and on the club and corporate circuit. She was awardedthe Order of Australia (OAM) in 2006.



Bev is known to many people for her lead role as Grizabella in the Australian and New Zealand tour of the musical “Cats”, where she wooed the multitude with a Cataclysmic performance of the song “Memory”.


NEXT Barry Stanton

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