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Janet Clifton Assistant Editor Presenting Olivia Newton- John! The announcer's voice booms and a satin-clad figure runs out. The mike is picked up and the famous voice fills the auditorium. The Australian ac cent is not as noticeable in her singing as when she is talking. Scroll asked the English born and Australian raised singer what she taught about perform ing at a Mormon college. Miss Newton-John replied, “Well, I've performed at Brigham Young University twice and last night I was at Utah State. I'm friendly with the Osmonds and I'm famil iar with the Mormon religion. I'm quite interested in it. It really fas cinates me. It doesn't upset me (to perform here). I don't do any thing that I have to stop doing just because I'm at a Mormon college.” When asked about Ricks College, she said, “I just drove in for the show and haven't had a chance to see it.” The singer moved from Eng land to Australia when she was five years old. In her early teens she formed a singing group with three friends, called the ‘Sol Four’. At 16, she won a talent contest prize for her singing and moved to England. This created quite an up heaval in her family. She quit school, upsetting her parents for her “family was intellectual” and her grandfather had won a Nobel prize in physics. Miss Newton- John has a brother who is a doc tor and an actress sister. In 1971, her first solo record, “If Not For You” was released. It became well known throughout the world but true worldwide prominence didn't come until 1973. Miss Newton-John told Scroll she is an English citizen but is assuming residence here, or “at least I'm applying for it. I’m semi-permanent now.” Scroll asked if she expected to become as popular as she is. She said, “I never expected it. I hoped but | never dreamed it would be as good as it is, espe cially here. It was the first place I wanted to make it in and the last place | thought! would. So I was amazed.’ Sero asked the singer if she wrote any of her own songs. “Well, I try to, but I'm not very good, I've recorded two of them. You know one of them has been here and changed groups. It's jumped around and I've got another one that’s been on the English charts. I've been trying to write but lately | Haven't. I just come up with blanks.” This is the first tour for Miss Newton-John this year but there are plans for one in October and another in the East. This tour in cludes the Western states and is the longest one, with five weeks still left on the road. Scroll asked if she ever felt stage fright. “Sometimes I can go on and feel nothing, other times | feel super edgy. It's just how | feel at the moment. Some times | feel very confident and sometimes | don’t. Like | had a night four nights ago where went blank on stage and as | went to start the song, | realized | had forgotten the lyrics. The word “Jew” came out and was Walk-a-thon raises $1000 Approximately $1,000 was raised as a result of 46 students Participating in the Genealogy Walk-A-Thon held Saturday. The Students, supported by spon sors, walked 21 miles to Hesse Hot Springs. More results of the walk-a-thon will be issued at a later date, singing. It was like automation. | was singing but | couldn't re member the words and didn't even know if | was singing the right words. | was right but it is a frightening feeling. And then the next two nights | was nervous that | was going to forget the words again. “Appearing live on television is frightening because what you do is there and you can't go back. Same with a concert ex cept you can sorta excuse your self from that. Taped television is fine because you know if you make a mistake it can just be redone. Miss Newton-John asked if the Ricks College students had to live by many rules and regula tions. Dress standards were dis cussed and attention focused on the no jeans for girls. She com mented, “It seems to me that would be not too practical. Isn't it expensive for a‘student?” She asked where the students were from. Canada was men tioned and she said, “I didn't even know there were Mormons in Canada. Miss Newton-John has just re cently released two new albums. “Clearly Loved” is fast following the success of her previous al bums and the newest album, “Come On Over appears to be doing the same. Coming in first place was last year's winner, Jim Naverone, who walked the 21 miles in two hours and thirty-five minutes. Thousands attended both concerts of Olivia Newton-John last Saturday and were pleased with her performance. The wit of songwriter Paul Wil liame and his songs of Inspir ing mes sages ap pealed to the concert crowd.
Newspaper Details
Rexburg Scroll
Rexburg, Idaho, US
Fri, Mar 19, 1976
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Nancy M.
USA 30 Dec 2025
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