Sharon O'Neill Biography

Sharon Lea O'Neill (born 23 November 1952, Nelson, New Zealand) is a singer-songwriter and pianist from New Zealand, who had an Australasian hit single in 1983 with "Maxine" which reached #16 on both the Australian Kent Music Report and Recording Industry Association of New Zealand charts.

Biography

O'Neill began her solo career in the early 1970s in her home country after a short stint with kiwi band Chapta, then gained moderate success in Australia with the hit "Words" (AUS #56) and the subsequent singles "How Do You Talk to Boys?" (AUS #25, 1980), "Maybe" (AUS #38, 1981), "Losing You" (AUS #26, 1983), and "Power" (AUS #36, 1984).

The early 1980s proved her most commercially successful period, composing and performing the soundtrack to the 1981 film "Smash Palace", and with the Foreign Affairs album in 1983 spawning her biggest hit "Maxine" (AUS #16, 1983) a song which chronicled the life of a Kings Cross prostitute. A legal battle with her then record company Sony caused a delay in her career. During the enforced hiatus, O'Neill wrote songs for ABC TV series Sweet and Sour (1984) including the title song performed by Deborah Conway (later recorded by O'Neill as "In Control") and "Glam to Wham". O'Neill met American keyboardist and songwriter, Alan Mansfield on Dragon's Body And The Beat Tour of New Zealand in 1984"?they later became domestic and professional partners.

In 1987 O'Neill returned with her album Danced in the Fire on Polygram which featured some biographical songs about the legal wrangles with Sony.

O'Neill's last album of new material, Edge of Winter, was released in 1990. A mature work, two singles were taken from this album, "Satin Sheets" and "Poster Girl", both of which failed to find chart success.

In 1991, O'Neill collaborated with Robert Palmer and they wrote "True Love" together for Palmer's Don't Explain. She also contributed vocals on that release. In 1994, O'Neill and Palmer joined forces once again, writing "Love Takes Time" for Palmer's Honey. She contributed vocals to that release, as well as to Palmer's 1999 Rhythm and Blues and 2003's Drive.

In 2001 she toured as a guest artist with a New Zealand female act, When The Cat's Away. In 2005 she toured Australia as a support act for Leo Sayer and a comprehensive collection of her greatest hits was released on CD. In 2006 and early 2007 O'Neill again toured Australia supporting Leo Sayer.

In August / September 2007 O'Neill toured as part of the 'Countdown Spectacular 2' concert series Australia-wide and toured Australia and New Zealand on The Let It Be Tour (The Beatles tribute show) in November / December 2007.

Discography

Albums

Year	Title	Details	Peak chart positions
			NZ
1979	This Heart This Song	Label: CBS Catalogue: 003	12
1980	Sharon O'Neill	Label: CBS Catalogue: SBP237350	3
1980	Words (reissue of Sharon O'Neill)	Label: CBS Catalogue: SBP237350	"?
1981	Maybe	Label: CBS Catalogue: SBP237604	7
1982	Smash Palace EP (soundtrack)	Label: CBS Catalogue: SBP237751	"?
1983	Foreign Affairs	Label: CBS Catalogue: SBP 237889	12
1984	So Far: The Best 14	Label: J & B Records Catalogue: JB253	"?
1984	How Do You Do?	Label: Rainbow Catalogue: 2RCD 109/110	"?
1987	Danced In The Fire	Label: Polydor Catalogue: 833557-1	"?
1988	Four Play: Volume 18	Label: CBS Catalogue: BA651092-7	"?
1990	Edge of Winter	Label: Polydor Catalogue: 843883-1	"?
1991	The Very Best Of Sharon O'Neill and Collette (with Collette)	Label: J & B Records Catalogue: JB477CD	"?
2001	Live In Paradise (with When The Cat's Away)	Label: EMI Catalogue: 07243 537030 2 8	7
2005	The Best of Sharon O'Neill	Label: Sony BMG Catalogue: 82876727862	"?
""?" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions		Album
		NZ	AUS
1972	"Love Song"	"?	"?	Non-album single
1978	"Luck's on Your Table"	27	"?	Non-album single
	"This Heart This Song"	"?	"?	This Heart This Song
	"You Take the Sailor from the Sea"	"?	"?
1979	"Don't Say No Tomorrow" (Telethon song)	6	"?	Non-album single
	"Words"	22	56	Words
	"Baby Don't Fight"	"?	-
	"Don't Let Love Go" (duet with Jon Stevens)	"?	32	Non-album single
1980	"Asian Paradise"	24	76	Words
	"How Do You Talk to Boys?"	26	25
1981	Waiting for You	"?	50	Maybe
	"Maybe"	12	38
1982	"For All the Tea in China"	"?	98
	"Smash Palace"	"?	"?	Smash Palace (soundtrack)
1983	"Losing You"	"?	26	Foreign Affairs
	"Maxine"	16	16
	"Danger"	"?	78
1984	"Power"	"?	36	Non-album single
1987	"Physical Favours"	25	39	Danced in the Fire
	"Danced in the Fire"	"?	98
1988	"Shock to the Heart"/"We're Only Human"	"?	"?
1989	"Water for the Flowers" (shared single with Doug Parkinson)	"?	"?	Non-album single
1990	"Satin Sheets"	"?	"?	Edge of Winter
	"Poster Girl"	"?	"?
2001	"Asian Paradise" (When the Cat's Away & Sharon O'Neill version )	16	"?	Live in Paradise
""?" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Awards

Awards	Year	Category	Details	Result
RIANZ	1979	Top Female Vocalist
	1980	Album of the Year	Sharon O'Neil
		Top Female Vocalist
	1983	Best Film Soundtrack/Cast Recording/Compilation	Smash Palace