John Paul Young
Born in Scotland, John Paul Young's family migrated to Australia
when he was in his teens. After recording a single with an obscure
band called Elm Tree he landed a minor role in the Australian
production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
His rapid rise to fame began when, as John Young, he was chosen
by producer Simon Napier-Bell to record a song called Pasadena,
written by former Easybeats' Harry Vanda and George Young. It
became a hit in 1972.
To avoid confusion with host Johnny Young from Australian
television show Young Talent Time he became known as
John Paul Young. But to Ian 'Molly' Meldrum and thousands of
fans, he was known by his special nickname, Squeak.
A Countdown regular, he had many hits in the 1970s,
helped by the song writing and production talents of Vanda and
Young. These included carefully crafted, well produced records
like Yesterday's Hero and Love Is In The Air.
1975 saw JPY embark on two national tours, including one with Sherbet. His backing band, The Allstars, originally formed in
1975, included at various times skilful session musicians like
Kevin Borich, Warren 'Pig' Morgan and former Aztec Vince
Melouney.
His first two albums, Hero and JPY, went
platinum, while I Hate The Music (1976) was his first
single to achieve gold record status. It was in the film clip for I
Hate The Music that JPY first wore his famous white and blue
sailor suit - one of the great fashion statements of the 70's.
JPY was also one of the few Australian recording artists to
create decent disco music. His 1978 song Standing In The Rain
(another Vanda & Young song) was a dance floor hit which went
Top 10 in a number of European countries.
Young was a huge star in South Africa, where he toured
extensively and caused scenes of hysteria. Love Is In The Air,
a true international hit, reached number five in Britain, number
seven in America and topped the charts across Europe. It has since
been covered by more than 50 artists and is the most successful
Vanda/Young composition of all time.
JPY was elected TV Week 'King of Pop' in 1978, but
his time at the top did not last far beyond the end of the decade.
Out of fashion in the early 80s, he had to adjust to a drop in
live engagements and a loss of fame. He developed a career in
radio and spent a lot of time fishing
JPY returned to the spotlight when Love Is In The Air
was revived for the Australian film, Strictly Ballroom in
1992. He performed the song in a new promotional film clip -
stylishly dressed in an immaculate white suit. The glitter had
well and truly settled.
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