| MILESAGO: Australasian Music & Popular Culture 1964-1975 | Groups & Solo Artists |
YVONNE BARRETT (1946-1985)
Perth/Melbourne, 1965-1970s
Article by Michael Robbins (originally written for Wikipedia)
A fine singer who is now, sadly, one of the forgotten figures of the Beat Boom, Perth-born Yvonne Barrett began her career early, commencing ballet lessons at the age of just two and a half. This led to appearances in stage shows such as Sound of Music and Carnival. She took singing leassons in her mid-teens and in 1965 she got her first big break when she passed the audition for Australia's leading pop music TV program The Go! Show. She soon became a regular, performing songs like "Off and Running", "I Walk Alone" and The Toys "A Lovers Concerto". After signing to Go!! Records, Yvonne achieved her biggest chart success in 1965-66 with her version of the Tony Hatch song, "You're The One" b/w " Little People". In Dec 1965 she became one of the first Australian pop performers to tour Vietnam to entertain Australian troops.
Yvonne's third Go!! single "Don't Bother Callin'" was released in October 1966, but early in 1967 both The Go!! Show and its rival Kommotion were cancelled by the 0-10 Network, and without the support of the show, the Go!! label folded soon after. Despite this setback she continued her career and in 1970 Yvonne was voted a runner-up in the Go-Set Pop Poll. Although she had no further chart success she maintained her considerable popularity through her concerts and appearances on national TV shows such as Uptight and Happening 70-72, doing songs such as, "Always Something There To Remind Me" and Rare Earth's, "Get Ready".
In 1970 she released a one-off single on Columbia, "Lu" (a Laura Nyro song) which featured her big voice with a brassy jazz-rock, Blood Sweat & Tears style arrangement. During the 1970s she moved into session work and club appearances and released her last single for Albert Productions, "No Longer Part Of Your Life" / "Mr 7", in 1972 . In the early 1980s she moved to Sydney but she was murdered in 1985; her spouse was later convicted of the crime.
Fortunately, several of Yvonne's videotaped performances from The Go!! Show have survived and are now archived on YouTube (see below).
Discography
Singles
Oct 1965
Little People* / You're The One** (Go!! G-5015)
National #58, 10 Weeks, Melbourne #28, Sydney* #3
July 1966
"Send Her Away" / "Won't Someone Say" (Go!! G-5032)
Oct 1966
"Don't Bother Callin' " / "I'm Taking Him Back" (Go!! G-5040)
March 1970
"Lu" (Laura Nyro) / "Picture Me Gone" (Columbia DO-9062)
1972
"No Longer Part Of Your Life" / "Mr 7" (Albert Productions AP-9839)
Albums
Yvonne did not record an LP but several of her singles were included on compilation LPs:
Go!! Hitmakers (Go!! GLP-3002) - "Little People"
Go!! Hitmakers Vol 2 (Go!!) - "You're The One"
Go!! Hitmakers Vol 3 (Go!!) - "Send Her Away"
Go-Set Pop Poll Awards 1970 - "Picture Me Gone" and "Lu"
Girls,Girls,Girls Vol 1 - "Send Her Away"
Video
YouTube:
References / Links
Ian McFarlane Wikipedia:
Yvonne Barrett
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yvonne_Barrett