Julie Felix was born on 14 June 1938 in Santa Barbara, California. She arrived in the UK in the early 60s during a time when several American folk singers, including Paul Simon, had also relocated to London.
Her early recordings revealed a commercial, rather than innovative talent, a fact emphasised by weekly appearances on television’s The Frost Report.
She followed the liberal tradition of Tom Paxton or Pete Seeger, rather than that of the radical left, although she was an early champion of the folk-styled singer/songwriter movement, notably Leonard Cohen, and was proclaimed as ‘Britain’s leading lady of folk’.
Her humanitarian beliefs had, however, been put to practical use via the singer’s tour of the African states of Kenya and Uganda, working for the Christian Aid and Freedom From Hunger charities.
Felix enjoyed two successful British television series in her own right, Once More With Felix (1969 – 1970) and The Julie Felix Show (1971), and she had a UK Top 20 hit with a version of El Condor Pasa, produced by pop svengali Mickie Most.
The singer’s wholesome image was marred by a conviction for possession of marijuana but she continued a prolific recording career into the 1980s, albeit to less publicity, as well as performing for women’s rights, green and environmental benefits, and founding Britain’s first New Age Folk Club.
Related Posts
Keith Christmas Keith Christmas is more remembered for his name than for his work. Born Keith Peter Christmas on 13 October 1946…
Stone Poneys, The The Stone Poneys are now remembered only as Linda Ronstadt's first group. But although she quickly overshadowed her colleagues and…
Simon & Garfunkel Paul Simon was born in October 1941 in Newark, New Jersey into a Hungarian Jewish family but moved to the…
Odetta Odetta Holmes was born in Birmingham, Alabama (USA) in 1930 and moved with her family to Los Angeles at the…
Tim Hardin Only three weeks after the globally-discussed death of John Lennon, the demise of a contemporary songwriter passed almost unnoticed by…
Richie Havens Richie Havens' roots were in gospel and doo-wop, before graduating onto the coffeehouse circuit of the early 60s alongside singers…
Al Stewart Al Stewart began his songwriting career during his school days in Bournemouth. He was writing skiffle songs when he was…
Tom Paxton The most covered of the early 60s folk artists (Dylan aside), Tom Paxton's songs were common currency by the time…
