Julie Felix

 












1964


Julie arrives in England after leaving
California and hitching through Europe with a duffel bag and the Mexican guitar
given to her by her father.


Julie is the first solo folk artist to be
signed to a major British record company. She signs with Decca and producer
Hugh Mendl enthuses she could be ‘the first big breakthrough on the British
Folk Scene‘. First album ‘Julie Felix’ and single, ‘Someday Soon’ are released.


Julie appears on The Eammon Andrews TV
show, and is asked back the following week by popular demand.


1965


Julie is the headline performer at
Croydon’s Fairfield Hall. She moves into the position of being, as the London
Times names her: Britain’s First Lady of Folk. Acting as humanitarian
ambassador for Christian Aid, Julie visits Lebanon, Jordan and East Africa,
returning to London to give her first solo concert. This concert makes Julie
the first British-based folk singer to fill the Royal Albert HaIl!


1966


Julie becomes the resident singer on the
amazingly popular ‘Frost Report’ , and quickly becomes a household name.


The same year she is invited to take part
in the celebration of Westminster Abbey’s 900th Anniversary, thus becoming the
first "popular” singer to perform in this Cathedral.


1967


Brian Epstein asks Julie to top the bill
with Georgie Fame for a week’s engagement at London’s Saville Theatre. ‘FAME
& FELIX’ is a smash success and is extended for another week. The support
artist is a newcomer named Cat Stevens.


1968


Julie is given her own TV series of 17
shows, Directed by Stanley Dorfmann, this is the first colour series produced
by the BBC, and is sold to virtually every country in the world, including
Russia! Guests include Spike Milligan, Richard Harris, Leonard Cohen, Dusty
Springfield, Donovan, and Jimmy Page.


1969


Julie is one of the primary artists to
appear at the legendary Isle of Wight Festival where Bob Dylan makes his
comeback appearance after an absence of 5 years (audience members include
George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon).


1970


Julie’s series is moved from BBC2 to BBC1.
She is signed by hit-maker Mickie Most, and with Paul Simon’s ‘If I Could’ (El
Condor Pasa) is the first artist to have a hit on the RAK label.


1971


During the height of the Vietnam War sings
to a record-breaking 27,000 people at New Zealand’s Western Springs, urging the
Kiwis not to engage in conscription.


December 19th Gives birth, in London, to
daughter Tanit Alexandra Teresa Guadalupe.


1972


Releases her first LP on the RAK label:
Clotho’s Web. Musicians on this album included John Paul Jones, Danny Thompson
and the late Cozy Powell.


Flies to New York to guest on David Frost’s
US TV Show.


1973


Second hit on Mickie Most’s RAK label with
Hot Chocolate’s song "Heaven is Here”. Guest at Hong Kong’s First International
Arts Festival.


1974


Julie moves to the EMI label and records
the album "Lightning”, produced by Del Newman; tours Japan, Australia and New
Zealand promoting the album.


In the late 1970s Julie moved to Norway
where the title track of her 1976 album Hot Chocolata went to number 1 in the
singles chart.


Julie recorded two successful albums in
Sweden on the Scranta Gramafon label. In the 1980s she moved back to California
and took a break from the music world. She studied Yoga, meditation and
healing. In the late 1980s she participated in a peace march through Central
America. It was a dangerous march, and witnessing the suffering of the
indigenous peoples of Latin America inspired Julie to start singing again.


She returned to her house in Hertfordshire,
England, and began singing for Latin American refugees, for women’s and gay
rights and for peace projects including protests against the war in the Gulf.
She established the first New Age Folk Club, The Magic Messenger, providing a
platform for budding musicians and poets. Julie created the Remarkable Records
label and released Bright Shadows, her first album for 10 years. In the 90s she
set up Goddess Tours, arranging trips and pilgrimages to sacred sites
throughout Britain, Turkey, France and the American Southwest.


In June 1998, Gemini Julie celebrated 35
years as a professional singer and 60 years of life; a life blessed with music,
magic and adventure.


In 2005 Julie brought her admiration of Bob
Dylan’s writing to the fore by releasing her double album on Remarkable Records
Starry Eyed and Laughing – Songs by Bob Dylan. Supporting musicians included
John Paul Jones (playing mandolin) and Danny Thompson (on bass), and the album
featured contributions by such luminaries as John Renbourn, Kiki Dee, Carmel
Luggeri, and P.J. Wright. Martin Carthy plays on The Lonesome Death of Hattie
Carroll.  This track was engineered by Dave Swarbrick.


In Julie’s own words: "This project
deepened the already intense respect and affection I hold for Bob Dylan: a
Gemini with his own Mercury mouth who continues to journey ‘down the foggy
ruins of time’, and although one of his twins may find himself ‘on the bottom
of a world full of lies’ the other twin remains Starry Eyed and Laughing.”


A 2004 compilation on Track Records,
entitled ‘The Rainbow Collection’, featured seventeen songs (four by Dylan) and
included a fine interpretation of  Wild Mountain Thyme, which Julie had
heard Dylan sing when they both appeared at The Isle Of Wight Festival in 1969.
It turned out to be the only time he ever performed the song!


In 2007 Remarkable released Highway of
Diamonds, an album dedicated to her friend and mentor: Micky Most.


Recently Cherry Red Records released two
albums by Julie. The first was a CD of her first three LPs for Decca Records
recorded 1964 – 1966:  Julie Felix First, Second and Third. The second was
a re issue of the album and singles she recorded 1970 – 1972 with Micky Most on
his RAK label: Clotho’s Web.


Julie is still singing for peace and
equality, and  joined Brian Eno, Tony Benn and Mark Rylance in a London
concert for Stop The War.  "Don’t Attack Iran”.


Julie is excited about her first exclusive
download single to be released before Christmas this year – Tiger Eyes. She
also plans to work with John Cameron on a new album to be called The Winds of
Change, and in June 2013, she performed at the prestigious Leicester Square
Theatre to celebrate her 75th birthday.


Her star continues to shine bright. In the
words of Steve Harley:


"There are those among us who just have to
play and sing; to whom there can be no question of quitting; to whom their work
is not a job, but a calling.  Julie Felix is one such musician.”


What began for little Julie as simple home
entertainment, as her father and his friends played Mariachi music into the
small hours of the morning, has actually been this remarkable woman’s
profession for nearly 50 years.


It’s a tough business, music.  Only
the good and the genuine last the course.”




 
http://www.juliefelix.co.uk