Helen Reddy

Helen Maxine Reddy (born 25 October 1941 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) was an internationally acclaimed singer, actress, activist, and television host whose career spanned over five decades. From her earliest days on the Australian vaudeville circuit at age four, she displayed a prodigious talent for performing, later winning a talent contest on Bandstand that earned her a ticket to New York. After a challenging start in the United States, she broke through with the 1971 single “I Believe in Music,” but it was the anthemic “I Am Woman”—co‑written with Ray Burton—that vaulted her to global stardom, topping the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1972 and earning a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The song became a feminist rallying cry, cementing Reddy’s reputation as a “feminist poster girl.” Throughout the 1970s she amassed fifteen top‑40 Billboard hits, including three number‑one singles, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1974. Her television work broke new ground as she became the first Australian to host a one‑hour weekly primetime variety show on an American network, and she appeared on numerous talk shows and specials, expanding her influence beyond music.

In addition to her musical achievements, Reddy pursued a diverse array of artistic ventures, from starring in Disney’s Pete’s Dragon to performing in Broadway productions such as Blood Brothers and Shirley Valentine. After retiring from live performance in 2002, she earned a degree in clinical hypnotherapy, practiced as a therapist, and remained active in political advocacy, supporting Democratic candidates and serving on California’s parks commission. A dual citizen of Australia and the United States, she was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006 and continued to inspire new generations until her passing in September 2020.