The Australian music industry has lost two of its most conic and influential artists with the passing of both Helen Reddy and Max Merritt.
Helen Reddy was one of the first Australian artists to achieve massive success in the US, where she had three #1 singles and another dozen Top 40 hits. Her 1972 single 'I Am Woman' was the first #1 hit on the Billboard chart by an Australian-born artist and the first Australian-penned song to win a Grammy Award, and has become an enduring anthem for the women’s liberation movement.
The world's top-selling female singer in 1973 and 1974, Reddy was inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame in 2006.
As leader of Max Merritt & The Meteors, Merritt was a popular act on both sides of the Tasman, particularly as a live performer. He formed the group as a 15-year-old in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1956, issuing their debut single in 1959. Relocating to Australia in 1965, they notched up a string of hits during the second half of the 1960s.
Max Merritt & The Meteors scored their biggest success after moving to London. ‘Slipping Away’ peaked at #2 in Australia and #5 in New Zealand in 1975.
Merritt was inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame in 2008.
Our condolences to his family, friends and fans of both Helen Reddy and Max Merritt.
