Helen Maxine Reddy 25 October β 29 September was an Australian-American singer, actress, television host, and activist. Born in Melbourne to a show business family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. She sang on radio and television and won a talent contest on the television program Bandstand [ a ] in ; her prize was a ticket to New York City and a record audition, which was unsuccessful.
After a short and unsuccessful singing career in New York, she eventually moved to Chicago, and subsequently, Los Angeles, where she made her debut singles " One Way Ticket " and " I Believe in Music " in and , respectively.
She was signed to Capitol Records a year later. During the s, Reddy enjoyed international success, especially in the United States, where she placed 15 singles on the top 40 of the Billboard Hot Six made the top 10 and three reached number one, including her signature hit " I Am Woman ". On television, she was the first Australian to host a one-hour weekly primetime variety show on an American network, along with specials that were seen in more than 40 countries.
Between the s and s, as her single " I Can't Say Goodbye to You " became her last to chart in the US, Reddy acted in musicals and recorded albums such as Center Stage before retiring from live performance in She returned to university in Australia, earned a degree, and practised as a clinical hypnotherapist and motivational speaker. In , after singing " Breezin' Along with the Breeze " with her half-sister, Toni Lamond , for Lamond's birthday, Reddy decided to return to live performing.
Reddy's song " I Am Woman " played a significant role in popular culture, becoming an anthem for second-wave feminism. She came to be known as a "feminist poster girl" or a "feminist icon". In , the Chicago Tribune dubbed her the "Queen of '70s Pop". Helen Maxine Reddy [ 8 ] [ 9 ] was born into a well-known Australian showbusiness family in Melbourne.
