MARCIA Hines’ remarkable career as the queen of Australian pop music began five decades ago, and at 70, she shows no signs of slowing down.
She has released 22 albums, selling 2.6 million copies across her career, which began in 1969 in the stage musical, Hair, after she arrived from Boston in the US, aged just 16.
In a coup for Swan Hill music fans, Hines will appear in her only performance in the Mallee during her Marcia Hines ‘Still Shining’ – The 50th Anniversary Concert Tour.
She will bring her show to the Swan Hill Town Hall on Friday November 10 at 7.30pm.
Fans can expect two hours of memories, musicality and “a little madness”.
One of the aspects of the regional tours that she enjoys is the opportunity to speak to the audience.
Hines said that they tell her a lot about how they grew up with her music and what it meant to them and that’s what a performer dreams of – that people will relate to what they sing.
“Early in my career, I travelled throughout Australia, I know Australia almost as well as the Leyland Brothers,” she laughs.
“I believe that people in regional areas deserve to see entertainment just as much as those in the big smoke.
”It’s very important to me to perform in these areas, this is my audience.”
Hines believes that the formula for her success is having the same manager and a tenacity to stay who you are and to believe in one’s self.
“I don’t really know what the secret to my success is, but it is important to surround yourself with people that are good and that mean you well,” she continues
“At the moment, I’m doing Australian Idol and auditioning all these kids and one of the biggest things I say to them is that they have to learn to listen.
“Performers don’t like to listen and it is important to have like-minded people around you who are giving you the advice that is the right advice for you during all steps of your career.”
