Christina Amphlett
Encyclopedia
Christine Joy Amphlett (born 25 October 1959 Geelong, Victoria
, Australia
) was the lead singer of Australian rock
band Divinyls
. She is also known as Chrissy Amphlett.
She grew up in Geelong as a singer and dancer. She left home as a teenager and travelled to England
, France
and Spain
where she was imprisoned for three months for singing on the streets.
In May 2001, Divinyls' "Science Fiction
", written by Amphlett and lead guitarist Mark McEntee
, was selected by Australasian Performing Right Association
(APRA) as one of the Top 30 Australian songs
of all time. Amphlett and McEntee barely spoke after the band had separated in 1996, but resumed contact when they were inducted in the 2006 ARIA Hall of Fame
, eventually announcing a new tour and album.
at a concert at the Sydney Opera House
in 1980, and the pair formed the Divinyls
shortly after. After several years of live gigs in Sydney
, they recorded several songs to be used on the soundtrack of the film Monkey Grip
.
Divinyls
consisted of an ever-changing lineup around the core of Amphlett and McEntee, whose relationship was volatile throughout their career. Nonetheless, the band released six albums between 1982 and 1996, peaking in 1991 with the success of the single "I Touch Myself
" which reached Number 1 in Australia, 10 in the UK and 4 in the US. Divinyls
did not release another album for nearly six years, splitting up around the time of Underworld
s release in Australia. Amphlett lived in New York City
with her husband, concentrating on a solo career and writing her autobiography Pleasure and Pain: My Life.
Amphlett and McEntee barely spoke after the band split up, but resumed contact when they were inducted in the 2006 ARIA Hall of Fame, eventually announcing a new tour and album.
, in which she had a supporting role as the temperamental lead singer of a rock band loosely based on her own band Divinyls.
In 1988, Amphlett starred alongside Russell Crowe
in the first Australian production of Will Russell's stage musical Blood Brothers.
Amphlett was originally cast to play Judy Garland
opposite Todd McKenney
in the original touring production of The Boy from Oz
, about the life of Peter Allen
. However, Amphlett was replaced in the role by Isabel Keating
when the show made its Broadway
debut in 2003, but she resumed the role in the Australian tour.
She is a cousin of Australian singer Little Pattie
(Patricia Amphlett).
Since 1999 Amphlett has been married to US
drummer Charley Drayton
who played drums on the Divinyls eponymous album and was the drummer in the reformed group. Prior to her marriage to Drayton, Amphlett had an affair
with Mark McEntee
.
In an interview on the Nine Network
program A Current Affair on 7 December 2007 Amphlett revealed she was battling multiple sclerosis
. She also announced that Divinyls are no longer together and that she has a new band in New York.
Amphlett performed Divinyls songs and others with a thirty piece orchestra for the "Australian Rock Symphony" through January 2010.
Amphlett revealed on 20 October 2010 that she has breast cancer
. She was treated in New York
where she lives with her husband. She said her sister is a breast cancer survivor. On 24 January 2011 she claimed to be free of cancer.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) was the lead singer of Australian rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Divinyls
Divinyls
Divinyls were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980 and featuring vocalist Christina Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. As the focal point, Amphlett performed on stage wearing a school uniform and fishnet stockings, often using an illuminated neon tube as a prop and displaying...
. She is also known as Chrissy Amphlett.
She grew up in Geelong as a singer and dancer. She left home as a teenager and travelled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
where she was imprisoned for three months for singing on the streets.
In May 2001, Divinyls' "Science Fiction
Science Fiction (song)
"Science Fiction" is a song by Australian rock, New Wave group Divinyls, which was the lead single from their first studio album, Desperate. Released in November 1982, "Science Fiction", peaked at No. 13 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart...
", written by Amphlett and lead guitarist Mark McEntee
Mark McEntee
Mark McEntee is an Australian musician, he was the guitarist for the rock band Divinyls. In May 2001, Divinyls' "Science Fiction", written by lead singer Christina Amphlett and McEntee, was selected by Australasian Performing Right Association as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time...
, was selected by Australasian Performing Right Association
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
(APRA) as one of the Top 30 Australian songs
APRA Top 30 Australian songs
APRA's Top 30 Australian songs between 1926 and 2001 was a list created by the Australasian Performing Right Association to celebrate its 75th anniversary...
of all time. Amphlett and McEntee barely spoke after the band had separated in 1996, but resumed contact when they were inducted in the 2006 ARIA Hall of Fame
ARIA Hall of Fame
Since 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association has inducted artists into its ARIA Hall of Fame. While most have been recognised at the annual ARIA Music Awards, in 2005 ARIA sought to create a separate standalone "ARIA Icons: Hall of Fame" event as only one or two acts could be inducted...
, eventually announcing a new tour and album.
Divinyls
Amphlett met Mark McEnteeMark McEntee
Mark McEntee is an Australian musician, he was the guitarist for the rock band Divinyls. In May 2001, Divinyls' "Science Fiction", written by lead singer Christina Amphlett and McEntee, was selected by Australasian Performing Right Association as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time...
at a concert at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
in 1980, and the pair formed the Divinyls
Divinyls
Divinyls were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980 and featuring vocalist Christina Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. As the focal point, Amphlett performed on stage wearing a school uniform and fishnet stockings, often using an illuminated neon tube as a prop and displaying...
shortly after. After several years of live gigs in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, they recorded several songs to be used on the soundtrack of the film Monkey Grip
Monkey Grip (film)
Monkey Grip is a 1982 Australian drama film directed by Ken Cameron. It is based on the novel, also titled Monkey Grip, by Helen Garner...
.
Divinyls
Divinyls
Divinyls were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980 and featuring vocalist Christina Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. As the focal point, Amphlett performed on stage wearing a school uniform and fishnet stockings, often using an illuminated neon tube as a prop and displaying...
consisted of an ever-changing lineup around the core of Amphlett and McEntee, whose relationship was volatile throughout their career. Nonetheless, the band released six albums between 1982 and 1996, peaking in 1991 with the success of the single "I Touch Myself
I Touch Myself
"I Touch Myself" is a 1990 single by the Australian rock band Divinyls. The song was written by Divinyls bandmembers Christina Amphlett and Mark McEntee and professional songwriters Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg for the band's self-titled album...
" which reached Number 1 in Australia, 10 in the UK and 4 in the US. Divinyls
Divinyls
Divinyls were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980 and featuring vocalist Christina Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. As the focal point, Amphlett performed on stage wearing a school uniform and fishnet stockings, often using an illuminated neon tube as a prop and displaying...
did not release another album for nearly six years, splitting up around the time of Underworld
Underworld (Divinyls album)
Underworld is the fifth studio album and the seventh overall album by Australian band Divinyls, released on November 11, 1996 by BMG Records. It was the band's first studio album release in five years. The lead single "I'm Jealous" had been successful when released in 1995, however this did not...
s release in Australia. Amphlett lived in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with her husband, concentrating on a solo career and writing her autobiography Pleasure and Pain: My Life.
Amphlett and McEntee barely spoke after the band split up, but resumed contact when they were inducted in the 2006 ARIA Hall of Fame, eventually announcing a new tour and album.
Other work
Amphlett has also worked as an actress. She made her film debut in the 1982 film Monkey GripMonkey Grip (film)
Monkey Grip is a 1982 Australian drama film directed by Ken Cameron. It is based on the novel, also titled Monkey Grip, by Helen Garner...
, in which she had a supporting role as the temperamental lead singer of a rock band loosely based on her own band Divinyls.
In 1988, Amphlett starred alongside Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe is a New Zealander Australian actor , film producer and musician. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, a...
in the first Australian production of Will Russell's stage musical Blood Brothers.
Amphlett was originally cast to play Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
opposite Todd McKenney
Todd McKenney
Todd McKenney is an Australian entertainer. He is best known as a judge on Australia's version of Dancing with the Stars.He has won many dancing titles, and has trained in jazz, tap, acrobatics and ballroom dancing...
in the original touring production of The Boy from Oz
The Boy from Oz
The Boy from Oz is a jukebox musical based on the life of singer/songwriter Peter Allen and featuring songs written by him. The book is by Nick Enright. The production had its world premiere, directed by Gale Edwards, at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Australia, on 5 March 1998 and toured Brisbane,...
, about the life of Peter Allen
Peter Allen
Peter Allen was an Australian songwriter and entertainer. His songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Elkie Brooks, Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, with one, Arthur's Theme, winning an Academy Award in 1981...
. However, Amphlett was replaced in the role by Isabel Keating
Isabel Keating
-Biography:Keating is widely acclaimed for her portrayal of Judy Garland in the 2003 Broadway theatre production of The Boy From Oz, starring opposite Hugh Jackman, for which she received a Tony Award nomination and for which she won the Drama Desk Award and the Theatre World Award...
when the show made its Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in 2003, but she resumed the role in the Australian tour.
Personal life
Amphlett grew up in Geelong and was a student at Belmont High School.She is a cousin of Australian singer Little Pattie
Little Pattie
Little Pattie is the stage name of Australian singer, Patricia Thelma Amphlett OAM later Patricia Thompson, who performed as a 1960s surf pop singer and then in adult contemporary music...
(Patricia Amphlett).
Since 1999 Amphlett has been married to US
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
drummer Charley Drayton
Charley Drayton
Charley Drayton is an American multi-instrumental musician and producer, who has played as a drummer and bass guitarist for many bands and artists and is currently the drummer in Australian rock bands Divinyls and Cold Chisel....
who played drums on the Divinyls eponymous album and was the drummer in the reformed group. Prior to her marriage to Drayton, Amphlett had an affair
Affair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
with Mark McEntee
Mark McEntee
Mark McEntee is an Australian musician, he was the guitarist for the rock band Divinyls. In May 2001, Divinyls' "Science Fiction", written by lead singer Christina Amphlett and McEntee, was selected by Australasian Performing Right Association as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time...
.
In an interview on the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
program A Current Affair on 7 December 2007 Amphlett revealed she was battling multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
. She also announced that Divinyls are no longer together and that she has a new band in New York.
Amphlett performed Divinyls songs and others with a thirty piece orchestra for the "Australian Rock Symphony" through January 2010.
Amphlett revealed on 20 October 2010 that she has breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
. She was treated in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where she lives with her husband. She said her sister is a breast cancer survivor. On 24 January 2011 she claimed to be free of cancer.
External links
- http://homepage.mac.com/sobeserk
- Rock Chicks: The Hottest Female Rockers from the 1960s to Now by Alison Stieven-Taylor, Alison (2007). Sydney. Rockpool Publishing. ISBN 9781921295065