Karen Knowles
Encyclopedia
Early career
Knowles was educated in Melbourne at the Methodist Ladies' CollegeMethodist Ladies' College, Melbourne
Methodist Ladies' College is an independent, non-selective, day and boarding school for girls, located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
. She became nationally famous on the popular television program Young Talent Time
Young Talent Time
Young Talent Time is an Australian television variety program screened on Network Ten, running from 1971 until 1988. The series features a core group of young performers in the vein of The Mickey Mouse Club, and a weekly junior talent quest. The "Young Talent Team" regularly performed popular...
, where she was a member of the Young Talent Team from 1975 to 1980.
In 1980 she signed with the Fable record label and became the first Australian schoolgirl to receive a Gold record with her Top Ten single Why Won't You Explain in 1981. Her first album You Are The Reason reached Platinum in 1982.
Her second album, Loves Us All, was also released in 1982 and achieved Gold status. In 1983, her third album The Third Time was released and she had a Top 30 single You Don't Know Love in 1984. In 1984 Knowles left the Fable label and moved to London.
Return to Australia
Knowles returned to Australia in 1988 and featured in the stage musical Big RiverBig River (musical)
Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a musical with a book by William Hauptman and music and lyrics by Roger Miller.Based on Mark Twain's classic 1884 novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it features music in the bluegrass and country styles in keeping with the setting of the novel...
during its eighteen month national tour. For her performance as southern belle, Mary Jane Wilks, Knowles received a nomination for a Green Room Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical.
In 1990 Knowles joined The Seekers
The Seekers
The Seekers are an Australian folk-influenced pop music group which were originally formed in 1962. They were the first Australian popular music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States...
. In 1991, Knowles, along with the group's main song writer Bruce Woodley
Bruce Woodley
Bruce William Woodley , is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. He was a founding member of the successful pop-folk group The Seekers, and co-composer of the anthemic song "I Am Australian"...
and the National Boys Choir, recorded the song I Am Australian.
In 1991 Knowles recorded and produced her fourth album A Night of Carols, featuring the Australian Girls Choir. In 1992, Knowles travelled to the United States to record Moonglow, her fifth album.
During 1997 Knowles wrote and performed a new musical composition at the Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
Reconciliation Convention. In 1998, Knowles was appointed as one of the Inaugural Ambassadors for Reconciliation by the Reconciliation Council. Also in 1998, she was nominated for an Australian Humanitarian Award for her Services to the Arts.
In 1999 Knowles recorded and released her sixth album By Request, a compilation of some her most requested songs.
Recent career
In recent years, Knowles has continued to appear as a guest performer at corporate functions and on television, and has conducted several live concert tours around Australia.In 2003, Knowles released her most recent album "On A Clear Day" and appeared on MDA
MDA (TV series)
MDA is an Australian television series that aired between 2002 and 2005 on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation . It concerned the day-to-day operation of legal firm MDA, which specialised in medical defence.-Synopsis:...
.
In September 2004 she opened the Karen Knowles Singing School with classes held in Victoria
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....
, New South Wales and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
In 2006, Knowles partnered Richard Zachariah on the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
celebrity singing program It Takes Two.
In 2010, Knowles performed at the IGA Lord Mayor's Carols in the City
Carols in the City
Carols in the City , is an annual free Christmas concert event held at the Brisbane River Stage, in Brisbane, Australia. It is broadcast across Australia through the Nine Network with media partners being The Sunday Mail, 4BC and 4BH...