Newton (Billy Myers)
Encyclopedia
Newton is the stage name
for the UK
firefighter
turned pop
singer
, Billy Myers (born William Myers, 1967).
and chart
hits
in the 1990s. His first hit "Sky High
" was a cover
of the 1975 hit by Jigsaw
, that was produced
by Mike Stock and Matt Aitken
. His other club hits were remakes and original songs written by Newton. He recorded
versions of: "Sometimes When We Touch
", "All Out of Love
", "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me", "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You
", "Don't Worry", "We're All Alone
", "Free To Love Again", "Maybe", "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)
", "How Long?", "Sweetest Secret", "Oxygen", "Angel In Your Eyes", "I Won't Run Out On You" and "Season's Change".
Newton's first two singles both went gold
in Australia
. "Sky High" achieved gold sales in Australia in 1995, whilst "Sometimes When We Touch", hit number three on the Australian singles chart, and became Newton's second consecutive gold record in that country. "Sometimes When We Touch" gave Newton his first UK
Top 40 success. He also had hits within the dance charts of many European and Asian territories. Newton toured South East Asia and had chart success in Thailand
. His songs were also popular radio hits in South Africa
and Brazil
.
His singles were popular on radio in certain states within the United States
. DMA
magazine featured positive reviews of Newton's CD
, Sweetest Secret and subsequent CD singles. Music video
s for "Sometimes When We Touch", "Don't Worry" and "We're All Alone" were filmed in Sydney
, whilst the video for "Sky High" was filmed in Israel
.
As of 2008, Newton was back in the studio
, recording songs for an album due out in late 2011.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
for the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
turned pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, Billy Myers (born William Myers, 1967).
Career
Newton scored a number of clubNightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
and chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in the 1990s. His first hit "Sky High
Sky High (song)
"Sky High" is the name of a 1975 single by British pop music group, Jigsaw. The song, the main title theme to the film entitled The Man from Hong Kong, was a world-wide hit in the latter part of 1975, reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and #9 in the UK Singles Chart.Two...
" was a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the 1975 hit by Jigsaw
Jigsaw (band)
Jigsaw were an English pop music group, fronted by the singer-songwriter duo of Clive Scott and Des Dyer. In Australia the group was called "British Jigsaw" due to the existence of a local band of the same name.-Overview:...
, that was produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Mike Stock and Matt Aitken
Matt Aitken
Matthew James Aitken , is a British songwriter and record producer, brought up in Astley, Greater Manchester, best known as the creative force behind the 1980s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman....
. His other club hits were remakes and original songs written by Newton. He recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
versions of: "Sometimes When We Touch
Sometimes When We Touch
Sometimes When We Touch is a 1977 ballad written by Dan Hill and Barry Mann on the album Longer Fuse, but was also released as a single in 1978. It was Hill's biggest hit, peaking at #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Musicians included Larrie Londin , Bob Mann , Don Potter , Tom Scyzniak...
", "All Out of Love
All Out of Love
"All Out of Love" is a pop–ballad by Air Supply, released in 1980. It reached number 2 in the US and number 11 in the UK. The song is considered to be one of the greatest love songs, placing 92nd in VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Love Songs....
", "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me", "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You
How Am I Supposed to Live Without You
"How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" is a song originally recorded by Laura Branigan in 1983. The song was recorded later the same decade by its co-writer, Michael Bolton.-Background:...
", "Don't Worry", "We're All Alone
We're All Alone
"We're All Alone" is a song written by Boz Scaggs, who introduced it on his 1976 album Silk Degrees; in 1977, "We're All Alone" was a top-ten hit for Rita Coolidge in the US and the UK.-Early versions:...
", "Free To Love Again", "Maybe", "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)
He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)
"He Don't Love You " is the title of a popular song sung by Tony Orlando and Dawn that was a number-one song in the United States during the year 1975. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart on May 3, 1975, and remained there for three weeks.The song also went to #1 on the U.S...
", "How Long?", "Sweetest Secret", "Oxygen", "Angel In Your Eyes", "I Won't Run Out On You" and "Season's Change".
Newton's first two singles both went gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in 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...
. "Sky High" achieved gold sales in Australia in 1995, whilst "Sometimes When We Touch", hit number three on the Australian singles chart, and became Newton's second consecutive gold record in that country. "Sometimes When We Touch" gave Newton his first UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Top 40 success. He also had hits within the dance charts of many European and Asian territories. Newton toured South East Asia and had chart success in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. His songs were also popular radio hits in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
His singles were popular on radio in certain states within the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. DMA
DMA (magazine)
DMA was a monthly American Dance music publication that ran from 1993 to 2003. It originally ceased publishing due to a downturn of advertising revenue.- Background :...
magazine featured positive reviews of Newton's CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, Sweetest Secret and subsequent CD singles. Music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s for "Sometimes When We Touch", "Don't Worry" and "We're All Alone" were filmed 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...
, whilst the video for "Sky High" was filmed in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
As of 2008, Newton was back in the studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
, recording songs for an album due out in late 2011.