Marcia Elaine Hines AM (born July 20, 1953) is an American-born Australian singer and TV personality. Hines made her debut, at the age of 16, in the Australian production of the stage musical Hair and followed with the role of Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar.
She achieved her greatest commercial successes as a recording artist during the late 1970s with several hit singles, including cover versions of "Fire and Rain", "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself", "You" and "Something's Missing (In My Life)"; and her Top Ten albums Marcia Shines, Shining and Ladies and Gentlemen. until she returned with Right Here and Now in 1994, the same year she became an Australian citizen. She was the subject of the 2001 biography Diva: the life of Marcia Hines, which coincided with the release of the compilation album Diva. Hines was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame on July 18, 2007.
Hines is the mother of singer Deni Hines, with whom she performed on the duet single "Stomp!" (2006).
Early life
Hines was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Jamaican parents, Colin Powell, a former US secretary of state, was her cousin, as is the performer Grace Jones. She was raised with her older brother Dwight by their mother and began singing as a nine-year-old in her church choir. By her teens she was performing with groups in her local area and briefly used the stage-name Shantee Renee.
Career
1970–1974: Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar
At the age of 16, Hines was discovered by Australian entrepreneur Harry M. Miller and director Jim Sharman who were visiting the U.S. to audition African-American singers in preparation for the new season of the Australian stage production of Hair, which had already premiered in Sydney on 6 June 1969. Because she was underage, Miller was made her legal guardian. The show was a major success. Hines was well received and an Australian tour followed. Hines's vocals were on the cover songs "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?". Hines toured with Daly-Wilson Big Band from Australia to United States, supporting B. B. King and Wilson Pickett in Los Angeles, then to Europe and into Soviet Union for a month. Five Top Ten singles were released between 1976 and 1979, including her cover versions of Artie Wayne's "From the Inside", Burt Bacharach/Hal David's "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself", "What I Did for Love" (from A Chorus Line) and Karen Carpenter's "Something's Missing (in My Life)". The song, however, nearly didn't make it to Marcia. Robie Porter had put the song into his "don't use" pile. Mark Kennedy, her backing band's drummer (ex-Spectrum, Doug Parkinson in Focus, Ayers Rock), saw the sheet music in the studio and began arguing the songs' worth to Porter. Porter subsequently changed his mind about the song.<!-- Some references state Hines and Kennedy were engaged (not married) for several years --> In 1978 and 1979, Hines also had her own TV series, Marcia Hines Music on the ABC.
By November 1979, Hines had fallen out with Wizard Records' owner Robie Porter,|Marcia Hines|November 16, 2007
Hines combined with fellow Jesus Christ Superstar artist Jon English to release a duet single "Jokers & Queens" and an associated six-track mini-album Jokers and Queens in July 1982. The album reached No. 36 and the single peaked at number 62 on their respective charts. Hines returned to the stage with a performance in The Masters of Rhythm and Taste in 1993. – unable to provide criticism of any kind. Hines counters such criticism with: "Well, you know, I'm living it, if you get my drift, so the advice I give the kids is the advice I'm living." The success of the program has led to further interest in her as a recording artist, and in 2004 she released an album of cover versions, titled Hinesight – Songs from the Journey which featured a duet, with former Home and Away star Belinda Emmett, "Shower the People". In 2005, Hines released a remixed version of her earlier hit "You", followed in 2006 by Discothèque, an album containing her versions of disco classics, which peaked at number 6. From August 31, 2008, the sixth season of Australian Idol was broadcast, with Hines continuing as a judge, and she is the only judge to appear in every season of Australian Idol.
2010–present: continued success and return to Idol
thumb|right|Hines in 2014|212x212px
In October 2010, Hines released Marcia Sings Tapestry, a tribute to Carole King's 1971 album Tapestry; it peaked at number 16. In April 2014, Hines released her first album of original material in two decades, called Amazing. It spawned three singles and peaked at No. 27 in Australia. In 2015, Hines starred on stage in the disco musical Velvet, with performances at the Adelaide Fringe, Brisbane and Edinburgh. Velvet played at the Sydney Opera House from late 2015. In early 2015, Marcia Hines covered the song "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", specifically for the trailer of season two of The Real Housewives of Melbourne.
In January 2023, Hines returned to the Channel 7 reboot of Australian Idol, after the show's fourteen-year hiatus, as a judge in the top 50 rounds for three episodes while regular judge Meghan Trainor was in New York due to other commitments. In 2024, Hines rejoined Australian Idol as a main judge alongside returning judges Kyle Sandilands and Amy Shark, permanently replacing Trainor.
Later in 2023, Hines released two songs under the same singles package, which was titled Last One Standing. The two songs were called "Last One Standing" and "Hard to Breathe". These two songs then went on to feature in her brand new greatest hits album, Still Shining: The 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collection, which was officially released in July 2023, through ABC Music. The album was supported by an Australian tour from July to November 2023. On 25 August 2023, Hines released a cover of Bill Withers' "Lean On Me", which featured as the lead single for her forthcoming fifteenth studio album. The album's second single "Loves Me Like A Rock", was released on 13 October 2023. The album, which was titled The Gospel According to Marcia, was officially released on 3 November 2023. Hines has said that the inspiration for the album came when she performed several live shows titled The Gospel According to Marcia Hines alongside a rhythm section and a 12-member choir. These shows received positive reviews inspired Hines to record a gospel album. The Gospel According to Marcia did not reach the ARIA top 50, but peaked at number 15 on the ARIA Australian Artist chart and at number 2 on the Australian Independent Label Albums chart.
In 2025 Marcia appeared as a guest on Sean Micallef's Eve of Destruction on ABC TV. In the show, she revealed she is a collector of golliwogs.
Personal life
Hines has a daughter, Deni Hines, who was born in Australia on September 4, 1970. Hines had been performing in Hair since she was 16 years old. Hines has been married four times: French businessman Andre DeCarpentry, keyboard player Jamie McKinley, businessman Ghassan Bayni, and, in April 2005, she married Christopher Morrissey, whom she divorced in 2014. and was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes after collapsing at her home in 1986.
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| 1989
| "The Lords Prayer"
| Best Female Artist
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| 2000
| Time of Our Lives
| Best Adult Contemporary Album
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| 2007
| herself
| ARIA Hall of Fame
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| 2016
| Velvet
| Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album
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Australia Day Honours
On January 26, 2009, Hines was appointed as Member, Order of Australia "for service to the entertainment industry as a performer, judge and mentor, and to the community through a range of charitable organisations".
Australian Women in Music Awards
The Australian Women in Music Awards is an annual event that celebrates outstanding women in the Australian Music Industry who have made significant and lasting contributions in their chosen field. They commenced in 2018.
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| 2019
| Marcia Hines
| Lifetime Achievement Award
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King of Pop Awards
The King of Pop Awards were voted by the readers of TV Week. The King of Pop award started in 1967 and ran through to 1978.
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| 1976
| herself
| Queen of Pop
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| 1977
| herself
| Queen of Pop
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| 1978
| herself
| Queen of Pop
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Mo Awards
The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Marcia Hines won one award in that time.
(wins only)
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| 2004
| Marcia Hines
| Classic Rock Performer of the Year
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TV Week / Countdown Awards
Countdown was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974 to 1987, it presented music awards from 1979 to 1987, initially in conjunction with magazine TV Week. The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards.
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| 1979
| herself
| Most Popular Female Performer
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| 1981
| herself
| Most Popular Female Performer
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References
External links
- Marcia Hines at the National Film and Sound Archive
- Marcia Hines at Nostalgia Central