Ask American Profile

Hayley Westenra, Ricky Nelson, Reba McEntire

I just heard a wonderful new version of the Joni Mitchell 1960s classic "Both Sides Now" on the radio. Who was the female singing it? Her voice was amazing.
—L. Burke, Bend, Ore.

That amazing voice belongs to international singing phenom Hayley Westenra, who topped the United Kingdom classical charts in 2003 with a debut CD that also became the biggest-selling album of all time in her homeland of New Zealand—when she was only 16. Westenra, now 18, also had a No. 1 smash in Japan with her version of "Amazing Grace" and has performed to rave reviews in New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Sydney (Australia) Opera House and Royal Albert Hall in London. Her version of "Both Sides Now" is on her most recent CD, Odyssey, and she’s touring the United States through February with the young international "classical crossover" quartet Il Divo.

Who was America’s first singing "teen idol"? Was it Elvis?
—A. Dover, Jupiter, Fla.

The term "teen idol" was first used by Life magazine in 1958 to refer to ... drumroll please ... Ricky Nelson. The fresh-faced, rockabilly-pop singing sensation shook up the radio airwaves for 15 years with hits such as "I’m Walkin’," "Hello Mary Lou," "Travelin’ Man" and "Garden Party." Fans around the world mourned his death in a plane crash, en route to a New Year’s Eve show in Dallas on Dec. 31, 1985. For more about the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, tune into PBS during the month of December (check local listings) for repeated telecasts of Ricky Nelson Sings, a new documentary commemorating the 20th anniversary of his death.

Reba Rules the Roost

Reba McEntire’s new, 35-song, two-disc compilation CD, Reba #1’s, is a celebration of a singing career that has included 33 No. 1 hits from 29 albums, countless music awards and thousands of performances. Yet the unassuming Oklahoman still can recall the thrill of hearing her very first hit, "Can’t Even Get the Blues," as she waited to get her broken-down tour bus repaired. "The left front wheel of our bus was about to fall off," she recalls. "There I was screaming in this greasy, old bus barn. That’s a feeling you’ll never forget. Mama was the first person I called." In addition to her first hit, other signature songs on the new CD, such as "Somebody Should Leave," "Little Rock," "Is There Life Out There" and "If You See Him, If You See Her," reveal why Reba’s been a leading lady of country music for more than 20 years. Two new tracks complete the set: "You’re Gonna Be" and the up-tempo "Love Needs A Holiday."

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