Queen of pop Marcia Hines to celebrate 50-year career with Still Shining tour
National treasure Marcia Hines is set to prove she is “still shining” as she prepares to embark on a national tour celebrating her 50-year reign as Australia’s queen of pop.
Hines — who emigrated from the US to Australia 54 years ago — will kick off her Still Shining tour with shows early next month in Mandurah, Bunbury and Perth.
Through the years the now 70-year-old, who has become renowned for her iconic pop and soulful gospel-style music, has performed in shows including Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair, Shrek the Musical and Velvet.
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She is touring the country with the new stage production of Grease, which opened in Perth on Sunday night.
Hines also famously sat on the Australian Idol panel from its first iteration in 2003 through to 2010, before returning as the show’s most celebrated coach earlier this year.
“What’s 50 years, you know?” she told PerthNow.
“It’s been a blessing and it’s been a great career ... and I’m still able to create music and people want to see it which is just wonderful.”
Still Shining is Hines’ greatest hits compilation, from favourites such as Rolling Stones classic Jumpin’ Jack Flash and upbeat 1970s hit I’ve Got The Music In Me to songs she co-wrote herself, including Amazing and Heartache.
Audiences can also expect to be entertained by her covers of James Taylor’s Fire and Rain as well as Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself, the latter of which was also recorded by Dusty Springfield, Dionne Warwick and far more recently and oddly, American alternate rockers The White Stripes.
In 1976 Hines was voted Australia’s “queen of pop” and in 2007 was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
Marcia Hines is Still Shining. Credit: Iain Gillespie/The West Australian
In 2009 she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for her outstanding contribution to charity organisations and Australia’s music scene.
“With due respect, anyone who says that awards and accolades don’t matter haven’t gotten any,” she said.
“Life’s too short; you should do what you enjoy (and I) enjoy what I do and I’ve been very blessed to have good people around me who have helped me do what I do.
“It’s not just Marcia, there’s a huge machine that works behind me and I’m very grateful for them.”
The Still Shining tour has more than 30 shows scheduled over two months, including in Adelaide, Sydney, Cairns and Bendigo.
“It’s still great to be enjoying what I do for a living, it’s wonderful to make music,” she said.
“Most of the Still Shining tour is my back catalogue of what I’ve recorded, which is very good for me and very good for the audience.
“I hope people take away some good memories and have some good fun ... we all need joy and that’s what I hope we’ve created with Still Shining.”
More information about the Still Shining tour can be found at marciahines.com/still-shining-tour.