Julie Ann Felix (June 14, 1938 – March 22, 2020) was an American-British folk singer and recording artist who achieved success, particularly on British television, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She later performed and released albums on her own record label.

Early life and education

Felix was born in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

, to a father of Mexican and Native American origin and mother of English and Welsh ancestry. She graduated in 1956 from high school in

Westchester, Los Angeles Westchester is a neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles and the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is home to Los Angeles International Airport, Loyola Marymount University, Otis College of Art and Design ...

Career

Felix grew up in a musical household: her father was a professional

mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music dating back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, two ...

musician, and her mother was an amateur singer who loved the music of

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American Folk music, folk singer and actor with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his o ...

. Her father taught her to play

ukulele The ukulele ( ; ); also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancient guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and con ...

and then guitar, and she wrote her first song at the age of seven. After studying speech and drama at the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...

, Felix worked as a sports mistress at a school for disabled children. She began her music career by singing at night in coffee shops in her native Los Angeles, where she met a young

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (August 14, 1941 – January 18, 2023) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He first found fame as a member of the Byrds, with whom he helped pioneer the genres of folk rock and psychedelic music, psych ...

. After saving up $1000 from her job, she left the United States in June 1962 and travelled extensively around Europe for around two years, often playing in bars and coffee shops to earn extra money. It was during her stay on the Greek island of Hydra that she met

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

, who at this time had become part of the 'salon' that formed around expatriate Australian writers George Johnston and

Charmian Clift Charmian Clift (30 August 1923 – 8 July 1969) was an Australian writer. She was the second wife and literary collaborator of George Johnston. Early life Clift was born 30 August 1923 in Kiama, a coastal town 120 kilometres south of Sydney ...

. She arrived in the United Kingdom in 1964, and became the first solo folk performer signed to a major British record label when she gained a recording contract with

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

, for whom she recorded three solo albums. Her first major break was a headlining appearance at the

Fairfield Halls Fairfield Halls is an arts, entertainment and conference centre in Croydon, London, England, which opened in 1962 and contains a theatre and gallery, and a large concert hall regularly used for BBC television, radio and orchestral recordings. F ...

in Croydon in 1965, and later that year her first solo show gave her the distinction of being the first folksinger to fill the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

, and she was described by ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' as "Britain's First Lady of Folk". Her first major break in British television was an appearance on the

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ ...

TV show, which was so well-received that she was invited back to perform again the following week. Felix was also the first

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

ian ever to perform at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

. In 1966, on the way to the launch party for her debut album, Felix had a chance meeting with comedian

David Frost Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was an English television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ...

in the elevator of her Chelsea apartment building. Frost – who had recently been chosen as the host of a new BBC topical satire series – accompanied Felix to the launch, and was so impressed by her performance that he lobbied the BBC to include her as one of the two resident musical performers on his new BBC television programme ''

The Frost Report ''The Frost Report'' is a satirical television show hosted by David Frost. It introduced John Cleese, Ronnie Barker, and Ronnie Corbett to television, and launched the careers of other writers and performers. It premiered on BBC1 on 10 March 19 ...

'' (the other being American musical satirist

Tom Lehrer Thomas Andrew Lehrer (; born April 9, 1928) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, satirist, and mathematician, who later taught mathematics and musical theater. He recorded pithy and humorous, often Music and politics, political songs that ...

). Her appearances on the series brought her international recognition and made her a household name in the UK. In 1966, following the end of her deal with Decca, Felix signed a new contract with

Fontana Records Fontana Records is a record label that started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records. Fontana Distribution, an independent label distributor, takes its name from the label. History Fontana began in the 1950s as a subsidi ...

, a subsidiary of the Dutch-based

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...

label. She made six albums for Fontana between 1966 and 1969. Her first Fontana LP, ''Changes'', was a UK Top 40 hit, reaching no. 27, and the label also released two "tie-in" EPs of songs Felix performed on ''The Frost Report''. In 1967, with strong support from Frost (with whom she had a long-running romantic relationship), Felix was hired to host and perform in her own musical variety shows on

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...

, which ran from 1967 to 1970. Felix made two consecutive musical-variety shows for the BBC, both directed and produced by

Stanley Dorfman Stanley Dorfman (born 24 November 1927) is a South African-born British music television director, producer, and painter. He is known as the co-creator and original producer and director of the world's longest running music television series, '' ...

. The first was ''Once More With Felix''. The premiere episode was transmitted on December 9, 1967. It was the first BBC TV series made in colour, and one of the first British shows of that genre to be hosted by a female pop performer. (Dusty Springfield's show ''Dusty'', also produced and directed by Dorfman, had premiered 18 months earlier, in June 1966). In an interview promoting her 80th birthday concert in 2018, Felix recalled that the BBC gave her one of the first colour televisions in Britain at the time, and she recounted how her Chelsea flat was "packed" with friends and guests who came to watch the

Boxing Day Boxing Day, also called as Offering Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part ...

1967 premiere broadcast of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' ''

Magical Mystery Tour ''Magical Mystery Tour'' is a record by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double EP in the United Kingdom and an LP in the United States. It includes the soundtrack to the 1967 television film of the same title. The E ...

'' on her colour TV. Many notable musical guests featured on ''Once More with Felix'' and its successor ''The Julie Felix Show'', including

Manfred Mann Manfred Mann were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. They were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann (musician), Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The group had two l ...

, Dusty Springfield,

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, backing Little Richa ...

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray Davies, Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British ...

Tim Buckley Timothy Charles Buckley III (February 14, 1947 – June 29, 1975) was an American musician. He began his career based in folk rock, but subsequently experimented with genres such as psychedelia, jazz, the avant-garde, and funk paired with his ...

The Hollies The Hollies are an English rock and pop band formed in Manchester in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Singer Allan Clarke and ...

The Incredible String Band The Incredible String Band (sometimes abbreviated as ISB) were a British psychedelic folk band formed by Clive Palmer (musician), Clive Palmer, Robin Williamson and Mike Heron in Edinburgh in 1966. Following Palmer's early departure, Williamso ...

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...

, and

The Four Tops ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

, as well as comedians

Peter Cook Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English comedian, actor, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishmen ...

and

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British India, where he spent his ...

. She invited her old friend

to appear in 1968, marking his British TV debut, and

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

lead guitarist

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician and producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the Rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin. Page began his career as a studio session musician in Lo ...

gave a rare solo performance, playing "

White Summer "White Summer" is a guitar instrumental by English rock guitarist Jimmy Page. It is an adaptation of the Irish air “She Moves Through The Fair." Page initially recorded and performed it with the Yardbirds and later included it in many Led Zepp ...

" and "

Black Mountain Side "Black Mountain Side" is an instrumental by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, adapted, without credit, from Bert Jansch's original arrangement of the traditional Irish folk song "Down by Blackwaterside". It was recorded in October 1968 at Olym ...

". Felix also regularly performed with her guests; surviving segments from the show include her duetting with Cohen, singing and playing guitar with

on their song "Paintbox" and singing the

Tom Paxton Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is an American folk singer-songwriter whose career spans more than sixty years. In 2009, Paxton received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

song "Going to the Zoo", backed by

. The BBC subsequently wiped most of the master tapes of her shows, and only selected excerpts survive, which vary greatly in quality. Some of these can be viewed on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

. On May 1, 1967, Felix appeared on the German TV show ''

Beat-Club ''Beat-Club'' was a West German music programme that ran from September 1965 to December 1972. It was broadcast from Bremen, West Germany on ''Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen'', the national public TV channel of the ARD, and produced by one of its m ...

'', and in September 1968 at the International Essen Song Days. She performed at the

Isle of Wight Festival The Isle of Wight Festival is a British music festival which takes place annually in Newport, Isle of Wight, Newport on the Isle of Wight, England. It was originally a Counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture event held from 1968 to 1970. Th ...

in 1969. In 1968, Felix was caught in possession of

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...

, ''en route'' to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

. She was arrested, charged, and remanded on bail, and her public image suffered somewhat, although her TV show remained on the air. She was defended in court by

John Mortimer Sir John Clifford Mortimer (21 April 1923 – 16 January 2009) was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author. He is best known for short stories about a barrister named Horace Rumpole, adapted from episodes of the TV series '' R ...

, QC. In 1971, Felix travelled to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and performed at the Western Springs music festival. On 19 December that year she gave birth to her only child, a daughter, Tanit Alexandra Teresa Guadalupe, choosing to raise the child herself as a single mother. Felix would not discuss her child's father and never revealed his identity. She had two UK Singles Chart

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

in 1970, the first of several on the RAK label, produced by

Mickie Most Michael Peter Hayes (20 June 1938 – 30 May 2003), known as Mickie Most, was an English record producer behind acts such as the Animals, Herman's Hermits, the Nashville Teens, Donovan, Lulu, Suzi Quatro, Hot Chocolate, Arrows, Racey and t ...

. The first was with the song titled " If I Could (El Cóndor Pasa)", while the second, "Heaven Is Here", was written by

Errol Brown Errol Ainsworth Glenstor Brown MBE (born Lester Errol Brown; 12 November 1943 – 6 May 2015) was a British-Jamaican singer and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the soul and funk band Hot Chocolate. In 2004, Brown received the Ivor N ...

and

Tony Wilson Anthony Howard Wilson (20 February 1950 – 10 August 2007) was a British record label owner, radio and television presenter, nightclub manager and impresario, and a journalist for Granada Television, the BBC and Channel 4. As a co-founder ...

Hot Chocolate Hot Chocolate are a British soul band formed by Errol Brown and Tony Wilson. The group had at least one hit song every year on the UK Singles Chart from 1970 to 1984. Their hits include " You Sexy Thing", a UK number two which also made ...

Later life and death

Felix released 14 albums on various labels between 1972 and 2018; many were released by her own label, Remarkable Records, including the 1989 album ''Bright Shadows''. Felix relocated to Norway for several years in the late 1970s, but she grew disenchanted with the direction her career was taking and returned to her native California, where she took a break from music to study yoga and other spiritual practices. She resumed performing in the late 1980s, and returned to the UK, where she resided for the rest of her life. Social activism and charity work played a large role in Felix's life and career, and she performed on behalf of or was an activist for many causes. On March 24, 2008, she appeared on a

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

programme in which stars of ''The Frost Report'' gathered for a night celebrating the 40th anniversary of ''Frost Over England''; Felix sang "

Blowin' in the Wind "Blowin' in the Wind" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962. It was released as a single and included on his album '' The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' in 1963. It has been described as a protest song and poses a series of rhetorical questions about ...

". She appeared at the Wynd Theatre,

Melrose, Scottish Borders Melrose (, "bald moor") is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in the Scottish Borders, historically in Roxburghshire. It lies within the Eildon Area committee, committee area of Scottish Borders Council. History The original ...

, on an annual basis in the 2000s. After her return to the UK, Felix lived in

Chorleywood Chorleywood is a village and civil parish in the Three Rivers District, Hertfordshire, on the border with Buckinghamshire, approximately northwest of Charing Cross. The village is adjacent to the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Be ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

until her death, still recording and performing. In 2018, she celebrated her 80th birthday with a special concert at the Charing Cross Theatre, which featured guest appearances by

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...

, singer

Madeline Bell Madeline Bell (born July 23, 1942) is an American soul singer, who became famous as a performer in the UK during the 1960s and 1970s with pop group Blue Mink, having arrived from the United States in the gospel show '' Black Nativity'' in 1962 ...

and composer-arranger-musician John Cameron (famed for his collaborations with

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter and record producer. He emerged from the British folk scene in early 1965 and subsequently scored multiple international hit singles ...

and

). Julie Felix died on March 22, 2020, after a short illness.

Discography

Albums

* 1964 ''Julie Felix'' (

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

) including version of "

Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos) "Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)" is a protest song with lyrics by Woody Guthrie and music by Martin Hoffman detailing the 1948 Los Gatos DC-3 crash, January 28, 1948 crash of a plane near Los Gatos Creek (Fresno County, California), Los Gatos ...

" * 1965 ''2nd Album'' (Decca) * 1966 ''3rd Album'' (Decca) * 1966 ''Changes'' (

Fontana Fontana may refer to: Places Italy *Fontana Liri, comune in the Province of Frosinone *Fontanafredda, comune in the Province of Pordenone * Fontanarosa, comune in the Province of Avellino *Francavilla Fontana, comune in the Province of Brindisi ...

) – UK No. 27 * 1967 ''In Concert'' (World) * 1967 ''Flowers'' (Fontana) * 1968 ''This World Goes Round and Round'' (Fontana) * 1968 ''Julie Felix's World'' (Fontana) * 1969 ''Going to the Zoo'' (Fontana) * 1972 ''Clotho's Web'' ( RAK) * 1974 ''Lightning'' (

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

) * 1977 ''Hota Chocolata'' (Monte Rosa) * 1980 ''Colours in the Rain'' (Scranta) * 1982 ''Blowing in the Wind'' (Scranta/Dingle's) * 1987 ''Amazing Grace'' (Starburst) * 1989 ''Bright Shadows'' (Remarkable) * 1993 ''Branches in the Mist'' (Remarkable) * 1995 ''Windy Morning'' (Remarkable) * 1998 ''Fire – My Spirit'' (Remarkable) * 2002 ''Starry Eyed and Laughing: Songs by Bob Dylan'' (Remarkable) * 2008 ''Highway of Diamonds'' (Remarkable) * 2013 ''La Que Sabe (She Who Knows)'' (Remarkable) * 2018 ''Rock Me Goddess'' (Talking Elephant)

EPs

*1965 ''Sings Dylan & Guthrie'' (Decca) * 1966 ''Songs from the Frost Report'' (Fontana) * 1967 ''Songs from the Frost Report, Vol. 2'' (Fontana)

Singles

*1965 "Someday Soon" (Decca) * 1966 "I Can't Touch the Sun" (Fontana) * 1967 "Saturday Night" (Fontana) * 1967 "The Magic of the Playground" (Fontana) * 1968 " That's No Way to Say Goodbye" (Fontana) * 1970 " If I Could (El Cóndor Pasa)" (RAK) – UK No. 19 * 1970 "Heaven Is Here" (RAK) – UK No. 22 * 1971 "Snakeskin" (RAK) * 1971 "Moonlight" (RAK) * 1972 "Fire Water Earth and Air" (RAK) * 1974 "Lady With the Braid" (EMI) * 1974 "Finally Getting to Know One Another" (EMI) * 1974 "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" (EMI) * 1977 "Hota Chocolata" (Talent) * 1978 "Come Out" (Talent) * 1981 "Yoke (We Believe)" (Scranta) * 1981 "Dance With Me" (Scranta) * 1988 "The Sea and the Sky" (Remarkable) * 1992 "Woman" (Remarkable)

References

External links

*
Official website
(archived) *
Leonard Cohen on ''Julie Felix''
(1970) {{DEFAULTSORT:Felix, Julie 1938 births 2020 deaths American expatriates in England American women singers American folk singers Musicians from Santa Barbara, California Rak Records artists People from Chorleywood American folk guitarists American women guitarists American acoustic guitarists American women songwriters Songwriters from California American musicians of Mexican descent American people of Welsh descent Guitarists from California 21st-century American women