Australian-American singer Helen Reddy (1941–2020), often referred to as the "Queen of 70s Pop", recorded 18 studio albums, seven of which have achieved sales of 500,000 units in the US for which they were awarded Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.. One of those seven, I Am Woman, eventually went Platinum by reaching sales of one million copies, and her first compilation album, Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits, was awarded Double Platinum status in 1992 for hitting the two million sales mark.RIAA Gold and Platinum Search for titles by Helen Reddy The respective US and Canadian album charts in Billboard and RPM magazine each had appearances by 10 of these LPs during the 1970s.

Reddy's singles had the most success on what was then Billboards Easy Listening chart (later known as Adult Contemporary), where eight of her 24 entries reached number one.. Of those 24, 20 also made the Billboard Hot 100, with six of those hitting the top 10, including three ("I Am Woman", "Delta Dawn", and "Angie Baby") that reached number one.. Of those 20 Hot 100 entries, 19 were also Canadian pop hits in RPM, and four of them – the three number ones and her number three hit "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)" – earned Gold certification from the RIAA for the sales of one million copies that was the requirement for singles at that time.

Capitol years (1971–1980)

Capitol Records executive Artie Mogull sensed that a hit record could be made with the song "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from the 1970 musical Jesus Christ Superstar, and since Reddy's then-husband/manager, Jeff Wald, was tenacious in contacting him about getting Reddy her first recording session in the United States, he decided to give Reddy her big break. The success of the single led to a 1971 album of the same name and a 10-year stay with the label. That album included her first recording of "I Am Woman", which was only released as a single after being rerecorded for the 1972 film Stand Up and Be Counted.. The new recording became the first of her three songs to reach number one on the Hot 100 in addition to providing the title of her third album. It also reached number two Adult Contemporary in the US, as did its follow-up, "Peaceful", which got as high as number 12 pop.

The five consecutive studio LPs that Reddy recorded between 1973 and 1976 all achieved Gold certification and peaked in the top 20 slots on the album charts in both the US and Canada. The two singles from the first of those five, Long Hard Climb, both had impressive chart runs and achieved their own Gold certification a few months after release in the US. In addition to topping the US pop chart, the first of the two, "Delta Dawn", also made it to number one Adult Contemporary there, and the second, "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)", echoed that showing on the latter chart and got as high as number three on the Hot 100. Her first 1974 album, Love Song for Jeffrey, also had two AC number ones, "Keep on Singing" and "You and Me Against the World", that respectively peaked at 15 and 9 on the pop chart. Another two AC number ones came from her second 1974 release, Free and Easy. The first, "Angie Baby", also went to number one pop and achieved Gold certification, while the second, "Emotion", only reached number 22 on the Hot 100.

"Bluebird" was the lead single from her 1975 studio LP No Way to Treat a Lady and only peaked at number 5 Adult Contemporary and number 35 pop, but her next two singles from that album had better showings. "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady" was yet another AC number one and made it to number eight on the Hot 100, and "Somewhere in the Night" also did well (numbers two AC and 19 pop). Her last Gold album, 1976's Music, Music, included the last of her Adult Contemporary number ones, "I Can't Hear You No More", which had a lower pop chart showing than the previous two, at number 29. That album's second and final single, "Gladiola", was a number 10 AC hit but also became her first domestic single that failed to reach the Hot 100.

Her 1977 album Ear Candy not only ended her hot streak as it stalled at number 75 on ''Billboards ranking of the top 200 albums; it also became her last to appear there at all. The first song released from it as a single, "You're My World", became her last Hot 100 entry to make the top 40 and her last Adult Contemporary hit to make the top 10. Her final projects with the label included a concert album (Live in London) and studio efforts flavored by disco (Reddy) and rock (Take What You Find).

Post-Capitol years (1981–2020) Reddy switched to MCA Records in 1981 and recorded Play Me Out, which yielded "I Can't Say Goodbye to You", her last song to reach either of Billboard's pop or Adult Contemporary charts. When her 1983 follow-up LP Imagination failed to get any attention, she received a letter from MCA notifying her that she was being dropped from the label..

In 1990 Reddy recorded jazz interpretations of several of her hit songs along with new material for Feel So Young, a project she initially released herself that was later repackaged and retitled by other independent labels. 1998's Center Stage was her interpretation of some of her favorite songs from musicals, and her most recent studio effort was the holiday release The Best Christmas Ever in 2000.

Albums Studio albums Title Album detailsPeak chart positionsCertificationsAUSCANNZUKUSI Don't Know How to Love Him Released: 10 May 1971 Label: Capitol (ST-762)5140——100 RIAA: GoldHelen Reddy Released: 8 November 1971 Label: Capitol (ST-857)————167I Am Woman Released: 13 November 1972 Label: Capitol (ST-11068)107——14 AUS: Gold RIANZ: Gold RIAA: PlatinumLong Hard Climb Released: 23 July 1973 Label: Capitol (ST-11213)1614——8 AUS: Gold RIAA: Gold RIANZ: GoldLove Song for Jeffrey Released: 25 March 1974 Label: Capitol (SO-11284)206——11 RIAA: GoldFree and Easy Released: 22 October 1974 Label: Capitol (ST-11348)33916178 BPI: Silver RIAA: Gold RIANZ: GoldNo Way to Treat a Lady Released: July 1975 Label: Capitol (ST-11418)651313—11 RIAA: GoldMusic, Music Released: August 1976 Label: Capitol (ST-11547)—14——16 RIAA: GoldEar Candy Released: April 1977 Label: Capitol (SO-11640)—84——75We'll Sing in the Sunshine Released: July 1978 Label: Capitol (SO-11759)—————Reddy Released: July 1979 Label: Capitol (SO-11949)—97———Take What You Find Released: May 1980 Label: Capitol (SOO 12068)—————Play Me Out Released: October 1981 Label: MCA (MCA-5202)—————Imagination Released: February 1983 Label: MCA (MCAC 5376)—————Feel So Young Released: August 1990 Label: Prestige (CDSGP0124)—————Center Stage Released: September 1998 Label: Varèse Sarabande (VSD-5962)—————The Best Christmas Ever Released: July 2000 Label: Select Media Concepts (CD-1006)————— "—" denotes a title that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Live albums Title Album details Live in London Released: 1978 Label: Capitol (SKBO-11873)

Compilation albums Title Album detailsPeak chart positionsCertificationsAUSCANNZUKUS Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits Released: 1975 Label: Capitol (ST 23610)429155 ARIA: Gold BPI: Gold RIAA: 2× Platinum RIANZ: Gold No Way to Treat a Lady Released: 1984 Label: Capitol (4XL-9025) — — — — — The Best of Helen Reddy Released: 1984 Label: EMI (PLAY.260079) 29 — — — — Lust for Life Released: 1984 Label: EMI (PLB-72056) — — — — — Feel So Young – The Helen Reddy Collection Released: 1989 Label: Pickwick Music (PWKM 4072) — — — — — All-Time Greatest Hits Released: 1991 Label: Capitol (CDL-57400) — — — — — Basic: Original Hits Released: 1995 Label: Disky (BA 860932)————— When I Dream Released: 1996 Label: Varèse Sarabande (VSD-5683) Notes: songs from Play Me Out and Imagination (1981 & 1983)————— Love Songs Released: 1997 Label: EMI Gold (72438562362-2)————— I Am Woman: The Essential Helen Reddy Collection Released: September 1998 Label: Razor & Tie (7930182180-2)————— The Collection Released: 2000 Label: HMV Easy / EMI (72435294472-9)————— Absolutely the Best of Helen Reddy Released: 2003 Label: Varèse Sarabande————— Come with Me: The Rest of Helen Reddy Released: 2006 Label: Helen Reddy, Inc.————— The Woman I Am: The Definitive Collection Released: 2006 Label: Capitol (09463576132-0)————— Rarities from the Capitol Vaults Released: 2009 Label: Collectors' Choice (CCM 2014)————— "—" denotes a title that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles Title Year Peak chart positions AlbumAUSCANIREMEXNLD NZSABillboard magazine published the top 10 songs from these charts, but "Delta Dawn" peaked there at number 13. SWEUKUSUSAC"One Way Ticket" 1968 83——————————non-album single"I Don't Know How to Love Him" 197128——23——14—1312 I Don't Know How to Love Him"Crazy Love"6635———————518"No Sad Song"—51——29————6232 Helen Reddy"Summer of '71"1972—————16—————"I Am Woman"21———————12 I Am Woman"Peaceful" 19733612———————122"Delta Dawn"1 1———113——11 Long Hard Climb"Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)"15 ———4———31"Keep on Singing" 19742210 ———17———151 Love Song for Jeffrey"You and Me Against the World"559———————91"Angie Baby"1335——7——511 Free and Easy"Emotion" 1975—25———————221"Free and Easy"82————1—————"Bluebird"10051———40———355 No Way to Treat a Lady"Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady"942———12———81"Somewhere in the Night"—27———27———192"I Can't Hear You No More" b/w "Music Is My Life" 1976——36——————————————291 —Music, Music"Gladiola"——————————10"You're My World" 1977—13—4—————185 Ear Candy"The Happy Girls"/ b/w "Laissez Les Bontemps Rouler"——65———————————————57—14—"Candle on the Water"——————————27 Pete's Dragon soundtrack"We'll Sing in the Sunshine" 1978——————————12 We'll Sing in the Sunshine"Ready or Not"—70———————7328"Make Love to Me" 1979—57———————6041 Reddy"Let Me Be Your Woman"——————————43"Take What You Find" 1980——————————— Take What You Find"I Can't Say Goodbye to You" 1981——16—————438842 Play Me Out"Don't Tell Me Tonight"1983——————————— Imagination"Imagination"———————————"Voices That Care" 1991—————————116 non-album single"Surrender" 1998——————————— Center Stage "—" denotes a title that did not chart or was not released in that territory. The B-side, "Music Is My Life", was eventually listed on the Hot 100 alongside "I Can't Hear You No More" as a "tag along" to indicate that some radio stations were opting to play the flip side of the original hit that charted.. On "You're My World" producer Kim Fowley's website is a note that the song "was number one (#1) in Mexico (Billboard) in 1977," but in the 17 nonconsecutive weekly appearances that the song made during its chart run on Billboard'''s "Hits of the World" list of the top 10 songs in Mexico in the issues dated between 15 October 1977, and 8 April 1978, the highest position that the song achieved was number four.

Music videos Title Year Director "I Am Woman" 1972 unknown "Angie Baby" 1974 John D. Wilson "Imagination" 1983 Traci Wald Donat "Voices That Care" (Various) 1991 David S. Jackson

Notes

References

External links