Petite blonde pop vocalist Bev Harrell was one of the most popular female solo singers in Australia in the late 1960's, beginning her career on radio when she was just six years old in the children's radio talent series 'Kangaroos On Parade' in her hometown of Adelaide, South Australia. She started performing as a pop vocalist as a hobby in 1965 while she was still at school, and appeared as a guest singer at Adelaide suburban dances with local bands such as The Harts and The Vibrants. In 1966 she joined Barrie McAskill as co-lead singer of the reformed The Clefs, which was led by Tweed Harris, but when The Clefs relocated to Melbourne later in the year Harrell decided to stay in Adelaide, and she was eventually spotted by promoter Ron Tremaine, who offered to become her manager, turning professional under his guidance. In the mid 60's she moved to Melbourne with her new manager and boyfriend Daryl Sambell, and she soon became a regular on television pop shows including Bandstand and Kommotion. After signing with EMI, her first single was a cover of 'What Am I Doing Here with You?' by Johnny Rivers, which was written by singer/songwriter P.F. Sloan, and when it was released in late 1966 it became a national Top Ten hit, charting in most cities in January 1967, and earning her the prestigious "Best Australian Female Vocal" award in the 1966 Australian Record Awards. Thanks to her hit single, Harrell's career took off, and she gained considerable exposure as a supporting artist on tours by international names including Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, Winifred Atwell, The Rolling Stones and Roy Orbison. Two more national Top 40 placings followed, with her second single being the Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil song 'Come On Over To Our Place', originally recorded by The Drifters in 1965, and re-titled 'Come On Over To My Place'.
June 1967's 'You Baby'/'You Are The Love Of My Life' didn't chart, but EMI still felt confident enough to release the EP 'Come On Over To Bev's Place', and her debut album 'This Is Bev' the same year. Moving to Columbia Records, her next single 'One In A Million'/'Give Me Time' fared significantly better, reaching the top 30 in most Australian cities, but unfortunately none of her subsequent singles made the charts, although they were all fine songs. In 1969 and 1970 Harrell was one of many Australian female entertainers who were sent to Vietnam to entertain Australian troops, along with colleagues such as Pat Kennedy and Anne and Sue Wills, and she also toured through Europe and Canada, where she had her own television special 'Two New' on Toronto TV. In January 1971 she released a single on Bell Records, with 'Back To The People' being written by fellow Antipodean Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, although according to Bee Gees expert Joseph Brennan, she didn't know the Gibbs and was simply offered the song by their publisher. Returning to Australia in 1972, she signed to RCA and issued three singles in 1972 and 1973, plus the album 'I Believe In Music' in 1974. Today she continues to work regularly on the musical stage and on the club and corporate circuit, and was awarded the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2006. This album collects together all of her non-album singles and b-sides from 1967 to 1971, as when she returned to Australia in 1972 she tended to go down the middle-of-the-road route for her singles, with covers of songs by Carly Simon and The Grass Roots, alongside the Christmassy 'Carols By Candlelight'. By limiting the album to just her 60's output I think it makes a nice 44-minute album, and shows that despite not being that well known outside her native Australia, she could hold her own against more well-known female singers of the time.
Track listing
01 You Really Didn't Mean It (b-side of 'What Am I Doing Here With You' 1967)
02 Walk Among The Stars (b-side of 'Run On The Run' 1968)
03 One In A Million (single 1968)
04 Give Me Time (b-side of 'One In A Million')
05 Mon Pere (single 1968)
06 At Times Like These, Mamma (b-side of 'Mon Pere')
07 One Way Ticket (single 1968)
08 I Am The World (b-side of 'One Way Ticket')
09 You'll Never Find A Love Like Mine (acetate 1968)
10 Everybody Needs Love (single 1969)
11 My Little One (b-side of 'Everybody Needs Love')
12 The Looking Glass (single 1970)
13 Yes I'm Ready (b-side of 'The Looking Glass')
14 Bringing Back Those Memories (single 1970)
15 Sing (b-side of 'Bringing Back Those Memories')
16 Back To The People (single 1971)
17 Travelling Easy (b-side of 'Back To The People')
