Jewel Coburn
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2022}}
{{short description|Australian music publisher, singer, and former actress}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jewel Coburn
| image =
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| caption =
| birth_name = Jewel Evelyn Blanch
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1958|3|4|df=y}}
| birth_place = Glen Innes, New South Wales, Australia
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality =
| other_names =
| occupation = {{hlist|Music publisher|singer|actress}}
| years_active = 1962–present
| known_for =
| notable_works =
}}
Jewel Evelyn Coburn ({{née}} Blanch; born 4 March 1958) is an Australian music publisher, singer and former actress.
Biography
Jewel Coburn was born as Jewel Evelyn Blanch on 4 March 1958 in Glen Innes, New South Wales, to Berice Ida ({{nee}} Collins) and Arthur Ernest Blanch.{{cite book |last1= Atterton|first1=Margot |last2=Veitch|first2=Alan|date=1984 |title=The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Australian Showbiz |publisher=Sunshine Books |page=25 |isbn=0-86777-057-0}}{{cite web |url=https://www.elevenelevenmusicgroup.com/|title=Jewel Coburn|author=|website=Eleven Eleven Music Group|access-date=22 October 2020}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article191011348 |title=Blanch-Collins Wedding in Holy Trinity Church |newspaper=Glen Innes Examiner |location=NSW, Australia |date=17 February 1954 |access-date=14 January 2022 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia }} Both parents were established country music performers.{{cite web | url=http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com.au/Hands/Blanch_Berice.html | title=Hands of Fame: Berice Blanch (1998) | website=countrymusichalloffame.com.au | via=National Library of Australia | archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20190315191035/http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com.au/Hands/Blanch_Berice.html | archive-date=15 March 2019 | access-date=14 January 2022 | url-status=live }}{{cite web | url=http://www.tamworth.nsw.gov.au/tcc/cmf/press/archives/2001_01_24_b.htm | title=New Name Elevated to Roll of Renown | website=tamworth.nsw.gov.au | via=National Library of Australia | archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20010422133823/http://www.tamworth.nsw.gov.au/tcc/cmf/press/archives/2001_01_24_b.htm | archive-date=22 April 2001 | access-date=14 January 2022 | url-status=live }} The family were living on a farm, "Harmony Hill", {{convert|16|km|mi|0}} from Brisbane. Blanch appeared on Brisbane's Coca-Cola TV Show, singing and playing a ukulele, aged 3.{{cite web | url=https://www.countrymusichalloffame.com.au/Hands/Blanch_Jewel.html | title=Hands of Fame: Jewel Blanch (1979) | website=countrymusichalloffame.com.au | via=National Library of Australia | archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20190322001701/https://www.countrymusichalloffame.com.au/Hands/Blanch_Jewel.html | archive-date=22 March 2019 | access-date=15 January 2022 | url-status=live }} She recorded a novelty song "I Wanna Stay on Jumbo" in 1962 at the age of four, which was issued in March 1963.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104250709 |title=Pop Singer – – At Four |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=37 |issue=10,514 |date=19 April 1963 |access-date=14 January 2022 |page=12 |via=National Library of Australia }}{{cite book |last1= Blanch |first1=Berice |last2=Blanch |first2=Arthur |date=2004 |title=Wollun one: The story of the Blanch family |publisher=Tamworth Music |isbn=0957853629 }} During her childhood, Blanch and her parents toured as the Blanch Family or the Blanches.
She appeared on television programs in Australia and the United States, The Linkletter Show, The Barry Crocker Show and Junior Bandstand. At the age of 8, Blanch had a recording contract with EMI Records for four songs on its imprint, His Master's Voice. The family embarked on a fifteen-month tour of the United States from December 1963, during which time Blanch attended a Beverly Hills Unified School District.{{cite magazine |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44524317 |title=A little jewel of a singer |last=Boyan |first=Jenny |magazine=The Australian Women's Weekly |volume=34 |issue=35 |date=25 January 1967 |access-date=15 January 2022 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia }} They returned to Australia in 1965, but relocated to the US in 1968 where Blanch was signed to Capitol Records and worked with Al De Lory.
During the 1970s, Blanch became better known for her acting, working on American television programs, The Mod Squad, Bonanza, Lassie, Night Gallery, Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law and Jigsaw John.{{cite magazine |last=Hunter |first=Alan |date=18 August 1971 |title=Brisbane's Jewel sparkles in Hollywood |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/44800654 |magazine=The Australian Women's Weekly |access-date=22 October 2020 }}{{cite magazine |last=Eisenhuth |first=Susie |date=29 December 1976 |title=Even a TV ban could not dim Jewel |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/57839325 |magazine=The Australian Women's Weekly |access-date=22 October 2020 }} For secondary education she attended University High School, West Los Angeles and then Hollywood Professional School. The actress appeared in the films, Baffled! (1973), The Morning After (1974), and Against a Crooked Sky (1975).{{Citation | title=Against a Ccrooked Sky | publication-date=2011 | publisher=Duke Entertainment [distributor] | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/235197181 | access-date=15 January 2022 }} Blanch received critical praise for playing a visually impaired girl on the ABC Afterschool Special, Blind Sunday in 1976.{{cite news |last=O'Connor |first=John J |date=21 April 1976 |title=TV: Blind Sunday is a fine drama |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/04/21/archives/tv-blind-sunday-is-a-fine-drama.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=22 October 2020 }} She had a guest role as Abbie Singleton for six episodes of Australian soap The Young Doctors in 1977.
Blanch's singing career developed in the late 1970s and she was recognised as an emerging talent by publications such as Record World and Cashbox. She won Billboard's Country Music Award for Number One New Female Singles Artist in 1979.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}
Blanch's handprints were imprinted into the new Australian Country Music Hands of Fame monument in Tamworth, New South Wales in recognition of the success she had already achieved during her career.{{cite web |url=https://www.historyofcountrymusic.com.au/cmhands.html|title=Australian Country Music Hands of Fame|author= |website=History of Country Music in Australia|access-date=22 October 2020}}
Blanch went on to have further success as a country music performer, winning three Golden Guitars at the Country Music Awards of Australia.{{cite web|url=https://www.country.com.au/awards/past-award-winners|title=Past Golden Guitar winners|author=|website=Country Music Association of Australia|access-date=22 October 2020|archive-date=25 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025171148/https://country.com.au/awards/past-award-winners|url-status=dead}} In 1982, she was awarded Golden Guitars for Female Vocalist of the Year and for Album of the Year, for "The Lady and the Cowboy" which she had recorded with her father.{{cite news |author=|title=Country music award to Johnny Chester|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/126875743|work=The Canberra Times|date=1 February 1982|access-date=22 October 2020}} The following year, Blanch was again awarded the Golden Guitar for Female Vocalist of the Year.{{cite news|author=|title=Country music stars stay in their firmament|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/116446894|work=The Canberra Times|date=31 January 1983|access-date=22 October 2020}}
Upon marrying Barry Coburn in 1982, she returned to the United States in 1984 where the couple opened a music publishing company called Ten Ten Music Group. In 2012, Coburn co-founded the Eleven Eleven Music Group with Jason Morris.{{cite news|last=Freeman|first=Jon|date=23 March 2012|title=Publishing veterans Coburn and Morris launch new company|url=http://musicrow.com/2012/03/publishing-veterans-coburn-and-morris-launch-new-company|work=MusicRow|access-date=22 October 2020}} Coburn sold her share of the Ten Ten Music Group in 2014.{{cite news|last=Stephenson|first=Troy|date=17 December 2014|title=Coburn sells portion of Ten Ten Music to Nettwerk|url= https://musicrow.com/2014/12/coburn-sells-portion-of-ten-ten-music-to-nettwerk|work=MusicRow|access-date=22 October 2020}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|id=0087011|name=Jewel Blanch}}
- [https://www.billboard.com/music/jewel-blanch/chart-history Billboard Chart History: Jewel Blanch]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coburn, Jewel}}