Sheena Easton -

Sheena Easton (born April 27, 1959) is a Scottish singer who premiered with four singles on EMI in 1980, followed by seven albums on the label between 1981 and 1987. A further round of titles appeared on MCA during the subsequent 10-year period.

She was born Sheena Shirley Orr in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland, on April 27, 1959, the youngest of six children (and the fourth girl) borne to Annie and steel labourer Alex Orr, who passed away when she was 10.

Sheena’s singing ambitions stemmed from her experience with the 1973 romantic-drama The Way We Were, where she felt overtaken by co-star Barbra Streisand’s delivery of the title-theme during the opening credits.

She earned a scholarship to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, where she majored in speech and drama. At night, she sang in a local club band called Something Else. In 1979, she married Sandi Easton. Though they divorced after eight months, she kept his surname.

That year, she auditioned for the BBC program The Big Time, which followed young hopefuls in their reach for success in various fields. Her episode, “Sheena Easton – Pop Singer,” It chronicles her initial forays into the music industry, where she sings for Lulu and Dusty Springfield, poses for photographers, and makes her first recording.

By the time her episode aired (7/2/80, Series 3, #3), she’d released her first two singles on EMI: “Modern Girl” b/w “Paradox” (Feb. 1980, #56) and “9 to 5” b/w “Moody (My Love),” released in May. After the show aired, “9 to 5” shot to No. 3 and “Modern Girl” climbed back up the charts, giving her two songs in the UK Top 10 at simultaneously.

In February 1981, EMI launched Easton in North America, where “9 to 5” was retitled “Morning Train (Nine to Five)” to avoid confusion with Dolly Parton’s then-current hit of the same name. It topped the US Billboard and Canadian RPM charts.

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