Jane Olivor

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Jane Olivor (born May 18, 1947) is a singer. In the 1970s, she was compared to figures like Barbra Streisand and to the chanteuse Édith Piaf.

Born as Linda Cohen to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, Olivor became known, notably among the gay community, for her interpretations of famous songs such as "Some Enchanted Evening" from the Broadway musical South Pacific and the Fleetwoods' 1959 hit "Come Softly to Me", often used as personal statements on venues at nightclubs, like Greenwich Village nightclub and Reno Sweeney's.

She became noticeable enough that Columbia Records signed her, with her debut album First Night released in 1976.

In September 1977 her second album, Chasing Rainbows was released. This album reached the Top 100 bestsellers, remaining in the charts for three months. Stay the Night would follow in the spring of 1978, followed by The Best Side of Goodbye in the winter of 1980.

In between these two releases, Olivor found herself busy with concerts. She also toured with Johnny Mathis and sang with him the duet "The Last Time I Felt Like This", the theme from the 1978 film Same Time, Next Year, which she and Mathis sang at the televised Oscar ceremony.

Stage fright, nervousness at the sudden on rush of fame, and unfavorable experiences with the music industry caused Olivor to take a one-year hiatus from performing and the pressures of her too-fast fame. However, that hiatus extended to nearly ten years when her husband, very shortly after they married, was diagnosed with cancer. Olivor put her career on hold to care for him until his death in 1986.

In the meantime, she had disputes with Columbia Records over money. Olivor did not return to performing until 1993, when she discovered that, throughout her absence, her fanbase had remained loyal to her.

Gradually, Olivor became more active, and in 2000 her first album in many years, Love Decides, was released, followed in 2001 by Songs of the Season. In June 2004, Columbia Records released her greatest hits collection, titled The Best of Jane Olivor. It is a compilation of her best-known songs including the Academy Award-nominated song “The Last Time I Felt Like This” with Johnny Mathis. This is the first time this duet has been issued on a Jane Olivor CD

Jane Olivor is a staunch supporter of animal rights and often endorses the efforts of the Marin Humane Society.