Marcia Hines has lived a remarkable life.
Born in Boston, she started her singing career in 1966 using the stage name "Shantee Renee".
"I thought that 'Marcia Hines' was a bit plain and bland," she explains. "I remember doing the gig and a girl spotted me and said, 'You're Shantee Renee' I said, 'No, I'm Marcia Hines.' And that was the end of that name."
It was Marcia's first showbiz lesson - you have to be true to yourself.
Marcia went to Woodstock in 1969, and a few months later she was on a plane headed for Australia - though she thought she was going to Austria. She also didn't know she was pregnant. She came to Australia on a six-month contract, and she's still here - 37 years later.
Marcia became a single mum in Australia at the age of 17. Twenty-one years later, she saw her daughter, Deni, become a star, first with the Rockmelons and then solo. Queen of Pop three times, Marcia has been married four times. And she has had hits in four decades. By mid-1975, Marcia had become Australia's biggest female star. She was recently asked if it was tough being a woman in the music business. She replied: "I never thought it was tough being a woman my whole life. I think it is as tough as you want it to be."
"Work with the difficulty, I say."
Australia's "First Lady Of Song" became known as a brilliant song interpreter. At the start of her career, she preferred to be a singer and not a songwriter. "I'm a great believer - know your limitations before someone tells you what they are," Marcia explains. "When someone asks if you can do something, say 'yeah', because you know you can," Marcia says. "I've been pushed and I've done stuff I never knew I could accomplish."
"I never wanted to be a one-hit wonder. Of course, I'm not sure if you can control that, but I did know that I wanted a career that spanned many years."
"It's easy to start something, but it's very difficult to sustain it."
Marcia has had a remarkable life - and she's still living it. As well as nurturing young talent on Australian Idol, Marcia continues to record and perform live. "I was brought up to work," she says simply. "When I'm not working, I'm not happy." And she adds: "The great thing about this industry is you never know what's around the corner."
In 2007, Marcia was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. "I'm just so happy to be inducted into the Austrian Hall," she joked, before adding: "I love Australia, but most importantly I'm so happy that I am an Australian."
