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THIS LUCKY AMERICAN GAL STILL HAS THE JUICE!

by Ernie Thomas

     "I'm really not too sure," said Judy Kay Newton of how she got her
childhood nickname, "Juice," but it has stuck with her like glue throughout
the years.

    A native of New Jersey, Juice Newton always banked heavily on her talent
and her "never say die" attitude. Thrusting herself into the national
spotlight, eventually her determination and grit paid off by landing her high
atop both the country and pop charts.

     "I have a sense of reality and a good sense of humor; but don't push me
in a corner, because I do bite. Toughness," she says, "is a necessary part
of being in the music business...if you want to succeed that is."

     Raised as a Navy brat, Newton explained she began performing at age 13
as a means of meeting new people. "We lived in a military atmosphere and
there were a lot of students and transients," she said. "Music was the best
way to break the ice."

    She began doing acoustic folk music, but soon turned to country music
when it seemed to offer more steady work.

     "I was never even exposed to country music as a kid," she said. "But
club owners would say, 'You have an accent, you must be a country singer.'
And I'd say, 'No, but does that mean I'd have the job?'   If that's what they
wanted, that's what I'd be. So I'd go buy some Patsy Cline and Brenda Lee
records and learn the songs. And I found I had a knack for it."

    She blazed the trail that today's country/pop divas like Shania Twain,
Faith Hill and LeAnn Rimes have followed to crossover stardom. Like them,
Newton always managed to straddle the fence between being sexy and innocent.

    With her bright sequined mini-dresses and her parade of colorful guitars
- red, black, white and pink - Newton accomplished this with such finesse
that it was almost an art form in itself.

     She could transform in an instant, from a demure ballad crooning "girl
next door type" to a roots rocker with the high-kickin sexuality of a female
Elvis Presley."

     A self-taught guitarist, Newton kicked around in night clubs for a few
years with her band Silver Spur and on the strength of her live gigs managed
to land a record contract with RCA in 1975.

     "The band had no manager, a non-'aggressive' producer and it was hard to
get together a plan of action," she reflected on that time of her career.
    Sadly, without a plan of attack and no focus her recordings went
virtually unnoticed until her cover of Merrillee Rush's 1968 hit, "Angel of
the Morning," landed on the charts in 1981 and shot her to stardom.

      Given that three separate "greatest hits" albums are currently listed
in her catalog, it's a cinch to figure out that Newton has never looked back.
Among her best known songs are - "Queen of Hearts," "The Sweetest Thing,"
"Hard On Me," "Shot Full of Love" and the Grammy Award winning, "Break It To
Be Gently."

     Aside from that win, Newton can boast of having had four Grammy
nominations. A good deal of other accolades have followed here over the
years s well. Among them are being named CMA's "New Female Vocalist of the
Year" and twice being honored as Billboard's "Album Artist of the Year." She
also was given a People's Choice Award as "Best Female Artist."

    Not a bad resume for the only musical person in a family of five, who use
to sneak out of her bedroom window at night as a teenager so as to strum the
cherished guitar her mother had given her in local clubs.

    "I got into music for the immense sense of personal joy I received from
putting a thought or emotion across to people. It's how I communicate best
and most comfortably," she explained.

    Her current itinerary shows the artist is doing a virtually non-stop
series of one-night stands in both Canada and the U.S.

   "I've had my share of success, in the sense of awards and honors, which
are great, and I'd love a few more," she mused, "but the fulfillment I get
personally -- from the music itself -- is the reason I can fly or drive to a
new town every night, get on stage, and love what I'm doing with my life."

      Newton is not only still touring with the vim and vigor of her youth,
but still recording music that can stand tall next to her past efforts.   She
is presently pushing her latest album, "American Girl."

    "I wanted that title (for the album) because, like America, this project
offers a lot to choose from, and like the changing role of American women in
business and society, I wanted to re-define the term. See, the American girl
isn't so predictable anymore."

    The new album was produced for the indie Renaissance label by Newton's
longtime musical partner and confidant, Otha Young, who has been performing
alongside Newton since they met in college and first assembled the Silver
Spur line up.

    The new album is home to her latest single, "They Never Made It To
Memphis," a feel good country tune written by Young and Newton about their
quest to see Elvis.   The album also features the artist's indelible take on
a previously unreleased Tom Petty tune called, "Keepin' Me Alive" and a cover
of the Buck Owens' number, "There Goes My Love."

     Of her constant touring, the mother of two (daughter Jessica is 13 and
son Tyler is 10) ponders aloud the frequently asked question, "Am I tired?
Yes! Am I complaining? No!," she sighs.   "I'm very blessed. I have a great
family, live in a great country and after many hits and misses, I'm having a
wonderful time in a career that I love."