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John Travolta

Born in Englewood, NJ

John Travolta's Genre:

Contemporary Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Disco, Teen Idols, Film Score, R&B, Show/Musical, Vocal Music

Biography

During the latter half of the 1970s, John Travolta was the biggest star in Hollywood; after a string of hits in films, on television, and on the radio, he had emerged as a true cultural phenomenon, defining tastes in music and fashion while dominating innumerable column inches in newspapers, magazines, and gossip columns. Like so many other celebrities, Travolta's initial fame proved short-lived, and by the '80s, he was viewed by the media and the public alike largely as a relic of his era; unlike so many other celebrities, however, he resurfaced, Phoenix-like, the following decade, reestablishing his claims to film superstardom and staking out new territory as one of the most acclaimed actors in contemporary film.

Born February 18, 1954 in Englewood, New Jersey, he was the youngest of six children in an entertainment family: his father, Salvatore, was a former semi-pro football player and his mother, Helen, was an alumna of a radio vocal group called the Sunshine Sisters as well as a high-school drama teacher -- all but one of his siblings pursued show biz careers, as well. By the age of 12, Travolta himself had already joined an area actors' group, and was soon appearing in local musicals and dinner theater performances; he also took tap-dancing lessons from Gene Kelly's brother Fred. By age 16, he had dropped out of high school to take up acting full-time, relocating to Manhattan to make his off-Broadway debut in 1972 in Rain. A minor role in the touring company of the hit musical Grease followed, and in 1973, Travolta appeared opposite the Andrews Sisters in the Broadway musical Over Here! In 1975, he also made his film debut with a bit role in the horror picture The Devil's Rain.

In 1975, Travolta was cast in a television sitcom titled Welcome Back, Kotter; as Vinnie Barbarino, a dim-witted high-school Lothario, he shot to overnight superstardom, and quickly his face adorned T-shirts, lunch boxes, and the like. Before the first episode of the series even aired, he had also won a small role in Brian DePalma's 1976 classic Carrie, giving him inroads to the movie industry, and at the early peak of his Kotter success he even recorded a series of pop music LPs -- Can't Let Go, John Travolta, and Travolta Fever -- scoring a major hit with the single "Let Her In." Approached with a role in Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven, he was forced to reject the project in the face of a busy Kotter schedule, but in 1976 he was able to shoot a TV feature, director Randal Kleiser's The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, which won considerable critical acclaim. Diana Hyland, the actress who played Travolta's mother in the picture, also became his off-screen lover until her death from cancer in 1977.

In the wake of Hyland's death, Travolta's first major feature film, 1977's Saturday Night Fever, was released. A latter-day Rebel Without a Cause set against the backdrop of the New York City disco nightlife, it positioned Travolta as the most talked-about young star in Hollywood; in addition to earning his first Academy Award nomination, he also became an icon of the era, his white-suited visage and cocky, rhythmic strut enduring as defining images of late-'70s American culture. In 1978, he starred in Kleiser's film adaptation of Grease, this time essaying the lead role of '50s greaser Danny Zuko; its box office success was even greater than Saturday Night Fever's, becoming a perennial fan favorite and, like its predecessor, spawning a massively popular soundtrack LP. In light of his back-to-back successes, as well as the continued popularity of Welcome Back, Kotter -- on which he still occasionally appeared -- it seemed Travolta could do no wrong.

And then the bottom dropped out. Travolta's first misstep was 1978's Moment by Moment, a laughable May-December romance with Lily Tomlin; savaged by critics, the picture was a box office disaster, the first major failure of his career. Travolta then turned down the lead in Paul Schrader's hit American Gigolo -- a role which, like the one offered in Days of Heaven, was then awarded to Richard Gere -- to star in 1980's Urban Cowboy, which restored much of his financial luster. Starring Travolta as a Texas oil worker, the film and its accompanying smash soundtrack did for country music and ten-gallon hats what Saturday Night Fever did for disco and leisure suits, and resulted in such an influx of new country fans that Nashville's entire early-'80s period was later dubbed the "Urban Cowboy" era by music historians. The following year he starred in DePalma's under-recognized Blow Out, resulting in some of the best critical notices of his career but falling well short of box office expectations.

Travolta then rejected the lead in An Officer and a Gentleman (yet another role then eagerly accepted by Gere) to reprise the role of Tony Manero in the Saturday Night Fever sequel Staying Alive. Directed by Sylvester Stallone, the film was released in 1983 to respectable returns, but fell far short of its anticipated blockbuster status; Two of a Kind, released a few months later, reunited Travolta with his Grease co-star Olivia Newton-John, but again lightning failed to strike twice, and the movie soon disappeared from theaters. By now Travolta's career was on shaky ground, and after a two-year absence from the screen he returned in 1985's Perfect; when it too failed to live up to expectations, he was roundly dismissed as a flash in the pan and a has-been, and several years of poor career choices, bad advice, and missed opportunities were to follow. By 1988, Travolta had been missing from theaters for three years, and when the oft-delayed comedy The Experts finally surfaced in theaters in 1989, its disastrous showing seemed the final nail in his coffin.

Later that same year, however, the unheralded low-budget comedy Look Who's Talking was released; co-starring Travolta and Kirstie Alley, it was produced for some eight million dollars but went on to gross close to $150 million over the course of the following 12 months, later spawning a pair of sequels, 1990's Look Who's Talking Too and 1993's Look Who's Talking Now. However, both of Travolta's 1991 pictures, Eyes of an Angel and Shout, fared poorly, and as the Look Who's Talking series sputtered to a halt, he was again written off by the press. Then, in 1994, he made one of the most stunning comebacks in entertainment history by starring in Pulp Fiction, a lavishly acclaimed crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, a longtime Travolta fan who wrote the role of Vincent Vega specifically with the actor in mind. A critical as well as commercial smash, Pulp Fiction introduced Travolta to a new generation of moviegoers, and suddenly he was again a major star, with a second Academy Award nomination to prove it.

In the wake of Pulp Fiction, the resurrected Travolta became one of the hardest-working actors in Hollywood, and on Tarantino's advice he accepted the starring role in director Barry Sonnenfeld's 1995 Elmore Leonard adaptation Get Shorty; acclaimed by many critics as his finest performance to date, it was another major hit, and he followed it by appearing in the 1996 John Woo action tale Broken Arrow. Phenomenon was another smash that same summer, and by Christmas, Travolta was back in theaters as a disreputable angel in Michael. The following year he reunited with Woo in the highly successful thriller Face/Off, which he trailed with a supporting turn in Nick Cassavetes' She's So Lovely. After 1997's Mad City, Travolta began work on Primary Colors, Mike Nichols' political satire, portraying a charismatic, Bill Clinton-like U.S. president; an adaptation of the acclaimed book A Civil Action was to follow.

Travolta remained a box office draw until the second half of the 2000s, when he transitioned from leading man to smaller parts, such as acclaimed supporting roles in the 2007 musical Hairspray and Oliver Stone's 2012 thriller Savages. Also in 2012, he reunited with Olivia Newton-John for a cheerful holiday album called This Christmas. ~ Jason Ankeny

AOL Radio Stations John Travolta is Featured on (3)

Stormy Weather

When the hurricane rolls in and the power goes down, Slacker Radio is still there to provide the soundtrack to stormy weather. Whether you're working from home, hunkered down with someone special, or just bored out of your mind, this station will keep you company with our favorite storm-related songs. Stay inside, be safe, and enjoy Stormy Weather on Slacker Radio.

'70s Hits

The Seventies was both the first and last time 3 Dog Night, Marvin Gaye, KISS and John Denver could all co-exist on one radio station. '70s Hits on Slacker Radio makes every day a nice day with enough music to put guys in platform heels again and women in hot pants with Farrah hair.

John Travolta

This station plays the best music from and music from related artists like Olivia Newton-John, Bee Gees, David Cassidy, Andy Gibb, The Partridge Family, Shaun Cassidy, Barry Manilow, Carpenters, Donny Osmond, KC & the Sunshine Band and more.

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John Travolta's Selected Discography (8)

This Christmas

201213 Songs

Travolta Fever (Digitally Remastered)

2012 Essential Media Group LLC201221 Songs

John Travolta

2010 Essential Media Group LLC199410 Songs

Can't Let You Go

2010 Essential Media Group LLC197710 Songs

The Best of John Travolta [Varese] Album Cover

Artists Related to John Travolta (50)

	Olivia Newton-John	Olivia Newton-John skillfully made the transition from popular country-pop singer to popular mainstream soft rock singer, becoming one of the most successful vocalists of the '70s in the process.
	Bee Gees	No popular music act of the '60s, '70s, '80s, or '90s attracted a more varied audience than the Bee Gees.
	David Cassidy	Son of actors Evelyn Ward and Jack Cassidy, David Cassidy has had one of the most variety-filled careers in the entertainment industry.
	Andy Gibb	Once the Bee Gees experienced a career revival with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in 1977, the Gibb brothers' younger sibling Andy began his own solo career.
	The Partridge Family	The Partridge Family was the '70s successor to the Monkees. Both were totally fictional rock/pop "bands" produced by Screen Gems, the television branch of Columbia Pictures.
	Shaun Cassidy	A major teen idol of the late '70s, actor/singer Shaun Cassidy rocketed to fame both on the pop charts and on television, much as his half-brother David Cassidy had done earlier in the decade.
	Barry Manilow	In terms of record sales and career longevity, Barry Manilow is one of the most successful adult contemporary singers ever.
	Carpenters	With their light, airy melodies and meticulously crafted, clean arrangements, the Carpenters stood in direct contrast with the excessive, gaudy pop/rock of the '70s; yet they became one of the most popular artists of the decade, scoring 12 Top Ten hits, including three number one singles.
	Donny Osmond	Donny Osmond has been in show business from an age when most children are still becoming accustomed to getting on the school bus in the morning, and in a career that's spanned six decades, he's made a name for himself in nearly every field of contemporary entertainment, most notably music, but also theater, film, radio, and television, and shown that it's possible to grow and mature as a performer while holding on to the wholesome, family-friendly reputation that's always been part of his public persona.
	KC & the Sunshine Band	The Bee Gees may have been the undisputed disco kings of the late '70s, but KC & the Sunshine Band weren't far behind.
	Leif Garrett	Leif Garrett, with his tousled blonde hair, big trusting eyes, and sexy yet boyish good looks, set many a teen girl's heart to racing in the '70s.
	Captain & Tennille	Keyboardist/arranger "Captain" Daryl Dragon and his wife, singer/pianist Toni Tennille, scored a series of pop/rock hits in a light, romantic vein in the second half of the 1970s, the most successful of which was the first, "Love Will Keep Us Together.
	Bay City Rollers	The Bay City Rollers were a Scottish pop/rock band of the '70s with a strong following among teenage girls.
	The Osmonds	Following the breakout success of the Jackson 5 in 1970, it was practically inevitable that a pre-existing quintet of brothers, who had already enjoyed almost a decade in the national spotlight, would follow them to teen idol superstardom.
	ABBA	The most commercially successful pop group of the 1970s, the origins of the Swedish superstars ABBA dated back to 1966, when keyboardist and vocalist Benny Andersson, a onetime member of the popular beat outfit the Hep Stars, first teamed with guitarist and vocalist Bjorn Ulvaeus, the leader of the folk-rock unit the Hootenanny Singers.
	Cher	Cher has had three careers that place her indelibly in the public consciousness, and two have been in association with her then-husband, composer/producer/singer Salvatore "Sonny" Bono (February 16, 1935-January 8, 1998).
	Neil Diamond	In a career that began in the 1960s, Neil Diamond became a major recording artist, an internationally successful touring act, and a songwriter whose compositions produced hits for himself and others.
	Chicago	According to Billboard chart statistics, Chicago is second only to the Beach Boys as the most successful American rock band of all time, in terms of both albums and singles.
	Bread	Bread was one of the most popular pop groups of the early '70s, earning a string of well-crafted, melodic soft rock singles, all of which were written by keyboardist/vocalist David Gates.
	Rick Springfield	Although Rick Springfield's music was frequently dismissed as vapid teen idol fare, his best moments have actually withstood the test of time far better than most critics would ever have imagined, emerging as some of the best-crafted mainstream power pop of the 1980s.
	Neil Sedaka	Singer, songwriter, and pianist Neil Sedaka enjoyed two distinct periods of commercial success in two slightly different styles of pop music: first, as a teen pop star in the late '50s and early '60s, then as a singer of more mature pop/rock in the '70s.
	Helen Reddy	Helen Reddy began performing at the age of four in her native Australia; by the early 60s she had her own television series.
	Elton John	In terms of sales and lasting popularity, Elton John was the biggest pop superstar of the early '70s.
	The Beach Boys	Beginning their career as the most popular surf band in the nation, the Beach Boys finally emerged by 1966 as America's preeminent pop group, the only act able to challenge (for a brief time) the overarching success of the Beatles with both mainstream listeners and the critical community.
	Rex Smith	Rex Smith is perhaps best known as a late ‘70s/early ‘80s pin-up idol, who issued several albums for Columbia Records.
	The Brady Bunch	Besides hardcore fans, few know that everyone's favorite squeaky clean TV family of the early '70s, the Brady Bunch, issued several musical albums during the show's heyday.
	John Denver	One of the most popular recording artists of the 1970s, country-folk singer/songwriter John Denver's gentle, environmentally conscious music established him among the most beloved entertainers of his era; wholesome and clean-cut, his appeal extended to fans of all ages and backgrounds, and led to parallel careers as both an actor and a humanitarian.
	Elvis Presley	Elvis Presley may be the single most important figure in American 20th century popular music. Not necessarily the best, and certainly not the most consistent.
	David Soul	David Soul will always be remembered as half of television's hip '70s cop duo Starsky & Hutch, but he actually started his professional career as a folksinger.
	Leo Sayer	Leo Sayer (born Gerard Sayer) had a string of highly polished mainstream pop hits in the late '70s. Sayer began his musical career as the leader of the London-based Terraplane Blues Band in the late '60s.
	Bobby Sherman	Sporting a winning smile and fashionably shaggy hair, Bobby Sherman was a genuine teen idol during the late '60s and early '70s.
	Hall & Oates	From their first hit in 1974 through their heyday in the '80s, Daryl Hall and John Oates' smooth, catchy take on Philly soul brought them enormous commercial success -- including six number one singles and six platinum albums -- yet little critical success.
	The Village People	Part clever concept, part exaggerated camp act, the Village People were worldwide sensations during disco's heyday and keep reviving like the phoenix.
	Kenny Loggins	Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Kenny Loggins has enjoyed more than three decades of success in the music business, as a songwriter and performer, mostly in a soft rock vein.
	Linda Ronstadt	With roots in the Los Angeles country and folk-rock scenes, Linda Ronstadt became one of the most popular interpretive singers of the '70s, earning a string of platinum-selling albums and Top 40 singles.
	Cliff Richard	Britain's answer to Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard (born Harry Webb) dominated the pre-Beatles British pop scene in the late '50s and early '60s.
	Air Supply	With their heavily orchestrated, sweet ballads, the Australian soft rock group Air Supply became a staple of early-'80s radio, scoring a string of seven straight Top Five singles.
	The Monkees	"Hey hey, we are the Monkees/You know we love to please/A manufactured image/With no philosophies." In 1968, the Monkees addressed their own reputation in the song "Ditty Diego (War Chant)," which summed up the bad rap they'd received in the music press since they first emerged in the summer of 1966.
	Donna Summer	Donna Summer's title as the "Queen of Disco" wasn't mere hype -- she was one of the very few disco performers to enjoy a measure of career longevity, and her consistent chart success was rivaled in the disco world only by the Bee Gees.
	Eric Carmen	Eric Carmen has amassed an impressive amount of hit singles over his long career, whether it be as a member of the influential power pop outfit the Raspberries, as a solo artist, or as a songwriter for others.
	The Jackson 5	The Jackson 5 were one of the biggest phenomenons in pop music during the early '70s, and the last great group to come out of the Motown hitmaking machine before Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder shifted the label's focus to more individual visions.
	Dr. Hook	Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show's sardonic, country-flavored pop/rock made them one of the most fondly remembered acts of AM pop radio's heyday in the '70s.
	Carly Simon	Carly Simon was one of the most popular of the confessional singer/songwriters who emerged in the early '70s.
	B.J. Thomas	B.J. Thomas (born Billy Joe Thomas) straddled the line between pop/rock and country, achieving success in both genres in the late '60s and '70s.
	Sheena Easton	1980s pop diva Sheena Easton was born Sheena Shirley Orr in Bellshill, Scotland on April 27, 1959. Inspired to pursue a singing career after seeing Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were, she later attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama while moonlighting with the group Something Else.
	England Dan & John Ford Coley	The 1970s produced relatively little popular music displaying elegance and unassuming charm. Often identified by pop historians as the "me" decade, it was an era of tremendous self-indulgence -- in music and everywhere else -- marked most strikingly by open, almost frenzied sexual exploration.
	Frankie Valli	Pop singer Frankie Valli was permanently associated with the group for which he served as lead singer, the Four Seasons.
	America	A light folk-rock act of the early '70s, America had several Top Ten hits, including the number ones "A Horse with No Name" and "Sister Golden Hair.
	Rod Stewart	Over the course of his career, Rod Stewart has had it all. He's been lauded as the finest singer of his generation, he's written several songs that turned into modern standards, he sang with the Faces, who rivaled the Rolling Stones in their prime, he had massive commercial success.
	Paul McCartney	Out of all the former Beatles, Paul McCartney by far had the most successful solo career, maintaining a constant presence in the British and American charts during the '70s and '80s.