Marcia Elaine Hines was born on 20th July 1953 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Marcia was the youngest of the two children to Esmeralda and Eugene Hines who migrated from Jamaica to Boston after their marriage.

Marcia was only a few months old when her father died during an operation to remove schrapnel from a war wound. Marcia's mum, Esme, became the bread winner and the guiding force in Marcia's life along with her older brother Dwight. Throughout Marcia's childhood her brother, although only 2 years older, always remained her protector, role model and her hero. As a child, each Sunday Marcia would travel to 3 churches or more just to hear the gospel choirs. First she would accompany her mother who was a member of the Anglican church and when that service had ended she would assist her blind godmother Florence was an organist for the choir at the local Baptist church. Then Marcia would venture to the local Catholic church to hear more choral singing. Marcia developed her vocal skills as a very young choir member and was taught and strongly supported by her godmother. Marcia gained her singing debut at the age of nine at a church 'mother and daughter' function. Although singing remained Marcia's main interest as a child she also had a fascination with death and often would visit a local funeral home to see how the bodies were prepared for viewing. She wanted to be a mortitian when she grew up but upon recognising a deceased young friend who had been killed in a bike accident Marcia soon changed her mind about mortuaries. Into her early teens she was a sought after rhythm and blues singer fronting groups in her local area, as well as performing for her church when required. When Marcia was thirteen she entered a talent quest under the stage name of "Shantee Renee" however everybody kept calling her Marcia Hines so her stage name quickly vanished. When she was fourteen she won a scholarship to the New England Conservatorium Of Music, but only lasted three months, much more interested "in the Rolling Stones than Traviata". A month after her sixteenth birthday her babysitter, well known to Marcia's mother, persuaded Esme to allow her to escort Marcia to the famous Woodstock Pop Festival. It was the Age of Aquarius and Marcia was a young hippie who tried an acid trip at a local music festival and spent an afternoon in LSD bliss and euphoria however she didn't like the fact that she could not control the effect and steared clear of futher heavy drugs. It was the age of free love and as with any teenager Marcia felt the need to lose her virginity. She met a young singer / musician Phillip Gibson with who Marcia had a single sexual rendevour. She felt relieved and beleived that she could put the virgin label behind her and at last just get on with her life. When Marcia was a tender 16 year old, it was the age of the musical 'Hair' with productions of the hit "rock musical" being mounted all around the world. What the rest of the world didn't have at the time was a huge supply of homegrown black female singers, a necessary commodity for a staging of 'Hair'. Back in Boston Marcia's close friend, Linda Gaines, told her how her sister Donna Summer had gone to Germany to appear in their 'Hair', and suggested that Marcia might do the same. When Marcia auditioned for Harry M Miller's Australian 'Hair' she half-imagined she was going to Austria! Marcia: "I remember it vividly, auditions are horrible. My friend Linda was standing behind a curtain, pulling faces at me the whole time. Looking back, it was the best thing because it lightened up the whole nerve racking situation". Marcia won the audition and with Esme's permission travelled to Australia in April 1970. Marcia: "Australia was nothing like I thought . . . and there weren't that many black people here . . . I'd gone to white schools, so I was kind of used to being stared at and pointed at, but some of the kids truly freaked out and had to be sent back home. It was a pretty amazing play and it was a pretty amazing time and it was a time for people to share. And we all shared." As Marcia was still legally a minor under Massachusetts law, Harry M Miller was appointed her guardian whilst she toured abroad. At that time Harry did not know that Marcia was already pregnant. Marcia was not aware that she was pregnant until one day during rehersals she felt the baby kick and suddenly the penny dropped. Marcia: "If I knew I was pregnant I would never have come here. I would have stayed home".Marcia joined the cast of Hair in April 1970, and immediately won praise from audiences and critics alike with her powerful and soulful vocal performances. She stayed in the show right up to the time her baby was born on 4 September 1970, and returned to work immediately afterwards. Marcia named her baby daughter Dohnyale, or Deni for short, in honour of her friend and fellow Hair cast member Denni Gordon who was another black american imported for the Hair cast and they were both the youngest of the cast. Denni and her partner were still celebrating the birth to their daughter a month earlier. Another of Marcia's dearest friends also from the cast of Hair was Teddy Williams who was funny, outgoing and openly gay. Teddy was such a special friend to Marcia that he was her support person in the delivery room. On Dohnyale's arrival a nurse was heard to say to Teddy that the baby looked just like him. Both Marcia and Teddy both laughed as only they knew that he was not the baby's father. Marcia�s success in Hair led to her next major stage role, that of Mary Magdalene in the Harry M. Miller - Jim Sharman production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Marcia was 19 years old when in 1973 she took over from Michelle Fawdon, becoming the first black singer anywhere in the world to play this role. When that show ended in February 1974 Marcia the lady, a total show stopper in her role as Mary Magdelene, had her first opportunity to relax and look around her adopted country.

Soon after Marcia signed on as singer with the jazz-orchestra the Daly-Wilson Big Band as its front line vocalist and four record breaking club tours have put this lady into a position of enormous respect and recognition as the unquestionable "First Lady Of Song". During this time Marcia toured Australia, the USA, where they performed at a White House recital as well as supporting B.B. King and Wilson Pickett in Las Vegas. The band also undertook a ground-breaking month-long tour of the Soviet Union, which was filmed for a documentary. A critic of the time write of Marcia... "Her vocals gave the feeling of restrained, elegant black soul. The ability to move from the sheer joy of the Stephen Stills song "Love The One You're With" to the emotional torment that is the legend of her first single, James Taylor's Fire and Rain. This Lady is a very special person, she rightfully claims the position of First Lady and there is no-one to disclaim that title. Although other black performers came to Australia before and after (e.g. Chelsea Brown, Delilah) Marcia was without question the first black American performer to become a bona fide star in this country, and certainly there was no-one quite like her on the Australian music scene when she first arrived in 1970." Marcia: "I looked different with this huge Afro and hippy clothes, but I thought, if they want to stare well here I am. You don't look at somebody you don't like. In Boston we were different because my family was Jamaican, not Afro American, and I attended an all white school. But I was raised as an individual not as a black person. Australia was nothing like I thought . . . and there weren't that many black people here . . . I'd gone to white schools, so I was kind of used to being stared at and pointed at, but some of the kids truly freaked out and had to be sent back home. "Hair" was a pretty amazing play and it was a pretty amazing time and it was a time for people to share. And we all shared." Many Australians, and especially Australian musicians, were passionately interested in R&B; and soul music, and acts like Max Merritt, Doug Parkinson, The Groove and The Groop had championed the genre in the face of continuing disinterest from commercial radio. There was a degree of �novelty value� (at first), and Marcia�s ethnic heritage and her musical background proved to be an asset in a country where audiences had had very little exposure to authentic American gospel, R&B; and soul: Marcia: "I've never deluded myself about that. A lot of the reason behind my success was that I was a black singer who came along at a time that was pretty unusual. We played on that. We always made sure I stood out from the crowd as much as possible." In 1974 Marcia signed a solo recording deal with Wizard Records (run by the former Rob EG, Robbie Porter), which meant an entirely new audience and an entirely new world for the lady to capture. Her debut single set the stage for her extraordinary success through the latter half of the �70s and the early �80s. Her version of James Taylor�s Fire and Rain (#9 in May 1975) was a Top Ten hit and was backed by a superb cover of Bill Withers' You produced by Robbie. From the moment she sang that song in a single spotlight sitting on a stool on 'Countdown', where she became a regular guest, the record's fate was assured. The song as sung by Marcia Hines was going to be a hit record. The single reached the top twenty nationally, but more importantly, the follow-up album Marcia Shines went on to top the 50,000 copies sold mark. To support Marcia on tour, she put together a band that consisted of the cream of Australian rock musicians, including Stephen Housden (guitar), Frank Esler-Smith (keyboards), Tony Hedges (keyboards), Warren Ford (keyboards), Mike Cleary (trumpet), Mike Bukovsky (trumpet), Richard Gawned (tenor sax, flute), Steve Parkinson (baritone sax, flute), Monalisa and Terry Young (backing vocals), Jackie Orszaczky (musical director) and Mark Kennedy (drums). Marcia and Mark were engaged for several years however Marcia never seemed to be lucky in love and the pair parted ways. Her second single From the Inside (Nov 1975) did even better, reaching #8 nationally, and it was bolstered by the enormous success of her debut album Marcia Shines (#10 in Nov 1975). She was presented with a Platinum Album by Wizard Records as it sold in excess of 50,000 copies on release, which at the time of presentation was the highest sales ever achieved by a female vocalist in Australia. The album finally went Triple Platinum (150,000 albums sold) making Marcia the first Australian female performer ever to earn a platinum disc and the first to female artist to have a triple platinum selling album. Her third single, Don't Let the Grass Grow was released in May 1976 on the newly created Miracle imprint. Strangely, after the enormous susccess of her earlier releases, it did not chart, a curious pattern which was repeated over the next few years as her singles either scaled the highest reaches of the charts, or mysteriously failed to chart at all. But she bounced back to score a third major hit with a cover of the Dusty Springfield�s classic hit I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself, which reached #3 in September. Her fifth single, Until Your Love Broke Through (December) again didn�t chart but her second album Shining, recorded in Los Angeles, was another smash hit, reaching #4 in December 1976. Released on Porter�s new Miracle imprint, it too went triple-platinum and sold over 150,000 copies. It included the title track, written by Robie Porter, Love Is The Key by Wizard labelmate Rick Springfield, and covers of I Got The Music In Me and Stevie Wonder�s Signed, Sealed Delivered. As Marcia toured nationally on her Shining Tour '76, supported by the cream of Australian musicians (including Mark Kennedy, Jackie Orszaczky, Stephen Housden, Sunil De Silver) 'Shining' topped the 150,000 sales figure. Marcia toured solidly through 1976-77, cementing her recording success with sell-out shows around the country, and winning the Australian �Queen of Pop� award in both years. Marcia's next single What I Did for Love (co-written by Marvin Hamlish) shot to #7 in June 1977, her third LP Ladies and Gentlemen ... Marcia Hines reached #5 in September and Marcia ended the year on a career peak when her signature tune You was released as the A-side of her next single, and it was this track which at last snagged her the coveted national #1 in November.

The double album Live Across Australia was released early in the 1978 and was another huge hit, reaching #6 in March and again selling more than 100,000 copies. She scored another Top 20 hit with her next single Music is My Life (#19 in April). It was followed by Imagination (June), backed by another of Marcia�s signature tunes, Shining, which was co-written by Robie Porter. Again, neither it nor her next single Let the Music Play (October) made the charts. During 1978, as well as picking up her third consecutive �Queen of Pop� crown, Marcia achieved another career peak when she was chosen to host her own ABC-TV series MARCIA HINES MUSIC, which was a great success and was picked up for a second season in 1979. In retrospect, the series probably tried to be too sophisticated and left Marcia's pop career with an identity crisis not helped by a forced two year recording hiatus. She also reprised her role of Mary Magdalene in the Sydney club circuit revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, but she was forced to miss several performances due to throat and respiratory problems. Between December 1975 and January 1980, Marcia achieved five Top 10 singles and between 1977 and 1978, Marcia became Australia's No. 1 local selling act and No. 1 concert attraction for four consecutive years (1976-1979). Marcia bounced back into the charts again in 1979 with another major hit, a cover of Something's Missing (In My Life), originally recorded in 1967 by Chicago teenage soul group The Five Stairsteps (who were direct precursors to the Jacksons). It went to #10 in April, backed by Moments, written by Rick Springfield, who also played guitar on the track. Her fifth album Ooh Child was another major chart success and reached #15 in June; it was followed by the singles Dance You Fool, Dance (Live) in August and another Bacharach-David song, Where Did We Go Wrong?, in November. In retrospect, the title of this, her last Miracle single, was apposite -- by this time her relationship with Porter and her label had apparently deteriorated beyond repair, and Marcia now had to endure a two-year hiatus in her recording career while she waited for her Wizard contract to expire (just as Ross Wilson had been obliged to do in 1975-77 after his own falling out with Porter. In 1980 Marcia signed a new deal with the Midnight label, a subsidiary of WEA, beginning her long-running association with the Warner group. Her first Midnight single Your Love Still Brings Me to My Knees temporarily reversed the slide of her last two Miracle releases, providing her with another major hit (#10 in August 1981). It was followed by What a Bitch is Love (September), Take It From The Boys (February 1982), Jokers and Queens (a duet with her old Superstar comrade Jon English, June 1982), Love Sides (September), Heart Like A Radio (March 1983) and Shadow in the Night (November). Take It From The Boys was Marcia�s fifth studio album and her sixth LP, and it also sold strongly, reaching #16 nationally in October 1981. Marcia dedicated this ablum to the memory of her brother Dwight who had died in April 1981 leaving a giant void in Marcia's life. The album's impressive sales contrasted strongly with radio�s obvious lack of interest in her singles in 1982-83. Seizing the opportunity, Wizard cashed in by releasing the compilation album Greatest Hits Volume 1 which did even better business, reaching #2 in February 1982. The release of the Greatest Hits album gave Marcia the extraordinary distinction of being the first Australian female performer to release seven consecutive Top 20 albums. Marcia�s next LP Love Sides came out in May 1983 and it was followed by two singles, Love Side and Shadow in the Night but again neither of LP nor single charted, and these were to be her last pop recordings for many years. Incredibly, although still only in her early 30s, Marcia�s pop career had ground to a halt. So, rather than be relegated to the club circuit, she returned to theatre. Marcia: "I knew I could keep touring the clubs churning out the same old material but I didn't want that. I didn't want to become a nostalgic act." Late in the year she reprised her Mary Magdalene role in the Melbourne revival season of Jesus Christ Superstar. After the Superstar revival, Marcia continued her theatre work over the next couple of years with roles in the productions Big River, Are You Lonesome Tonight? and Jerry's Girls. But Marcia Hines� life and career changed irrevocably in 1986. After collapsing in her kitchen one day, she was rushed to hospital, where she was diagnosed with diabetes. Her treatment required a strict regime of daily insulin injections, exercise and careful monitoring of her diet. Marcia: "I was in hospital next to this girl who had had two major operations. She looked over to me and said, 'You know we could be really sick couldn't we?' and that brought me down to earth. I realised it wasn't a big deal. It's something that can be treated. I don't believe life dishes out more than you are able to deal with." Marcia withdrew from public performance and recording for almost a decade, concentrating on raising her daughter Deni and learning to manage her condition. Marcia has led what she calls a "charmed life". From the age of 4 she knew she wanted to sing. Marcia: "I was blessed with a very supportive family, they knew that if you have a teenager who knows what she wants to do with her life - let her do it. I never set out to be famous. In fact, I tell my students if they're after fame I can't help them but if they just have a burning passion to make music, I'll do all I can to help." In the years that followed Marcia Hines faded in and out of Australia's consciousness in line with her own personal needs (relationships, the onset and dealing diabetes), irregular concert and TV performances.

Finally in 1993 she returned to the stage with The Masters of Rhythm and Taste. The start of 1994 herald the beginning of a big year for Marcia because during this year she toured nationally in March for the first time in seven years, took up Australian Citizenship and signed a new contract with Warner Music, who released her first album in more than a decade, Right Here and Now and the singles Rain (Let the Children Play) (August 1994) and Give It All You've Got (October). Over the next few years she gradually revived her career with concert and TV appearances, and like many other performers of her era, she also discovered that the burgeoning corporate function circuit was now providing a lucrative new line of work. In 1998, Marcia hooked up with The Rockmelons (Bryon Jones and Ray Medhurst), with whom her daughter Deni had scored three hit singles as lead vocalist in 1992, and they oversaw the production of her new album, selecting songs and finding producers for each track. She travelled to the UK and the USA for the recording of the album, which was to take up much of the next two years. The first CD single from the sessions was a cover of the Irene Cara hit What a Feeling (from the 1980s hit movie FLASHDANCE). Released in November, it was accompanied by several dance/house mixes, and also featured a terrific new remixed version of I Got the Music in Me as a �B-side� track. By 1999 Marcia was teaching singing to a small group of private students between her own singing engagements and has a burning desire to one day open her own performance school. "I believe that stored knowledge is knowledge wasted", says Marcia. "You should share what you know." What Marcia knows is well worth Sharing. 1999 began with two major appearances in February. The first was at the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, where Marcia delivered a typically show-stopping performance, backed by gold-clad male dancers, and at the end of the performance Marcia expressed her appreciation for the support the gay community had shown her throughout her career. Also in February she gave another triumphant performance at the opening of the Sydney Olympic Stadium in front of 100,000 people, singing Patti LaBelle's Oh! People. In mid-1999 Marcia finally made it back on the charts for the first time since 1982, with her next single, the title track from her album, Time of Our Lives, which reached #31 in June. The single subsequently ranked #29 on the Top 100 most played tracks on Australian radio in 1999. She spent two years with the Rockmelons working 'Time Of Our Lives' with songs sourced from all over the world. Marcia is especially proud of her latest album, Time Of Our Lives. "I feel this is a world class album. It's the best album I have made in my life to this point and I feel I have been working towards it for my entire career." Although Marcia is a phenomenally successful recording artist, she still cites live stage performances as her forte. "I am not an extrovert in life but when I get onto a stage, the stage persona takes over" said Marcia. Marcia is especially fond of the New South Wales Central Coast. "I have spent a lot of time with friends there and at one stage, in the 80's, I almost bought property on the coast. But my mother, who lives with me, refused to leave Sydney." Marcia's family ties are obviously strong. She "can't help skiting" about her daughter Deni, who is a fine artist in her own right. "For a long time Deni veered away from a performance career", says Marcia. "She used to say 'no way' Mum - you work too hard. But then she started singing with a band and I am so proud to think that this is my child." The album Time of Our Lives, released in July 1999, took Marcia back into the charts again, reaching #17 in July. It included the track selected as the album�s third single, Making My Way one of two songs on the album penned by American songwriter Diane Warren, the author of mega-hits for Celine Dion and Aerosmith. To support the LP, Marcia embarked on a solid round of touring and corporate functions in mid 1999 which continued right through 2000 and 2001. Her version of The Lord�s Prayer appeared on the charity album, Spirit of Christmas at the end of 1999. Her next single was Woo Me (January 2000) and during the year BMG released a compilation of her Wizard recordings entitled Queen of Pop. A highlight of the year (and indeed of her whole career) was undoubtedly the selection of her recording of Rise as the official song for the Australian Olympic team at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Marcia�s 2001 single I�ve Got To Believe was written and produced by leading Australian dance music producer Paulmac. In September 2001 Pan MacMillan published Marcia�s authorized biography, Diva, written by Karen Dewey, and to coincide with the book Warner Music released a career retrospective under the same title in October. Presumably encouraged by this renewed interest in Marcia�s music, BMG issued another compilation, the old Wizard Greatest Hits Vol.1 album, on CD.

From January to April 2002 Marcia starred in the lead role of Roxie Rochelle in the �70s-themed musical Oh! What A Night and she also featured with Paulmac (winner of the �Best Dance Artist� category) leading the chorus in the show-stopping finale performance of his hit single Just Enough (For A Broken Heart) at the 2002 ARIA Awards. In May she toured with her own �70s revival show called "I Will Survive" and in September-October she wowed audiences around the country yet again with her brilliant performances in the acclaimed "Long Way To The Top" mega-tour. In late 2002 she was one of the acts selected to join the scaled down LWTTT regional tour, which toured the country during February-March 2003. Marcia was signed for a challenging role as a judge in Australian premiere of the reality television show "Australian Idol" with Network Ten. With all these great things happening Marcia faced her biggest personal set back, since loosing her beloved brother Dwyat all those years ago. Marcia's mother, Esmerald Hines, passed away in May 2003 leaving a big void in the lives of Marcia and Deni. June 2003 saw Marcia committed to the national tour with Australian Idol to select the cream of Australia's undiscovered stars of tomorrow. Marcia: "All I do is cry... When I hear a singer who is gifted it just seems to move me so deeply that I cry like a baby unashamedly. I've always known I was a performer and now having seen these fellow performers I so truly know it is a kind of "calling". The Centennial Park mansion that has been Marcia's home for almost 25 years now seems oversized, even for a DIVA. Since the loss of her mother Esme last year and with Deni on the move with her own life, Marcia finally makes the decision to follow her long time desire to move north and in Sep 2003 she sells her house. These days when Marcia is not touring she spends much time travelling between her new home in Newcastle and her other residence on Sydney's lower North Shore. Having left Warner Music, Marcia signed on with BMG and July 2004 saw Marcia return as a judge for the 2nd season of Australian Idol. 6th Sep 2004 sees the release of Marcia's next album "Hinesight - Songs From The Journey", a cover album of songs that have had special meaning to Marcia during her journey of life to place her where she is today. Marcia tries her hand at radio and in Aug 2004 she has a regular half hour segment each Monday morning with the Breakfast Crew on the syndicated MIX-FM network discussing all the latest Australian Idol updates as well as the realease of her upcoming new album.