Ep 18: Jo Beth Taylor

She was one of Australia's most recognisable and popular personalities in the 1990s — and it all began with singing for Jo Beth Taylor. After starting out in her hometown of Perth on a local TV show, she was snapped up by Molly Meldrum for his label, Melodian Records, shortly after she relocated to Melbourne. Jo Beth tells us about getting eased into the music industry as a backing singer for Indecent Obsession, building a lifelong friendship with Debbie Gibson while on tour, and going to New York to work with Debbie and a who's who of music producers for her debut album, 99 Reasons. Jo Beth reveals the record company debates about what style of music she should record and discusses her first two singles, "99 Reasons" and "You Don't Own Me". Jo Beth's music then took a backseat to a blossoming TV presenting career, with only two further singles released, "A Prayer For Jane" and "I Love My Dog'. By 1997, her all-consuming work for Channel 9 took its toll and Jo Beth stepped away from the spotlight to attend to her mental health — a subject she reflects on when looking back at the ups and downs of her career in entertainment.

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