Maureen McGovern

Maureen McGovern
McGovern in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Maureen Therese McGovern
Born	(1949-07-27) July 27, 1949 (age 67) Youngstown, Ohio, United States
Genres	Broadway, Pop
Occupation(s)	Singer, actress
Years active	1972–present
Labels	20th Century Fox, Columbia, Sterling
Website	www.maureenmcgovern.com
Notable instruments
Vocals, guitar

Maureen Therese McGovern (born July 27, 1949) is an American singer and Broadway actress, well known for her renditions of the songs "The Morning After" from the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure and "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno in 1974. And in 1979 for her #1 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart with Different Worlds, the theme song from the television series Angie.

McGovern was born in Youngstown, Ohio, United States, the daughter of James Terrence McGovern and Mary Rita (née Welsh). She has Irish ancestry. As a child, McGovern would listen to her father's singing quartet rehearse in their home. She was told by her elders that she began singing at the age of three, and would sometimes sing herself to sleep with things she heard on the radio. She decided at age eight that she wanted to be a professional singer. Her influences include Barbra Streisand and Dionne Warwick.

After graduating from Boardman High School in 1967, she worked as a secretary and performed part-time as a singer for a local folk band called Sweet Rain. Her singing caught the attention of Russ Regan (then head of 20th Century Records) in 1972 when he heard a demonstration she had recorded. At the time, Regan was searching for a singer to record "The Morning After" (the theme from The Poseidon Adventure) for release as a record. He hired McGovern sight unseen to record the song, which resulted in her contracting with 20th Century Records. After it won an Oscar for Best Original Song, "The Morning After" scored well on the popular music charts, reaching #1 during 1973. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in August 1973. Following the success of "The Morning After," she received a Grammy Award nomination in 1974 for 'Best New Artist'.