If you're an artist with a career spanning half a century, choosing which songs to include on your 50th anniversary album could be tricky.
But Marcia Hines took it all in her stride, as she tends to do. The no-nonsense ARIA Hall of Fame inductee knows what she wants and gets it done. Her work ethic and drive is part of the secret to her success.
The other part, of course, is her fantastic voice, which is as powerful as ever on new singles Last One Standing and Hard To Breathe, both written and recorded by Michael Fatkin.
Still Shining: The 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collection contains 20 of her career-defining tracks including Fire and Rain, From The Inside, You and Something's Missing (In My Life).
Hines has had the same manager throughout her five-decade career - Peter Rix - and he helped her to choose songs for the album.
"We've known each other so long that he's not really my manager, he's my brother, and you can argue with your brother, and argue we did," she says, laughing.
"But no matter what songs you pick, there's always going to be someone who will ask why you didn't pick their particular song. That's life."
Hines is enjoying a rare day off when she calls Weekender. She is always the one to make the call, and is prompt, efficient and friendly.
She's also extremely busy, having toured regional cities and towns as part of her Still Shining - 50th Anniversary Tour since July 1. The tour concludes in Albury on November 11.
"I'm also doing the auditions for Australian Idol and then I start in Grease The Musical in November, but yes, I'm touring right up until then," she says.
Hines is playing the role of Teen Angel in Grease The Musical alongside Annelise Hall (Sandy), Patti Newton (Miss Lynch), Jay Laga'aia (Vince Fontaine) and Joseph Spanti (Danny). It opens in Melbourne on December 31, and in Sydney in March.
And let's not forget her next album, The Gospel According to Marcia Hines, due for release on November 3, where she reconnects with her musical roots. From the age of 10, Hines spent her Sundays with her blind godmother, Florence James, visiting four churches in inner-city Boston where she was the leader of the church choirs.
The guidance and tutelage of her godmother in the art of singing propelled Hines to Australia, and the lead role in Hair, at the age of 16.
"This album represents a coming home for me," Hines says.
"My childhood life in Boston accompanying my godmother to church on Sunday mornings gave me joy and happiness. That same joy and happiness surrounds every song, old and new, that I've chosen for this album."
Hines was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2007 and received the Order of Australia (AM) in 2009 for her services to the Australian entertainment industry as a performer, judge and mentor, and to the community through a range of charitable organisations.
Since 2015 she has starred in the circus/burlesque/discotheque spectacular Velvet, which morphed into Velvet Rewired. She also starred in Pigalle for the Sydney Festival, in Saturday Night Fever at Sydney's Lyric Theatre, and in 2020 became The Dragon in the Australian premiere of Shrek The Musical.
Hines has 22 albums to her name, and has sold more than 2.6 million copies worldwide.
"I have to admit that the release of Still Shining was as exciting as the release of my very first album," she says.
"Honestly, some things never get old ... it's an honour to still be releasing music and playing to live audiences around the country."
