Who is Juice Newton?
American singer-songwriter Judith Kay ‘Juice’ Newton was born in Lakehurst, New Jersey USA, on 18 February 1952, making Aquarius her zodiac sign. She’s popular for her pop and country music, and has been nominated for five Grammies, winning one for Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist in 1983; Juice has won various other awards, and several of her albums have been certified gold and platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Education and early life
Juice was raised in Virginia Beach by her mother and father who preferred to stay away from media, which is why Juice rarely speaks about them in public, but it’s known that her father was a US Navy officer.
Juice was 13 when her mother gifted her a guitar, and she became passionate about music during her teenage years, falling in love with both country and pop; Juice occasionally performed at First Colonial High School, from which she matriculated in 1970. Although focused on music, she was also into acting and playing sports with her peers during her time at First Colonial.
Juice continued her education at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California, from which she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 1973.
Career as a singer
Upon graduating, Juice and her former classmate Otha Young founded the folk rock ‘n’ roll band Juice Newton & Silver Spur together with Tom Kealey; Otha served as guitarist and songwriter, while Tom was on the drums.
They toured around Northern California for a year, mostly performing in bars, and were then signed to RCA Records; the band released two albums in 1975 and 1976, but their only charting song was “Love Is a Word”. They were thus dropped by RCA Records, and signed with Capitol Records in 1977, but released only one album under Capitol prior to disbanding.
Juice then chose to pursue a solo career, and was signed to Capitol; she provided backing vocals for three songs on the late American musician Robert Lawrence ‘Bob’ Welch Jr’s debut album, which was certified platinum by RIAA.
Juice’s debut single “It’s a Heartache” was released in November 1977 and became a hit, especially in Mexico where it was certified Gold; the song eventually peaked at #11 on the chart Hot 100 Pop Songs. In the following year, Juice legally changed her name to what it is today, as ‘Juice’ had been her nickname for many years.
Her first studio album, “Well Kept Secret” was released in 1978, but didn’t chart; she only gained recognition with her 1979 single “Let’s Keep it That Way”, which charted on Top 40 Country. Her second album “Take Heart” (often credited as her fifth because of her former band) was released on 17 September 1979 and spawned four charting singles, including “Lay Back In The Arms of Someone”, “You Fill My Life” and “Any Way That You Want Me”.
Her third album “Juice” followed in 1981 and spawned three top-10 singles: “The Sweetest Thing (I’ve Ever Known)”, “Queen of Hearts” and “Angel of the Morning”; the video for “Angel of the Morning” was the first country music video to be played on MTV, and 40th overall. It was the album “Juice” that made her popular in the US, as it sold over a million copies nationally and was certified triple platinum in Canada; in 1982, Juice was nominated for two Grammies for Best Female Vocalist.
Juice’s fourth album “Quiet Lies” was released in 1982 and sold close to a million copies, while it was certified platinum in Canada; the album’s single “Break It To Me Gently” topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart, while the singles “Love’s Been a Little Bit Hard on Me” and “Heart of the Night” also charted.
Juice’s final album under Capitol “Dirty Looks” was released in 1983, and she then once again signed with RCA and released her 1984 album “Can’t Wait All Night”. It was around this time that she transitioned from pop to pure country music, and her 1985 album “Old Flame” was her first country album; it was a success, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Albums chart.
Her following album “Emotion” was released in 1987, and spawned the hit single “Tell Me True”, which featured on the Top 10 chart;.
In 1989, Juice released her next album “Ain’t Gonna Cry”, but the year saw her dropped by RCA, and she thus took the following nine years to spend time with her family; she didn’t record new albums during this period, but did occasionally tour.
Her following solo studio album “The Trouble with Angels” was released in 1998, and was followed by “American Girl” in 1999, and her live album “Every Road Leads Back to You” in 2002, and studio album “American Girl Vol. II” followed in 2003.
Her 12-song Christmas album “The Gift of Christmas” came out on 15 November 2007, and her following album “Duets: Friends & Memories” came out on 26 October 2010.
Juice is yet to release a new album, while her two recent notable achievements have been her song “Angel of the Morning” being featured in the critically acclaimed 2016 movie “Deadpool” and the 2021 Oscar-winning thriller movie “Promising Young Woman”.
Love life and relationships
Juice met American polo star and coach Tom Goodspeed in 1983, when she stabled her horse at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center which he was managing; not many details have been disclosed about Tom, because he prefers to stay away from media.
The two married in a large ceremony in 1985, and Juice gave birth to their daughter Jessica and son Tyler; exact birthdates and today’s professions of her children haven’t been disclosed, as Juice and Tom wanted them to be able to lead normal lives.
The two eventually divorced, but neither has spoken about the date when the divorce was finalized.
Juice is yet to mention other men whom she’s maybe been with, she seems to be unattached as of May 2023, and has two children with her former husband Tom Goodspeed.
Interesting facts and hobbies
Although not an actress, Juice accepted an invitation to appear in the 1991 episode “Jackson and Hyde” of the adventure family fantasy series “Superboy”, and the 1995 drama movie “A Place to Grow”.
In the episode “The Saddle Club” of the series “Greener Pastures Part 2”, a poster of Juice can be seen on the wall.
Although she’s not active on Instagram, various users have posted close to 5,000 pictures and videos which feature Juice.
She’s a huge lover of animals, and horses are her favorites; her thoroughbred gelding Puppy was stabled at Los Angeles Equestrian Center in 1983. Juice is today a horse trader, and mostly deals in European horses.
She’s a huge fan of American actress Meryl Streep, and some of Juice’s favorite movies include “Postcards from the Edge”, “Prime” and “The Manchurian Candidate”.
Height, eyes and wealth
Juice’s age is 71. She has green eyes and brown hair, is 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall and weighs around 135lbs (61kgs).
Juice’s net worth’s been estimated at over $4 million, as of May 2023.