Dana Rosemary Scallon (bornRosemary Brown; 30 August 1950)^[1] known professionally asDana (/ˈdɑːnə/), is an Irish singer, songwriter and politician. While still a schoolgirl she won the1970 Eurovision Song Contest with "All Kinds of Everything". It became a worldwide million-seller and launched her music career.

Dana Rosemary Scallon
Scallon in 2004
Member of the European Parliament
In office 11 June 1999 – 11 June 2004
Constituency	Connacht–Ulster
Personal details
Born	Rosemary Brown (1950-08-30)30 August 1950 (age 74) Islington,London, England
Citizenship	Ireland United Kingdom United States
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Damien Scallon ​ (m. 1978)​
Children	4
Musical career
Also known as	Dana
Origin	Derry, Northern Ireland
Genres	Celtic folk pop Christian
Years active	1967–present
Labels	Rex Decca GTO Creole Warwick Fanfare Epic Heart Beat Lite Ritz Word DS Music Cherry Red FOD Records
Website	www.danaofficial.com

She entered politics in 1997, as Dana Rosemary Scallon, running unsuccessfully in theIrish presidential election, but later being elected as an MEP forConnacht–Ulster in 1999. Scallon was again an independent candidate in theIrish 2011 presidential election, but was eliminated on the first count. Scallon served as a politician as aMember of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2004.

Scallon was born Rosemary Brown inIslington,London, one of seven children.^[2] Her father Robert Brown worked as a porter at nearbyKing's Cross station, in addition to being a barber and trumpeter.^[2][3] Originally fromDerry,Northern Ireland, Robert moved his family to London to seek employment opportunities afterWorld War II.^[2] When Rosemary was five, she moved with her family to Derry, where she grew up in theCreggan housing estate andBogside.^[2][4]

At age six, Scallon won her first talent contest.^[5][2] Other children in her community nicknamed her "Dana" (Irish for bold or mischievous) because Scallon would practicejudo moves.^[6] Scallon later attendedThornhill College, a girls' Catholic school in Derry.^[7] When she was 14, Scallon worked a summer job at theBazooka chewing gum factory inEssex.^[3]

Shortly before turning 16 and with the help of teacher and music promoter Tony Johnston, Scallon signed with theDecca Records subsidiary labelRex Records.^[5][2] Performing as Dana, Scallon debuted with the single "Sixteen" written by Tony Johnston, while theB-side, "Little Girl Blue", was her own composition.^[5] Now studyingA-level music and English, she became popular in Dublin's cabaret and folk clubs at weekends, and was crowned Queen of Cabaret atClontarf Castle in 1968. Rex Records' secretary Phil Mitton suggested she audition for the Irish National Song Contest, due to take place in February 1969 – a victory would see her represent Ireland in theEurovision Song Contest. With mixed feelings due to nerves she made it through to the final in Dublin where she sang "Look Around" by Michael Reade, later released as her fourth single. Shown live on Irish television, Scallon came second toMuriel Day and "Wages of Love", also written by Reade.

In December 1969Tom McGrath, producer of the Irish National Song Contest, invited Scallon to try again next year, feeling that one of the entered songs, the ballad "All Kinds of Everything", would suit her. Her second attempt to win the Irish contest was a success. Then on Saturday 21 March 1970, the nineteen-year-old schoolgirl performed the song at the Eurovision finals held in theAmsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre, before an estimated viewing audience of two hundred million. Perched on a stool while wearing an embroidered white mini-dress, she was the last of twelve contestants to perform that night. After the voting had finished she was declared the winner with 32 points, beating the favourite, UK'sMary Hopkin, with 26 and Germany'sKatja Ebstein with 12. Spain'sJulio Iglesias came equal fourth withGuy Bonnet of France andHenri Dès of Switzerland. This wasIreland's first of a total of seven successes in the contest.

The winning song was composed by two Dublinprintworkers, Derry Lindsay and Jackie Smith. The single was produced by Ray Horricks and arranged byPhil Coulter. Released on 14 March, it shot to #1 in theIrish singles chart before the contest began and stayed there for nine weeks. It also spent two weeks at the top of theUK singles chart on18 and 25 April. It was also successful in Australia, Austria, Germany, Israel, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland and Yugoslavia. The song went on to sell more than two million units.

Scallon's debut albumAll Kinds of Everything, recorded atDecca Studios in West Hampstead, London, on the weekend of 25 April 1970, was released in June and included four tracks co-written by the singer, as well as a new recording of the album's title track. Her follow-up single was issued in September, butJerry Lordan's "I Will Follow You" failed to chart. The song that put an end to herone-hit wonder status was found on the albumBarry Ryan 3. "Who Put the Lights Out", written byPaul Ryan for his twin brother, was offered to her by their stepfatherHarold Davison, the business partner of her agent Dick Katz. Her version, cut withBarry Ryan's producer Bill Landis, proved a strong comeback vehicle reaching #5 in Ireland. In the UK it became a #14 hit on 13 March 1971. There then followed three years of unsuccessful singles broken only by the Irish chart showing of "Sunday Monday Tuesday", a #4 hit in December 1973. This lack of success caused her agent to recommend she join the former head ofBell RecordsDick Leahy on his new label,GTO Records.

She debuted on GTO with "Please Tell Him That I Said Hello", written by Mike Shepstone and Peter Dibbens. Within a month of its release in October 1974 it was #7 in Ireland. It took until the new year before making its UK chart debut in January. Boosted byTop of the Pops performances on 6 February and 13 March, it climbed to #8 on 15 March 1975. This UK success gave the track a resurgence of popularity in Ireland where it rose to #7 again, this time in February. She also recorded a German version of the song. "Spiel nicht mit mir und meinem Glück" was a #27 hit in that country the same year. Scallon made a number of foreign singles, such as "Wenn ein Mädchen verliebt ist" (German, 1971), "Tu Me Dis I Love You" (French, 1975), and a Japanese version of "It's Gonna be a Cold Cold Christmas" in 1976.

Her next single, "Are You Still Mad at Me", aGeoff Stephens/Roger Greenaway composition, missed the chart. They then wrote another song for her. "It's Gonna be a Cold Cold Christmas" was released four weeks prior to Christmas and gave her her second-highest UK chart position when it reached #4 on 27 December 1975. In Ireland it made #3, and the following year #12. At the end of the year Scallon collected two awards – Best Female Singer inBritain from theNME, and Best Female Singer from theTV Times. The success continued into 1976, with a cover ofEric Carmen's "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" becoming a UK #31 hit on 13 March. In September however, while promoting her new single, "Fairytale", she lost her voice. Her left vocal cord, which had beencauterized the year before, required urgent surgery to remove what turned out to be a non-malignant growth, as well as a small part of the cord itself. This caused some newspapers to report on the possibility that she might never sing again. Despite her inability to fully promote "Fairytale", a disco number written by Paul Greedus and produced byBarry Blue, it became a UK #13 hit on Christmas Day, and was also her biggest international success since "All Kinds of Everything". But having failed to regain her singing voice after the operation, she contacted Florence Wiese Norberg, a respected singing teacher. With her help she resumed live performances with a week-long engagement at Caesar's Palace in Luton in December 1977.

Barry Blue started work on her fifth album soon after finishing work onHeatwave'ssecond album, released in April 1978. Her final session at Utopia Studios in London ended two weeks before her wedding day in October. Issued in April 1979,The Girl is Back was the first LP she made that contained nocover versions, and the track that rocked the most, "Something's Cookin' in the Kitchen" by Dave Jordan, became its only UK hit single, reaching #44 on 14 April.^[8] A disappointing result after a marketing campaign that included a new look for Scallon, a music video, life-size posters in major cities, and retailers receiving bonusflexi discs. In Ireland it made #22.^[9] The album's title track was also released, followed by "I Can't Get Over Getting Over You", which she sang live onTop of the Pops in October, her final appearance on the show. The sad and reflective track "Thieves of Paris", written by Barry Blue andLynsey de Paul, has been rated^{[by whom?]} one of the "stand out tracks" on the album.^{[10][better source needed]} They also wrote her 1972 single, "Crossword Puzzle", a #2 hit in Thailand.^[11][12]

A new phase in her career began afterPope John Paul II came to Ireland in September 1979, inspiring her to write with her husband the Irish chart-topper, "Totus Tuus".^[13]

Outside her chart career, Scallon had remained a popular personality since her 1970 Eurovision win.^{[citation needed]} She had played the part of atinker girl inFlight of the Doves (1971), a children's adventure film starringRon Moody andJack Wild and directed byRalph Nelson.^[14] She also performed in summer seasons at resorts and seasonal pantomimes as well as performing at venues such as theRoyal Albert Hall, theRoyal Festival Hall and a week of sell-out shows at theLondon Palladium. Scallon also performed extensively in cabaret venues and was voted Top Female Vocalist at the National Club Acts Awards in 1979.BBC Television gave her two shows of her own: a series ofA Day with Dana in 1974 and four series ofWake Up Sunday in 1979. ForBBC Radio she presented a series ofI Believe in Music in 1977.^{[citation needed]}

Having scored an Irish number one in January 1980 with the song that was based on the Pope's motto:Totus Tuus, Latin for Totally Yours, the much larger American Christian market became a possible outlet for her music. Not long after returning home from a promotional visit to theNational Religious Broadcasters conference inWashington, opened byUS President Jimmy Carter, she was contacted by award-winning songwriterKurt Kaiser, vice president ofWord Records. He invited her back to the USA where she was offered a recording contract. Meanwhile,Warwick Records issuedEverything is Beautiful in late 1980. Recorded in September at Pye Studios in London, the LP subtitled20 Inspirational Songs was advertised on TV and became her biggest-selling album in the UK, reaching #43 in the chart on 10 January 1981. It was followed later that year byTotally Yours, her first Christian album for Word Records; the songs "Praise the Lord", "The Soft Rain" and "Totus Tuus" were credited to "Dana and Damien Scallon". As was "Little Baby (Grace's Song)", written while she was pregnant with their first child.

She was soon back in the studios again to makeMagic in 1982, a pop album for Lite Records made atMorgan Studios and Maison Rouge Studios in London. It included four songs by her younger brothers John and Gerald Brown, as well as the single "I Feel Love Comin' On", written byBarry White, which peaked at #66 in the UK on 22 May. Collaborating with her younger brothers they wrote the official Northern Ireland1982 FIFA World Cup song "Yer Man", and she recorded it with the fullsquad before they headed to Spain for the finals. Following this, her second album for Word was completed;Let There Be Love contained up-tempo Christian pop, jazz, ballads, and an old Irish hymn sung in Gaelic calledAg Criost an Siol.

Scallon starred in aWest End production ofSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs, staged at thePhoenix Theatre during the 1983 Christmas and New Year pantomime season. The venues first panto broke box-office records and was extended into February. She playedSnow White for over fourteen years, each time in a different city, beginning the run at theNew Theatre,Hull in 1982.

A tour of America took place in 1984 to promote her two Word albums. Appearances were made in concert halls, churches, colleges and also on TV and radio.

After fifteen years in show businessHodder and Stoughton publishedDana – An Autobiography in 1985. It told the story of her childhood, married life and music career, as well as her growing devotion to God. At the same time as her book launch came the release of her fifties tribute albumIf I Give My Heart to You, featuring her last UK chart entry "Little Things Mean a Lot", #92 on 13 July 1985. In Ireland in made #27, as did the album's title track.

Due to work commitments in 1979, she was not in the country when Pope John Paul II becamethe first pope ever to visit Ireland. But she eventually saw him in 1987 at the Superdome inNew Orleans, having been invited there to perform "Totus Tuus" before a gathering of 80,000 or more. After her performance thepontiff made his way to the stage to personally thank her for writing the song.

Soon after completing a concert tour of England in early 1990, she took her family toFlorida for anEaster holiday. Her break was interrupted by a request to fly toIrondale, Alabama and make a guest appearance atEternal Word Television Network's (EWTN) tenth anniversary show. Afterwards, the network's founderMother Angelica enquired if her ex-hotelier husband would like to work there, setting up a retreat centre to look after the hundreds of visitors the network attracted each day. Then mid holiday she sang at a Rosary Rally inPalm Beach, and was asked to write a theme song for theRosary. The result wasThe Rosary, an album released withHeart Beat Records in 1991 that has amassed over a million sales around the world.

By August 1991 the Scallons were living inMountain Brook, close to EWTN's headquarters where Damien now worked. Thoughts of winding down her career were dashed when her husband was asked if his wife would like to work there, presenting a music programme.Say Yes became the first TV series she made for them. Three more followed:We Are One Body,Backstage andDana and friends. With this exposure she became a popular Catholic music singer, appearing at conferences and public gatherings across America.Heart Beat Records, the US Catholic music label, issued a number of her music and prayer albums.

To help celebrate the sixthWorld Youth Day event held inCherry Creek State Park, Denver in 1993, she was invited to sing in the presence of Pope John Paul II the theme song for the occasion, "We Are One Body", a song she composed herself. She also sang at the World Youth Day celebrations held inParis in 1997, Toronto in 2002 and Sydney in 2008.

In June 1997, she received a letter from the Christian Community Centre in Ireland suggesting she seek election aspresident of Ireland. Having no interest in politics at the time, and never having heard of that organisation, she threw the "incredible" proposal in the bin. But they persisted and similar mail arrived from other people. Then the media got involved. She eventually decided to seek nomination as a candidate in the1997 Irish presidential election, standing as anIndependent under the name Dana Rosemary Scallon. Her campaign was based on theIrish Constitution and her belief that it could only be amended with the agreement of the Irish people by public ballot. She became the first-ever presidential candidate to secure a nomination solely from County and City Councils, rather than from members of theOireachtas. Polling day was 31 October, and Scallon received 175,458 of the first-preference votes (13.8%), coming third toFianna Fáil's candidate and eventual winnerMary McAleese. Before returning to America she told reporters: "I may not be a president, but Iam aprecedent."^[15]

She was granted US citizenship in 1999, requiring her to swear anoath renouncing allegiance to any other state.^[16][17] That same year she again stood as an independent, this time winning a seat in theEuropean Parliament, representing Connacht–Ulster. She campaigned onfamily values and her stronganti-abortion beliefs. Scallon is opposed to abortion in all cases, In 2013 she said "there is no legal or constitutional obligation for politicians to legislate for the deliberate killing of an unborn child and there is no medical evidence to support this radical change to how we treat our mothers and their children and the taking of an innocent and defenceless human life can never be justified".^[18] She was also vocal for her opposition todivorce and same sex marriage, along with aEurosceptic line on theEU. Scallon refused to associate with any political party despite Fianna Fáil making several approaches for her to join them.^[19] On becoming anMEP her eight-year stay in the US came to an end.

Scallon also had public disagreements at the time with the Catholic hierarchy (notably with CardinalDesmond Connell), the latter wishing instead to negotiate a consensus solution.^{[clarification needed][19]}

As an independent she unsuccessfully contested a seat inGalway West in the 2002 Irish general election, scoring just 3.5% of the first preference vote. In June 2004, Scallon lost her European Parliament seat, taking 13.5% of the vote. Later that year she failed to secure a nomination to the office of President of Ireland against the uncontested incumbent.^[20]

Returning to the world of entertainment in 2005, she spent seven weeks on the RTÉ television seriesThe Afternoon Show, where she did a fitness routine with a trainer and lost fifteen pounds in weight in time for her eldest daughter's wedding. In 2006, she and dancer Ronan McCormack were paired together in the RTÉ dance seriesCelebrity Jigs 'n' Reels. They made it to the final show and came second. That same year, Scallon and her husband launched their own music label, DS Music Productions.^[21] One of the first albums released wasTotus Tuus, a compilation of songs dedicated to the memory of Pope John Paul II and issued on the anniversary of his death. A children's album was released in 2007, along with a DVD in 2008, titledGood Morning Jesus: Prayers & Songs for Children of All Ages, which featured in a special series on EWTN. The Scallons and their new label were sued in 2007 by Heart Beat Records for copyright violations on several of the albums they'd recently released.^[22]

Gill & Macmillan published her second autobiography in 2007. Her political career took centre stage inAll Kinds of Everything. To coincide with the book launch, her first secular album sinceForever Christmas a decade earlier, was released.A Thing Called Love was produced by her and her youngest brother Gerry, who also played guitar and keyboards, while her youngest son Robert played drums.

In 2009, Scallon became a judge onThe All Ireland Talent Show,^[23] and in the summer of 2010 she participated in the Best of British Variety tour.^[24] She was a contestant in the fourth series of the reality television programme,Celebrity Bainisteoir, in 2011, but was forced to withdraw by RTÉ when she announced she would run for the Irish presidency again.^[25][26]

In 2019, Scallon announced she was back in the studio and was recording a new album. She appeared onLorraine,RTÉ Today and several radio stations to promote new single "Falling". The albumMy Time was released on 1 November 2019.^{[citation needed]}

In 2023, Scallon released a new version of her hit ‘Fairytale’ and gave a series of interviews includingUTV Live,Good Morning Britain andGB News.^[27]

On 19 September 2011, at the Fitzwilliam Hotel onSt Stephen's Green, Scallon announced she would be seeking a nomination to enter the following month's Irish presidential election.^[28] Carlow County Council was the first to nominate her.^[29][30] She was then nominated by other county councils thus becoming a candidate.^[31][32] There were seven candidates in total, five men and two women.

In the first debate, held onRTÉ Radio 1'sNews at One, independent candidate Scallon explained she had delayed her entry into the race due to numerous family bereavements.^[33] Appearing onThe Late Late Show alongside the other candidates, Scallon displayed a copy of the EU Constitution, telling her audience: "This is what this election is about. I have the knowledge and experience to be able to protect our sovereignty and that's the only question I think that's really urgent at this time." When asked byRyan Tubridy if she would refuse to sign any bill threateningBunreacht na hÉireann, she responded by saying, "You bet your boots I would".^[34][35] In fact, the President does not have such a veto power, being able only to refer a Bill to the Council of State for its consideration.^[36]

Speaking onNewstalk'sThe Right Hook programme on 5 October 2011, Scallon said: "I am not anti Europe. I have always said that Europe, the concept of Europe is good. We want to be in Europe."^[37]

It was revealed on 7 October 2011 that Scallon had dual US and Irish citizenship, but she denied hiding this from the public, saying that her US citizenship, which involved her taking anoath renouncing allegiance to Ireland, was not an issue then or now and she had no reason to hide it.^[16]

During a debate onPrime Time (RTÉ) on 12 October, Scallon read out a prepared statement towards the end of the debate, announcing that a "malicious" and "false" accusation had been made against her and her family in the United States and, while refusing to divulge any details, she said she would leave "no stone unturned" in her mission to track down the person or organisation responsible.^[38][39] The incident was described as "bizarre" by some media.^[40] It later transpired that the statement referred to her brother, John Brown, who had been accused in 2008, in the course of litigation in the US among family members, of having sexually abused his niece. He denied the allegation.^[17] Brown was arrested by London police in June 2012, following a complaint against him made in October 2011. In May 2013, he was charged with three counts of indecent assault on two girls aged under 16.^[41]

John Brown was found not guilty and unanimously cleared on all charges on 25 July 2014.^[42] Marian Finnucan of RTÉ said he was falsely accused^[43] Brown has since taken legal action against his accusers and a journalist and newspaper. Brown has since won successful libel and defamation actions against a number of newspapers including theIrish Independent andSunday World newspapers who published false and defamatory stories.^[44]

Voting took place on 27 October and the fourth and final count was completed two days later. Scallon received 51,220 votes (2.9%) and came sixth toLabour'sMichael D. Higgins.^[27]

On 5 October 1978 she married hotelier Damien Scallon atSt Eugene's Cathedral in Derry, where her parents were married. The couple first met in 1970 at his Ardmore Hotel in Newry, where a reception took place following a "Dana Place" street-naming ceremony in nearby Hilltown, to honour her recent Eurovision success. After a three-week honeymoon inGrenada^{[citation needed]} the newlyweds set up home inRostrevor, County Down.^{[citation needed]} They have four children.^{[citation needed]}

As of 2011, the Scallons were living inClaregalway,County Galway.^[45]

• All Kinds of Everything (1970)
• Have a Nice Day (1975)
• Love Songs & Fairytales (1976)
• The Girl is Back (1979)
• Everything is Beautiful (1980) (UK #43)
• Totally Yours (1981)
• Magic (1982)
• Let There Be Love (1983)
• Please Tell Him That I Said Hello (1984)
• If I Give My Heart to You (1985)
• In the Palm Of His Hand (1987)
• No Greater Love (1988)
• The Gift of Love (1989)
• Dana's Ireland (1990)
• The Rosary (1991)
• Lady of Knock (1992)
• Hail Holy Queen (1993)
• Say Yes! (1994)
• The Healing Rosary (1995)
• Heavenly Portrait (1996)
• Humble Myself (1997)
• Forever Christmas (1998)
• Stations of The Cross (1999)
• Perfect Gift (2004)
• In Memory of Me (2005)
• Totus Tuus (2006)
• Good Morning Jesus! (2007)
• A Thing Called Love (2008)
• Praise & Thanks (2012)
• Ave Maria (2013)
• My Time (2019)

• The World of Dana (1975)
• All Kinds of Everything (1990)
• Dana The Collection (1996)
• The Best of Dana (1998)
• The GTO Years (2010)

Notes

• Official website of Dana
• Dana Rosemary Scallon atIMDb
• Facebook: Official Dana Facebook
• YouTube channel: Official Dana YouTube
• YouTube channel: Friends of DANA
• Personal profile of Dana Rosemary Scallon in theEuropean Parliament's database of members