Dana Rosemary Scallon

Dana Rosemary Scallon (born Rosemary Brown; 30 August 1951), known professionally as Dana, is an Irish singer and songwriter.

Now studying A-level music and English, she became popular in Dublin's cabaret and folk clubs at weekends, and was crowned Queen of Cabaret at Clontarf 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 the Eurovision 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 to Muriel Day and "Wages of Love", also written by Reade.

In December 1969 Tom 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.

While still a schoolgirl she won the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest with "All Kinds of Everything".

It became a worldwide million-seller and launched her music career.

Then on Saturday 21 March 1970, the eighteen-year-old schoolgirl performed the song at the Eurovision finals held in the Amsterdam 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's Mary Hopkin, with 26 and Germany's Katja Ebstein with 12.

Spain's Julio Iglesias came equal fourth with Guy Bonnet of France and Henri Dès of Switzerland.

This was Ireland's first of a record seven successes in the contest.

The winning song was composed by two Dublin printworkers, Derry Lindsay and Jackie Smith.

The single was produced by Ray Horricks and arranged by Phil Coulter.

Released on 14 March, it shot to #1 in the Irish singles chart before the contest began and stayed there for nine weeks.

It also spent two weeks at the top of the UK singles chart on 18 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 album All Kinds of Everything, recorded at Decca 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, but Jerry Lordan's "I Will Follow You" failed to chart.

The song that put an end to her one-hit wonder status was found on the album Barry Ryan 3.

"Who Put the Lights Out", written by Paul Ryan for his twin brother, was offered to her by their stepfather Harold Davison, the business partner of her agent Dick Katz.

Her version, cut with Barry 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.

She entered politics in 1997, as Dana Rosemary Scallon, running unsuccessfully in the Irish presidential election, but later being elected as an MEP for Connacht–Ulster in 1999.

Scallon served as a politician as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2004.

Scallon was born Rosemary Brown in Islington, London, one of seven children.

Her father Robert Brown worked as a porter at nearby King's Cross station, in addition to being a barber and trumpeter.

Originally from Derry, Northern Ireland, Robert moved his family to London to seek employment opportunities after World War II.

When Rosemary was five, she moved with her family to Derry, where she grew up in the Creggan housing estate and Bogside.

At age six, Scallon won her first talent contest.

Other children in her community nicknamed her "Dana" (Irish for bold or mischievous) because Scallon would practice judo moves.

Scallon later attended Thornhill College, a girls' Catholic school in Derry.

When she was 14, Scallon worked a summer job at the Bazooka chewing gum factory in Essex.

Shortly before turning 16 and with the help of teacher and music promoter Tony Johnston, Scallon signed with the Decca Records subsidiary label Rex Records.

Performing as Dana, Scallon debuted with the single "Sixteen" written by Tony Johnston, while the B-side, "Little Girl Blue", was her own composition.

Scallon was again an independent candidate in the Irish 2011 presidential election, but was eliminated on the first count.