Janet Mead
Janet Mead (15 August 1937 – 26 January 2022) was an Australian Catholic nun who was best known for recording a pop-rock version of the Lord's Prayer. The surprise hit reached Number 3 on the Australian singles chart (Kent Music Report) in 1974 and Number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the same year. The single earned her a Grammy Award nomination and an Australian Gospel Music Awards in 2004. It sold over one and a half million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA on 8 April 1974. It was also certified gold in Australia.
Janet Mead | |
|---|---|
Mead in a 1975 publicity still | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Sister Marietta |
| Born | 15 August 1937 Adelaide, South Australia |
| Died | 26 January 2022 (aged 84) Adelaide, South Australia |
| Genres | Christian |
Mead became the second woman to have a top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart whilst a nun. Sister Luc-Gabrielle (Jeanine Deckers), also called "Sœur Sourire" and "the Singing Nun", had a Number 1 pop hit in 1963 with "Dominique".
Mead taught music at St Aloysius College, Adelaide, where the music video for "The Lord's Prayer" was filmed. After recording, Mead continued to visit the school to teach the junior students basic music.