Bio
Curtis Newart (Immaculate Records)
Rock the Chandeliers album by Curtis Newart promo (2018) (Immaculate Records)
Curtis Newart is a Canadian-American recording artist.
His work in the entertainment industry has spanned over three decades, from his start as a magician at age twelve, to his current role as the owner of Immaculate Records.
His first album, Exploits in a Modern World produced the hit song "Dead Religion" which reached #36 on the Amazon UK Religious chart.
Newart's album Rock the Chandeliers ranked #43 on the College Radio Charts for Canada and the US in September 2018, spinning on over 100 radio stations.
He signed music licensing deals with OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), NASCAR & Discovery, Inc.
As a publicist, stage manager, fund raiser and journalist, he has worked with hundreds of entertainers, events & organizations, including the United Nations, and the off-Broadway hit B-Average: A Musical About Passing. Newart recruited RuPaul, Elizabeth Taylor, Carol Burnett, and Bob Hope to donate to fundraisers, and has worked with Phyllis Diller, Tom Wopat, France Nuyen, Ned Beatty, Jerry Mathers and Alison Arngrim.
He founded Immaculate Records in 2005, and has since launched the subsidiaries The Rock Times, Lauperland, JAENY (Jamestown Area Entertainment New York), and Newart Photography. He has interviewed Grammy™ Award-winner William Wittman, Grammy™ Award-nominees Eric Bazilian, Steve Gaboury, and Rob Hyman, plus many more.
He worked for years with Hollywood couple Thor Arngrim (manager to Liberace and Debbie Reynolds), and Norma Macmillan (the voice of Casper the Friendly Ghost and Gumby).
Newart received the Outstanding Success in Speech Arts award from Dr. F.H. Mewburn,OBE, on behalf of IODE (Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire), Canada.
Curtis Newart (Photo credit: Robert Newart) (Immaculate Records)
Rock the Chandeliers, Newart's second studio album, was added to over 100 radio stations and charted at #43 on College Radio Charts for North America in September of 2018.
Rock the Chandeliers album (2018)
Hot Sheet featuring 70 of over 100 radio stations spinning Rock the Chandeliers album in Summer/Fall 2018.
The album includes the hit song "Superhuman", plus a remake of his smash single “Perverse”, and a cover of REM's “Man on the Moon”. The cover art was painted by Hollywood celebrity tattoo artist Justin Lewis.
Newart signed music licensing deals with Discovery, OWN Oprah Winfrey Network, and NASCAR to use songs from the album.
"Rock the Chandeliers" music video (2018) (Immaculate Records)
Random Fun
Shawbucks in Jamestown, New York (2/29/20) (Photo credit: Newart Photography)
Curtis Newart with The Hallow Society at Shawbucks in Jamestown, New York (2/29/20) (Video credit: Sue Porter Ottaway)
Newart released his first album Exploits in a Modern World in July, 2006, on Immaculate Records, the record label he founded in Vancouver, Canada (2005). The album hit shelves at Toronto's iconic Sam the Record Man, then HMV before becoming available through 2400 stores worldwide, plus online stores including Walmart and MTV.
HMV and Sam The Record Man carried Exploits in a Modern World. (Photos: Immaculate Records)
Exploits in a Modern World entered a Top 30 chart in Montreal, then his song “Dead Religion” ranked #36 on Amazon UK's Religion Chart, and Newart became a featured artist on Star Radio.
He featured songs from the album for 300,000 spectators during the Vancouver Pride Parade in 2006.
Curtis Newart in the Vancouver Pride Parade 2006
His follow-up EP Exploits Remixed (2007) featured remixes of “Ridicule”, “I Would”, “Superficial”, and “I Don't Care”. The music video for “Ridicule” was filmed in New York City in 2007, and the video for “I Would” was filmed in Mexico in 2008. Both songs were added to crossword dictionaries, and Real Life was added to SongPop 2 trivia game.
Ridicule (Shawn Fetterly Remix) by Curtis Newart (Source: YouTube)
I Would (Johnny Tumper Remix) by Curtis Newart (Source: YouTube)
Newart spent 30 consecutive weeks on the ReverbNation* Vancouver Pop Music Chart Top 10 with his original song "Perverse" from July 14th, 2014 to February 8th, 2015 - he ranked #1 from November 10th-14th of 2014. He performed the song as part of his set at New West Pride (New Westminster, Canada) on August 15th, 2015, on the same lineup as Bif Naked.
*ReverbNation.com (est. 30 million unique visitors per month)
"Perverse" single by Curtis Newart (2014)
"Perverse" rehearsal with Stefan Arngrim (guitar) and Boomer Ng Glory (drums) (2015) (Video credit: Robert Newart)
Newart launched the online music magazine The Rock Times in 2022.
The Rock Times premiere issue featured Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum, comprised of Michael C. Hall (TV's Dexter) on vocals, Matt Katz-Bohen (Blondie) on keys and Peter Yanowitz (The Wallflowers) on drums.
L to R: Michael C Hall, Robert Newart, Curtis Newart, Matt Katz-Bohen, Peter Yanowitz, Lorelei K and Michael Briggs at The Big Dipper in Spokane, WA (Photo credit: Kit Regan) Click here to read our concert review!
The Rock Times includes interviews previously released on Lauperland, including Grammy™ Award-winner William Wittman, Grammy™ Award-nominees Eric Bazilian, Steve Gaboury, and Rob Hyman, plus keyboardist Katz-Bohen, songwriter Jan Pulsford, percussionist Sue Hadjopoulos, and drummers Sandy Gennaro and Caitlin Kalafus.
Newart founded Lauperland: The World’s Largest Cyndi Lauper Fansite in 2018.
Lauperland
Lauperland premiered Lauper’s official music video for “Hope (Live)” on October 2nd, 2020.
Photo/video credit: Joe Barbarisi
Between 1995 and 2005, the Cyndi Lauper fansite Page After Page (created by Jean-Marc Piraprez) was visited over four million times, and was Lauper’s official website for a couple of years before being retired.
In 2018, Curtis and Robert Newart recovered much of the archives, added artist spotlights, and rebranded it as Lauperland.com, with contributions by a core group of Lauper supporters. The site featured original artwork by famed Aussie cartoonist Brett Willis of TOONARAMA.
In July of 2020, Lauperland added The Cyndi Lauper Library in digital form on special loan from Shan Maggard.
Newart interviewed people from Lauper's current and past circle of award-winning musicians*, members of her glam team, including Lauper's hairstylist Jutta Anna Weiss, former makeup artists Patrick Lucas and Jody Morlock, tour photographer/videographer Joe Barbarisi, fashion designer Veritée Hill, plus fan favorites Skeriosities owner Keriann Carney, Cyndi Lauper Library owner Shan Maggard, True Colors United, and Robin Christensen-Roussimoff (André the Giant's daughter).
He provided research materials to the SONY feature film "Let The Canary Sing" documentary on Cyndi Lauper.
Newart closed Lauperland.com in April of 2022.
*Visit The Rock Times for archived Lauperland spotlights on William Wittman, Eric Bazilian, Steve Gaboury, Rob Hyman, Matt Katz-Bohen, Jan Pulsford, Sue Hadjopoulos, Sandy Gennaro & Caitlin Kalafus
Newart founded the online entertainment magazine JAENY (Jamestown Area Entertainment New York) in 2019.
Curtis and Robert Newart promoted, photographed, videographed and reviewed indie musicians, artists and attractions around Jamestown, New York from 2019 to 2021, ranging from a Tom Wopat Christmas concert to a night in Lucille Ball's childhood home.
Robert Newart photographing Tom Wopat at The Chadakoin Club (Photo credit: Curtis Newart)
Lucille Ball's childhood home at 59 Lucy Lane in Celoron, NY (Photo credit: Curtis Newart)
Born in Calgary, Canada, Newart attended seven schools by Grade 12. He participated in school choirs, bands, fine arts and speech arts. At age 11, he received an award for Outstanding Success in Speech Arts from Dr. F.H. Mewburn, OBE (Order of the British Empire) on behalf of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE). Newart's first paying job was at age 12 performing magic shows. At age 13, he home-recorded an instrumental album of TV and movie songs.
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Curtis Newart with Alfred Sung
His first job after high school was co-writing and acting in murder mysteries, most notably at the Kilmorey Lodge in Canada's Waterton Lakes National Park. He became the youngest manager of a Levi's 1850 store at age 20, then worked an Alfred Sung fashion show before landing a job at a publishing company.
He worked in the advertising and public relations departments of CinemaScope and CityScope magazines, where he got to work with legendary comedienne Phyllis Diller.
"On the set of the movie The Perfect Man, Miss Diller taught me to say 'one, two, three' before taking each photo of her," said Newart.
He moved to Vancouver, Canada, to pursue a career in the arts at age 22.
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Phyllis Diller on the set of The Perfect Man movie (Photo Credit: Curtis Newart)
In Vancouver, Newart worked as a stage manager, publicist and producer.
Shortly after moving to Vancouver in 1993, Newart began working with Hollywood power couple Thor Arngrim and Norma Macmillan. Arngrim served as personal manager to Liberace and Debbie Reynolds, while Macmillan was best known as the voice of Casper the Friendly Ghost and Gumby. Newart collaborated with the couple and their children Stefan Arngrim (Land of the Giants) and Alison Arngrim (Little House on the Prairie) on a variety of projects.
Left: Thor Arngrim (Photo credit: Curtis Newart). Right: Norma Macmillan (Photo courtesy Norma Macmillan)
Newart worked on the sold-out theatrical shows Don Juan in Hell, Oscar Wilde’s Salomé, Born Naked: Died Blond, and The X-Mas Files, plus the Jessie Richardson Theatre Award-nominated play The Laundry, and the smash hit B-Average: A Musical About Passing in Vancouver and New York City. He also designed the advertising centerfold of the Hollywood Reporter’s Weekly International Edition for September 26th, 1995.
Don Juan in Hell at Bard on the Beach promo (1996)
France Nuyen co-hosted Don Juan in Hell at Bard on the Beach for Crusaid Canada (Photo courtesy France Nuyen)
"France Nuyen from the movie The Joy Luck Club taught me to not say 'May I have a minute?' if I really needed five minutes," said Newart.
He served as a spokesperson for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) during the 1997 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and publicized the film Motifs & Repetitions (Bravo!'s drama pick for April 1997).
United Nations Media Relations staff ID for APEC (1997)
Bravo! New Style Arts Channel magazine (April 1997)
Newart starred as Peter Pan at Performance Works in Vancouver, for a private function with Ellie Harvie (Morticia of TV's The New Addams Family) starring as Tinkerbell. He's also worked with Angie Bowie, Jerry Mathers, Ned Beatty, and Penny Arcade (Andy Warhol's film Women in Revolt). Newart's fundraising efforts have received support from Oprah Winfrey, RuPaul, Carol Burnett, Bob Hope and Elizabeth Taylor.
Ned Beatty supported the Crusaid Canada Nights fundraiser during select Showboat performances co-starring Cloris Leachman in Vancouver, Canada (1996) (Photo courtesy Ned Beatty)
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Elizabeth Taylor contributed to Newart's fundraising efforts in the early 90's (Photo courtesy Elizabeth Taylor)
Newart publicized Jerry Mathers (TV's Leave it to Beaver) for his appearances at the 1996 BC Home & Garden Show in Vancouver, Canada (Photo courtesy Jerry Mathers)
Newart lives in Canada with his husband Robert Newart, their dog Polar and their cat Pickles.
In addition to their work together in the arts, the Newarts have renovated three homes -- two in Montana and one in New York.
Curtis and Robert Newart (Courtesy Immaculate Records)
