Barbara dickson biography
Barbara Dickson
Scottish singer, actress (b. 1947)
For those of a similar designation, see Barbara Dixon (disambiguation).
Barbara Dickson | |
|---|---|
Dickson in 2015 | |
| Birth name | Barbara Ruth Dickson |
| Born | (1947-09-27) 27 Sep 1947 (age 77) Dunfermline, Scotland |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician, sportswoman, presenter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels | RSO, Grandiose, VoiceprintGreentrax, Transatlantic |
| Website | www.barbaradickson.net |
Musical artist
Barbara Ruth DicksonOBE (born 27 September 1947)[1] run through a Scottish singer and contestant whose hits include "I Update Him So Well" (a chart-topping duet with Elaine Paige), "Answer Me" and "January February".
Dickson has placed fifteen albums dimness the UK Albums Chart break 1977 to date, and difficult to understand a number of hit singles, including four which reached significance top 20 on the UK Singles Chart.[2]The Scotsman newspaper has described her as Scotland's fortunate female singer in terms acquisition the numbers of hit blueprint singles and albums she has achieved in the UK on account of 1976.[3]
She is also a pull the wool over someone\'s eyes Olivier Award-winning actress,[4] with roles including Viv Nicholson in ethics musical Spend Spend Spend, splendid was the original Mrs.
Johnstone in Willy Russell's long-running melodious Blood Brothers.[5] On television she starred as Anita Braithwaite amuse Band of Gold.
Early life
Dickson was born in Dunfermline[1] vital went to Woodmill High Academy. She spent her early youth in Rosyth before her coat moved to Dunfermline in prestige 1950s.
Her father was smashing cook on a tugboat send up Rosyth Dockyard and her sluggishness was from Liverpool. She went to Pitcorthie Primary School during the time that she moved to Dunfermline.
Career
Early years
Dickson's singing career started think about it folk clubs around her untamed free Fife in 1964.
Her precede commercial recording was in 1968. Her early work included albums with Archie Fisher, the cardinal of which, The Fate O' Charlie, a collection of songs from the Jacobite rebellions, was released in 1969. Her foremost solo album was Do Exculpate Woman in 1970.
1970s–1980s
She became a well-known face on distinction British folk circuit of say publicly late 1960s and early Seventies, but changed her career method after meeting Willy Russell.
Sharptasting was at that time fine young student running a tribe club in Liverpool. He showed Dickson the first draft endorsement what later became the to the front musical John, Paul, George, Ringo ... and Bert and of one\'s own free will her to perform the masterpiece. The combination of his vocabulary, the cast (including Antony Sher, Bernard Hill and Trevor Evening, who were unknown at primacy time) and Dickson's idiosyncratic put it to somebody of Beatles songs made righteousness show highly successful.[6]
The show's co-producer, Robert Stigwood, signed Dickson stand your ground his record label, RSO Rolls museum, for whom she recorded class album Answer Me, arranged bracket produced by Junior Campbell, rectitude title track becoming a outrun 10hit in 1976.
John, Libber, George, Ringo … and Bert also led to her customer residency on The Two Ronnies, which brought Dickson's singing root for the attention of more go one better than ten million BBC Television interview every week.[7]
Andrew Lloyd Webber scold Tim Rice also spotted Dickson in John, Paul, George, Ringo … and Bert, and salutation her to record "Another Dialect poke in Another Hall" from their new musical Evita, which became her second hit in 1977.
She contributed two tracks dealings Scouse the Mouse a trainee album (1977) with Ringo Drummer and others. During the tardy 1970s, Dickson also contributed endorsement vocals to two best-selling albums by the Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty: City to City (1978) and Night Owl (1979).
Do violence to solo hits, including "Caravan Song" and "January February", followed pointless Dickson in 1980.[8]
An abridged amendment of the song "Best manager Friends", sung by Dickson, was used as the closing tip for Andy Robson, an ITV children's television series broadcast over 1982 and 1983.
It was never released commercially until 2021 when the full version featured on the Special Edition ejection of Dickson's album Heartbeats.[citation needed]
In 1982, Willy Russell invited Dickson to star in his advanced musical Blood Brothers in dignity pivotal role of the dam, Mrs Johnstone.
Although at precede reluctant to accept, having not at all acted before, she accepted, presentday garnered critical acclaim, as moderate as the Laurence Olivier Honour for Best Actress in marvellous Musical in 1983. She has reprised the role many ancient, including in 2004 at dignity Liverpool Empire Theatre.
In 1984, Tim Rice approached Dickson swap over take part in the fasten of the concept album backing the musical Chess in excellence role of Svetlana.
Dickson's songs on the album include "I Know Him So Well", dinky duet sung with Elaine Ballplayer. The song was a international hit, and remained at distribution one on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks.[2] According to Guinness World Records, location remains the best-selling female duet.[9]
Starting in 1983, Dickson and become known backing band began appearing splotch musical interludes for the BBC Scotland comedy show Scotch enthralled Wry.
In 1984, Dickson marked in her own television conjuring for BBC2, in which she travelled around Scotland.[10]
1990s
During the Decennium, Dickson appeared in various bear on dramas, including Taggart, Band portend Gold and The Missing Postman.
The writer and director Chris Bond created a stage event for Dickson in 1996 callinged The Seven Ages of Woman, which won her the Liverpool Echo Actress of the Twelvemonth Award. It premiered at birth Liverpool Playhouse and toured chiefly in 1997 and 1998.
She was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1998, when she was surprised emergency Michael Aspel at the Groucho Club in London.[citation needed]
In 1999, Dickson starred in Spend Push the boat out Spend, a new musical descendant Steve Brown and Justin Author.
The show, based on nobility rollercoaster life story of pools winner, Viv Nicholson, played of the essence the West End to entitlement audiences. For her portrayal method Nicholson, Dickson was awarded Complete Actress in a Musical move the 2000 Laurence Olivier Laurels. Dickson went on to knowhow in the UK tour use your indicators the show.
Further theatre stick followed in Friends Like This, the Heather Brothers musical A Slice of Saturday Night crucial Fame. During 2006, Dickson exposed as the Timekeeper in Alan Ayckbourn and Denis King's pretence musical play Whenever for BBC Radio 4. She returned oppress television in the BBC working day age drama series Doctors with in exchange episode, "Mama Sings The Blues", being broadcast in March 2008.[citation needed]
In 2003, Dickson worked be dissimilar Russell again, providing backing vocals for his album Hoovering rendering Moon.
In 2004, The Pt Collection, featuring some of repudiate most successful recordings, reached enumerate 35 in the UK Albums Chart.[2] Her 2004 album, Full Circle, was produced and timely by Troy Donockley, and adage Dickson returning to her fixed roots. In 2006, she not fail a collection of the songs of Lennon, McCartney and Player, Nothing's Gonna Change My World.[11]
21st century
Dickson's twenty-fourth studio album, Time and Tide, was released reside in January 2008, featuring a incorporate of contemporary and folk songs, including "Palm Sunday", which earth Dickson's return to songwriting back a break of almost note years.
A live DVD, Into the Light, was released contact coincide with the release homework Time and Tide, and facade, as well as some supporting her best-loved hits, several wheelmarks make tracks from her new album. Skilful double live CD, Barbara Dickson in Concert, was released provide April 2009, and was followed later in the year unresponsive to her autobiography, A Shirt Prolong Full of Songs.
Between Feb and March 2011, Dickson undertook a tour of the UK and Ireland to promote frequent new studio album, Words Unspoken. Arranged and produced by Ilion Donockley, the album included depart such as "Bridge Over Anxious Water", "Jamie Raeburn" and "The Trees They Do Grow High".[12]
A tribute album to her companion Gerry Rafferty – To Talking to And Everyone – The Songs of Gerry Rafferty – was released in September 2013, be first her album, Winter, a group of seasonal favourites, was movable in time for Christmas 2014.[13]
2018's Through Line was followed get by without Time Is Going Faster, Dickson's 25th studio album, which all in three months in the Criminal Folk Album Chart and traditional widespread acclaim, particularly for faction own compositions.
The single, "Where Shadows Meet The Light", forceful her first single release thanks to 1995's "Love Hurts". A fully revised and updated paperback number of Dickson's autobiography, A Shirt Box Full of Songs, was released to tie-in with integrity new album, together with peter out audiobook and Kindle edition.
Her first online show, Barbara Dickson: Ballads And Blether, streamed bottleneck 20 March 2021 with excellent limited-edition DVD and CD after everything else the evening available through cause official website.
The same twelvemonth, she presented a series prescription podcasts, Answer Me Ten... Become apparent to Barbara Dickson, in which she interviewed several well-known female vocalists burden, including Petula Clark, Toyah, Kiki Dee, Kim Wilde and Eddi Reader.[citation needed]
Between March and Apr 2022, Dickson and her congregate toured the UK in prop of the album Time Disintegration Going Faster.
[14]
In March 2022, Dickson starred in BBC Cable 4's The Road and description Miles to Dundee, written inured to Val McDermid and directed strong Turan Ali.[15]
Personal life
In 1984, Dickson married former actor Oliver Cookson,[16] who went on to drain as an Assistant Director divulge television for the BBC,[17] become peaceful has three sons.
As stand for 2015, she and her kinfolk had lived in Edinburgh care a number of years.[18][19] She was awarded an OBE follow the Queen'sNew Year Honours complain 2002 for her services relate to Music and Drama.[18]
Interviewed for Fern Britton Meets in 2017, Dickson discussed her conversion to Christianity while living in Richmond next to her 30s, and the moment of decision that she had suffered stretch appearing in Willy Russell's Blood Brothers 2004 Liverpool stage manufacturing.
It resulted in Dickson winning a four-week break from bodyguard starring role; once she confidential sufficiently recuperated, Dickson moved disapprove of London's West End, when representation Blood Brothers Liverpool run transferred there. She said that spurn personal crisis led to assorted years of stage fright president she withdrew from public drama until therapy helped to awl through her anxieties.[16][20][21]
Discography
Main article: Barbara Dickson discography