Kiki Dee
Kiki Dee |
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Kiki Dee (born Pauline Matthews, 6 March 1947, Little Horton, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England[1]) is a successful singer-songwriter, with a career that has lasted over 40 years.
Her most famous song was a duet with Elton John, entitled "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", which was released in 1976 and went to Number 1 both in the UK Singles Chart and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1993 she performed another duet with Elton John for his Duets album, a cover version of Cole Porter's "True Love", which reached #2 in the UK.
Career
Kiki Dee began singing with a local band in Bradford in the early 1960s. Her recording career began as a session singer. She sang backing vocals for Dusty Springfield, among others, and was regarded by other singers but did not achieve solo success in the UK for many years, although her 1968 release, "On a Magic Carpet Ride", which was originally a B-side, has remained popular with the Northern Soul circuit. Hit songwriter Mitch Murray came up with her stage name, and also penned her first single, "Early Night".[2] In the United States her style was admired and she became the first white British artist to be signed by Tamla Motown,[1] releasing her first Motown single in 1970.
In the days before BBC Radio 1, Dee was a regular performer of other people's hits on BBC radio, and she starred with a group of session singers in the BBC Two singalong series One More Time. She also appeared in an early episode of The Benny Hill Show on 27 January 1971, performing the Blood, Sweat and Tears hit, "You've Made Me So Very Happy". Nevertheless, it was only after she joined forces with Elton John and Rocket Records that she became a household name in the UK. Her first major solo hits were "I've Got the Music in Me" (written by Tobias Stephen Boshell) (1974) and "Amoureuse" (written by French performer and songwriter, Veronique Marie Line Sanson) (1973). [3]
In 1981, Dee joined forces again with Elton John, recording a cover of the Four Tops' song "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever".
In 1982, she supplied backing vocals to Elton John's album Too Low for Zero. Between 1987 and 1990 the theme music to the BBC One TV programme Opportunity Knocks was Dee's song "Star".
She has released 39 singles, 3 EPs, 9 LPs and 3 CDs to date.
Dee has also appeared in musical theatre - notably in the lead role in Willy Russell's West End musical Blood Brothers. She took on the role (originally played by Barbara Dickson for the 1988 production and recording). She received an Olivier Award nomination in 1989 for her acting skills.[1]
In 1990, she contributed to the last recording studio collaboration between Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson, on the album Freudiana, performing "You're On Your Own".
In 2008, Kiki Dee's first ever DVD was released "Under The Night Sky" is a collaboration with guitarist Carmelo Luggeri, filmed live at Bray Studios in London.
She also performed at Live Aid, reprising "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" with John, and performing backing vocals on the other songs in his set.
She still tours, and occasionally makes guest appearances on television in shows such as Never Mind the Buzzcocks. She has recorded with other artists such as Dave Stewart and guitarist Carmelo Luggeri.
Dee was based for a number of years in Keighley, West Yorkshire, but she has recently moved to the village of Ashwell in Hertfordshire.[citation needed]
Discography
Albums
- 1968 I'm Kiki Dee - Fontana Records
- 1970 Great Expectations - Tamla Motown
- 1973 Loving & Free - Rocket Records
- 1974 I've Got The Music in Me - Rocket Records
- 1974 Patterns - Philips Records
- 1974 Kiki Dee - Music for Pleasure/Sound Superb
- 1976 I've Got The Music in Me (reissue) - Rocket Records
- 1976 Loving & Free (reissue) - Rocket Records
- 1977 Kiki Dee - Rocket Records - #24 UK
- 1979 Stay With Me - Rocket Records
- 1980 Kiki Dee's Greatest Hits - Warwick Records
- 1981 Perfect Timing - Ariola Records - #47 UK
- 1982 Perfect timing (reissue) - Ariola Records
- 1986 Perfect Timing - Music for Pleasure
- 1986 Perfect Timing - Arista Records
- 1987 Angel Eyes - Columbia Records
- 1987 Angel Eyes EMI
- 1991 Spotlight on Kiki Dee - Greatest Hits - Rocket Records
- 1994 The Very Best of Kiki Dee - Polygram TV - #62 UK
- 1995 Almost Naked - Tickety-boo
- 1998 Where Rivers Meet - Tickety-boo
- 2005 Love Makes The World Go Round: The Motown Years - Universal Records/Motown
- 2005 The Walk of Faith - Spellbound Records
Singles
- 1973 "Amoureuse" - Rocket - #13 UK
- 1974 "I've Got the Music in Me" - Rocket - #19 UK; #12 U.S. §
- 1975 "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am" - Rocket - #32 UK §
- 1976 "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" - Rocket - #1 UK; #1 U.S. †
- 1976 "Loving and Free" / "Amoureuse" - Rocket - #13 UK
- 1977 "First Thing in the Morning" - Rocket - #32 UK
- 1977 "Chicago" - Rocket - #28 UK
- 1981 "Star" - Ariola - #13
- 1981 "Perfect Timing" - Ariola - #66
- 1993 "True Love" - Rocket - #2 †
§ - credited to the Kiki Dee Band; † - credited to Elton John and Kiki Dee
DVD's
- 2008 - Under The Night Sky Live - New Wave Pictures ±
± Credited as Kiki Dee And Carmelo Luggeri
See also
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (United States)
- List of artists by total number of UK number one singles
- List of people from Yorkshire
- List of names in English with counterintuitive pronunciations
References
- ^ a b c Roberts, David (2003). British Hit Singles & Albums (16th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. p. 149. ISBN 085112-190-X.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ IMDb database - accessed March 2008
- ^ Kiki Dee official website
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. p. 146-47. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help)