Article from the News Shopper website from April 2002. The article is by Chris Patterson.
FOLK GIRL GETS BACK TO ROOTS
The public attention Barbara Dickson received in the 1980s was phenomenal. It was mostly her performance of the chart-topping single, I Know Him So Well, alongside Elaine Paige which lodged her firmly in the national consciousness.
But both before and since this public relations coup, Dickson has succeeded in several other areas of the arts world.
"Turning professional," she told Leisuretime, "was something which happened while I was singing in the evening at a folk club in Dunfermline. This went on for three years, during which time my voice developed considerably."
The scottish singer evolved in her own time, unnoticed by the show business world, until Liverpool playwright Willy Russell offered her the role in John, Paul, George, Ringo... and Bert in 1974. The show transferred to the West End where it was seen by a wider audience.
And that, according to the performer, is how she really made her mark.
Her acting career did not begin with drama school or vocational training. Director and writer Chris Bond recognised acting talent in the singer and cast her for the stage production of Blood Brothers.
Dickson gave a well-received performance and was awarded a Society of West End Theatres Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
She said: "You don't have to go to drama school to be a good actress; it comes from the soul. Teachers simply nurture your talent."
But it is singing folk music which is Dickson's favourite form of expression. "In concert I have a free rein over what a happens. I choose all the songs, I'm not told what to do by directors and I simply love it."
Her UK tour, which started in Reading, is due in Dartford this month. The audience can expect a refined performance which includes a tribute to the late Peggy Lee, tunes from Dickson's theatre days and cover versions of the singer's favourite folk performers, such as Trisha Yearwood.
"I intend to deliver a good-quality, up-market, mature show and not just a string of my pop hits," she told Leisuretime.
And how has Elaine Paige faired since the 80s' fame? Dickson simply replied: "She's on good form."
