Article from The Warwick Courier from October 2006.
BARBARA DICKSON - STILL NOT REACHED HER ZENITH
Mention Barbara Dickson and most people will immediately think of I Know Him So Well, her 1980s duet with Elaine Paige.
They may well remember John, Paul, George, Ringo … & Bert, the 1974 Willy Russell musical that established her, and then Blood Brothers.
Then there is her television work such as Band of Gold and Dinner Ladies and her OBE in 2001.
They might even know that the singer and actress has recently released an album of Beatles covers, Nothing's Gonna Change My World, and will be performing at the Spa Centre in Leamington on February 2.
But tell her more casual fans that she is a fan of Eminem, the rap star noted for his occasional homophobia and outbursts about his mother and they probably won't believe you.
But it's true. "He's fantastically clever; he's like Bob Dylan – the words are very interesting," said Barbara.
"I spend a lot of time defending him because I don't think he's a misogynist. I know he's a difficult sort of character but he is a brilliant songwriter."
A passing acquaintance with Eminem's records and his film 8-Mile make this altogether less surprising. Look at the character of the mother in the film and Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers and you can see definite similarities. Hardly Andrew Lloyd-Webber stuff, but with enough drama and realism to interest a "working-class girl from Scotland".
The Dunfermline-born singer learnt the piano at five and the guitar at 12, and first became involved in music when she moved to Edinburgh to sing and learn the romantic and frequently gory songs in the city's folk clubs.
There, she recorded several folk albums, but began plying her trade south of the border as the scene began to die down.
She met Liverpudlian writer Willy Russell, and found fame in 1974 after singing at the piano in John, Paul, George, Ringo… & Bert, and appearances with the Two Ronnies.
But she was still a singer, and never considered acting until 1983, when Willy Russell persuaded her to act for the first time in his new musical Blood Brothers.
Comparing the debut to a "baptism by fire" she said: "I'm not very confident as a person. I found it quite difficult to do really new things so I found it quite nerve-wracking.
"I thought if I was going to make a complete ninny of myself I would do it in Liverpool because everybody's nice to me there."
Although Blood Brothers received excellent reviews, the musical flopped at first and Barbara left, only returning to the show for its tenth anniversary. She went on with a pop career and appeared in the musical Chess, until in her late 30s she decided pop music was not for her.
Barbara said: "Pop music was always difficult for me because I never really heard a lot of songs I liked. I only like folk music and jazz, country music and bluegrass."
In the early 90s she made albums of Bob Dylan covers and traditional British songs, all lower key but full of songs with plot and drama.
Her latest album is a return to the Beatles, but also uses the folk instrumentation she has favoured on her recent releases.
Barbara also chose songs she felt comfortable with, not always making obvious or easy choices.
She said: "The songs that ended up on the album were songs I love like Rain, which was a B-side.
"There is a fantastic depth to them; they are not moon in June and spoon sorts of things. They tell a story, which is my speciality."
She added: "The interesting thing about music for me at my age is that I can do what I want. I chose to do the Beatles album because it interested me. If it had been number one songs from the 1970s I wouldn't be interested."
Barbara received an OBE in 2001, but is adamant there has been no "zenith" to her career.
Barbara said: "People have always said to me that I do all this different stuff but there is a 'through-line' through the whole thing.
"There's the folk music, the pop music years and shortly afterwards the Bob Dylan album and Parcel of Rogues.
"People ask what the highlight of my career is and I always say I don't know because it hasn't happened yet. It's more like a book than a short story."
