Article from 'The Perthshire Advertiser' newspaper from February 2008.
NATIONAL TREASURE ROLLS HOME
It's rare nowadays to see a passionate relationship that has lasted 40 years. Erika Fleming talks to Barbara Dickson and discovers her love of performing shows no signs of fading after four decades.
Barbara Dickson is a Scottish treasure. Born in Dunfermline, Barbara's singing career started in folk clubs around her native Fife in the 60s, exposing her to a rich combination of traditional and contemporary music. From there, her rise to international acclaim has been well documented, but few would believe how long Barbara has been gracing our stages.
"It's 40 years this year since I started singing professionally," she says, proudly. It was 1968 when I became a professional musician, and I'm hoping that I can continue because I love it
so much. I'm in my element when I'm playing guitar or piano, and singing my favourite songs. It's a labour of love," she laughed.
She certainly shows no signs of stopping, and her latest tour, which arrives in Perth tomorrow night, guarantees long-time fans certainly won't be disappointed.
For the last three years, Barbara has sold out the Perth Concert Hall, and she's keen to ensure that her latest concert attracts fans old and new.
"We have a completely new show. I'm not one of those people who plays the same show wherever I go for years and years and I don't just play a medley of my old hits; it's an ever-moving-forward process," she said.
"I've got a new album out called Time and Tide and I have a new DVD out that was made in November, so all these things are current, and I felt it was important that I covered my new material, too."
Of course, there will be the diehard fans who turn up to hear seasoned classics such as Caravan Song, January February and, of course, the Chess hit I Know Him So Well. However, Barbara is keen to show audiences that she is much more than a purely musical-theatre performer.
"I do perform some of the old songs in the show, but other than that it's a mixture of thoughtful, lovely songs," said Barbara. "I do quite a lot of traditional music as well now, and I want people to hear that side of my music, too.
"The new album has some traditional music on it, but it's not entirely in that style. There are four tracks which are what I would call contemporary 20th-century music and one that I have written with producer Troy Donockley that I love."
In fact, those who are fans of Barbara's film and stage career really should seize the chance to see the star in concert as, according to Barbara, her days of acting are long behind her.
"I prefer playing live to everything else now," she said. "I don't do much acting these days; I do like it, but I just prefer doing concerts and I don't think I would do any more musical theatre now. I prefer to stick to my music."
With a 32-date UK tour including numerous appearances at Scottish venues plus a visit to Stonehaven's Folk Festival in July, Barbara, 60, would be forgiven for wanting a break from her long-term relationship with touring.
"The actual touring process is very tiring because you're in a different place every day and it really does take its toll," she said. "But nevertheless, the performing and the meaning of
the tour is always very special."
For an artist who has had success worldwide, a return home is always welcome, and Barbara admitted that Perth will be one of her favourite dates on the tour.
"I just love coming back to Scotland. It's where my career began in folk music and I have a lot of friends here from those days who still support me and come and see me play," she said.
"Perth are a lovely audience. We get people that come over from Dundee and surrounding areas to the venue, which is great. I'm in Dunfermline for Valentine's Day, which I
thought was quite fitting. It brings back such a lot of memories. I love it dearly; it's just great to be here."
Once this tour finishes, Barbara has a busy 2008, and fans will be glad to hear that she has no plans of stopping.
"I'm not just doing it because I'm desperate to be noticed. I'm doing it because I enjoy it and I want to continue making music," she said.
"It's what I've always loved to do and as long as it
makes me happy, I'll carry on performing."
