This interview with Barbara appeared in 'Jackie' magazine in July 1977.
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM HER FRIENDS!
When Barbara Dickson sang "Another Suitcase In Another Hall" she could almost have been singing about herself! She had just bought a new house in South London.
"I had so much baggage and bits and pieces that I just didn't know where to put them," she smiles. "The house is late Victorian/early Edwardian and so I've been hunting around London for furniture of that period. So far I've got two beautiful Victorian washstands.
"Actually," she laughs, "I only needed one, but these were being sold as a pair, and cheaply at that. I never could resist a bargain. One of the nicest things about the house is that I'll have a music room where I can practice and compose. There's nothing more inspiring than sitting alone in your own home, surrounded by your own possessions."
Barbara has also had a great idea for getting the place decorated. "I just try to look as helpless as possible, and get all the men I know to come along with their paintbrush!"
Without this help, Barbara probably wouldn't have got very far with her decorating, as just lately she's been rather busy. As you probably know, "Another Suitcase In Another Hall" was from the record version of the Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Evita".
"Everything about "Evita" was very carefully planned," she continues. "Later on there'll be a stage version, and then perhaps a film. I don't think I'd like to take part in the actual stage show, though, because my role would only last for about ten minutes in each performance!
"On the record version I play the part of a young girl who was the mistress of Juan Peron, Argentina's dictator, just before Evita (Julie Covington) came along and took my place. Just after he tells me to go, I sing "Another Suitcase In Another Hall". In fact that's really all there is to my character, as there is no speaking involved. But I was really lucky to get that song because it's very good and I loved singing it."
Barbara might have enjoyed great success with the song, but she's definitely not stopping there.
"I've put out another single since then," she says. "It's called "Lovers Serenade" and, although it has a romantic title, there is a funky, disco-type feel to it. It's a definite contrast to the "Evita" single, but one I really like.
Barbara found time for a bit of travelling, too, although not for a holiday! "In Nashville, I recorded my new album "Morning Comes Quickly". I was really lucky, because I had the help of some of the greatest musicians in the world.
"After that I decided to go on tour in England and Scotland. I wasn't really nervous about it, as I took my own band with me and I know how well they can play. While I was touring," she remembers, "I took the opportunity of playing in my home town of Dunfermline, in Scotland. I don't get the chance to go back very often," Barbara smiles, "so when I do it's just that bit more special.
"It was when I was living there that I first became interested in folk music," she says. "In my early teens I would sing and accompany myself on the guitar. In the day time I worked for the Civil Service, but at night I'd play in the folk clubs around the area," Barbara laughs. "Then, about 1968, I was asked to sing in Denmark, so I left the Civil Service behind me, and concentrated on music."
Not long after that, Barbara really took the world by storm, and it happened just by chance...
