April 2004 interview from ''Motoring and Leisure' magazine.
BARBARA'S MUSICAL EVOLUTION
Barbara Dickson OBE is currently touring the UK. Joey Clark chatted to the award-winning singer and actress on a break in Barbara's busy schedule.
Barbara was born in Dunfermtine though she considers herself a 'Fifer'. I asked her how she got started in a musical career.
'Mum always used to have the radio on and we had lots of records. I believe that plenty of music in the home is a real asset for children as they grow up. I was always singing at home and am told I showed a talent for music at a young age. Mum and Dad decided I was a musical child and sent me for piano lessons.'
As it happened, the young Barbara hated the piano! To compensate, she learned guitar: 'I did it so that I could accompany myself singing,' she explained, adding, 'I played folk music. Later, as a teenager, I was unable to get leave from my day job to go on tour to Denmark so I took a pretty bold decision and left the job to follow the music.
'I eventually moved to London, where there was more opportunity to work in music than in Scotland. It was all a happy accident really.'
Barbara's big break came when she won the part of the singer/piano player in the Willy Russell play John, Paul, George, Ringo and Bert. It proved a smash hit in Liverpool and later in London's West End, where Barbara's career really took off.
I'd seen Barbara's performance as Mrs Johnson in Blood Brothers in London in 1983 and asked her how she'd found the transition from singing to acting.
'The author of the play, Willy Russell, was very keen for me to take on the role. He and the fantastic director Chris Bond met me in London where Chris asked me to read a small piece. He then gave me acting notes relative to the performance, and I read it again. Chris nodded to Willy and said yes, I could do it.'
Working on stage gave Barbara the ambition to move on to TV drama, although this didn't happen for nine years. She told me: 'TV Drama is very different from stagework. It's more technical but at least you can dump it once you have filmed it. I learned on the hoof and cut my teeth on Taggart and Band Of Gold which were filmed back to back.'
Barbara lives with husband Oliver and their three children aged 13, 15 and 17 in Lincolnshire. I asked
how they reacted when Mum was first on TV and also whether any of the kids were displaying musical
talents of their own.
'They just accept they have a well-known Mum. The children are very laid back about it. These days if anyone mentions their famous Mum they tend not to react but I know they're proud of me. They all love music, but none are serious about it yet. My eldest son plays bass guitar and takes part in an annual concert at school.'
Barbara's many chart hits include Answer Me, Another Suitcase, January February, and Caravans. The duet from the musical Chess with Elaine Paige, I Know Him So Well, was a great hit for the pair. Barbara sang the part of Svetlana, but appeared in Chess in Australia as Florence. She told me she enjoyed making the soundtrack album more than appearing in the show.
I asked if there was one of her songs that means more to here than all the others?
'The songs are like photos of where I was at the time. They're a conglomerate of folk and theatre, not only pop. I have always evolved. But I do love Caravans. It also has a special appeal to audiences.'
Barbara was delighted to win the Olivier Award for her stage role as Viv Nicholson in Spend, Spend, Spend and was awarded an OBE for Services to Music and Drama in 2001: 'It was a great honour, particularly as my family shared the day with me. Another special occasion was when I sang at Windsor Castle for the Queen who was really nice and seemed to genuinely enjoy the concert. It was a splendid day.'
I wondered what kind of music she enjoyed at home or in the car? She told me, 'I like listening to singer/songwiters, folk and traditional music; Randy Newman, James Taylor, Tom Waite and
Joni Mitchell.'
Barbara keeps in touch with her fans via her website www.barbaradickson.net
She is back in the studio recording a new album this month, just as The Platinum Collection featuring many of her best songs to date is released on Sony Music TV. Meanwhile, Barbara continues to do what she loves most, performing her music live.
