Kiki Dee

Infobox musical artist

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Name = Kiki Dee
| Img_capt =
Img_size =
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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Pauline Matthews
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1947|03|6|df=y
Died =
Origin = Little Horton, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
Instrument =
Voice_type =
Genre =
Occupation =
Years_active = 1960s - present
Label =Fontana, Tamla Motown, Rocket Records
Associated_acts =Elton John
URL = [http://www.kikiandcarmelo.com/ kikiandcarmelo.com]
Notable_instruments =

Kiki Dee (born Pauline Matthews, 6 March 1947, Little Horton, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England) is a successful singer-songwriter, with a career that has lasted over 40 years.

Her most famous song was a duet with Elton John, entitled "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", which was released in 1976 and went to Number 1 both in the UK Singles Chart and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1993 she performed another duet with Elton John for his "Duets" album, a cover version of Cole Porter's "True Love", which reached #2 in the UK.

Career

Kiki Dee began singing with a local band in Bradford in the early 1960s. Her recording career began as a session singer. She sang backing vocals for Dusty Springfield, among others, and was regarded by other singers but did not achieve solo success in the UK for many years, although her 1965 release "Why Don't I Run Away From You" was a big hit on Radios London and Caroline in 1965 and her 1968 release, "On a Magic Carpet Ride", which was originally a B-side, has remained popular with the Northern Soul circuit. Hit songwriter Mitch Murray came up with her stage name, and also penned her first single, "Early Night". [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0214195/bio IMDb database - accessed March 2008] ] In the United States her style was admired and she became the first white British artist to be signed by Tamla Motown,cite book
first= David
last= Roberts
year= 2003
title= British Hit Singles & Albums
edition= 16th
publisher= Guinness World Records Limited
location= London
pages= p. 149
id= ISBN 085112-190-X] releasing her first Motown single in 1970.

In the days before BBC Radio 1, Dee was a regular performer of other people's hits on BBC radio, and she starred with a group of session singers in the BBC Two singalong series "One More Time". She also appeared in an early episode of "The Benny Hill Show" on 27 January 1971, performing the Blood, Sweat and Tears hit, "You've Made Me So Very Happy". Nevertheless, it was only after she joined forces with Elton John and Rocket Records that she became a household name in the UK. Her first major solo hits were "I've Got the Music in Me" (written by Tobias Stephen Boshell) (1974) and "Amoureuse" (written by French performer and songwriter, Véronique Sanson) (1973). [http://www.kikidee.info/kddisc.html Kiki Dee official website] ]

In 1981, Dee joined forces again with Elton John, recording a cover of the Four Tops' song "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever".

In 1982, she supplied backing vocals to Elton John's album "Too Low for Zero". Between 1987 and 1990 the theme music to the BBC One TV programme "Opportunity Knocks" was Dee's song "Star".

She has released 39 singles, 3 EPs, 9 LPs and 3 CDs to date.

Dee has also appeared in musical theatre - notably in the lead role in Willy Russell's West End musical "Blood Brothers". She took on the role (originally played by Barbara Dickson for the 1988 production and recording). She received an Olivier Award nomination in 1989 for her acting skills.

In 1990, she contributed to the last recording studio collaboration between Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson, on the album "Freudiana", performing "You're On Your Own".

In 2008, Kiki Dee's first ever DVD was released "Under The Night Sky" is a collaboration with guitarist Carmelo Luggeri, filmed live at Bray Studios in London.

She also performed at Live Aid, reprising "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" with John, and performing backing vocals on the other songs in his set.

She still tours, and occasionally makes guest appearances on television in shows such as "Never Mind the Buzzcocks". She has recorded with other artists such as Dave Stewart and guitarist Carmelo Luggeri.

Dee was based for a number of years in Keighley, West Yorkshire, but she has recently moved to the village of Ashwell in Hertfordshire. [ [http://www.kikidee.info/y2008.html ] ]

Discography

Albums

*1968 "I'm Kiki Dee" - Fontana Records
*1970 "Great Expectations" - Tamla Motown
*1973 "Loving & Free" - Rocket Records
*1974 "I've Got The Music in Me" - Rocket Records
*1974 "Patterns" - Philips Records
*1974 "Kiki Dee" - Music for Pleasure/Sound Superb
*1976 "I've Got The Music in Me" (reissue) - Rocket Records
*1976 "Loving & Free" (reissue) - Rocket Records
*1977 "Kiki Dee" - Rocket Records - #24 UK
*1979 "Stay With Me" - Rocket Records
*1980 "Kiki Dee's Greatest Hits" - Warwick Records
*1981 "Perfect Timing" - Ariola Records - #47 UK
*1987 "Angel Eyes" - Columbia Records
*1991 "Spotlight on Kiki Dee - Greatest Hits" - Rocket Records
*1994 "The Very Best of Kiki Dee" - Polygram TV - #62 UK
*1995 "Almost Naked" - Tickety-boo
*1998 "Where Rivers Meet" - Tickety-boo
*2005 "Love Makes The World Go Round: The Motown Years" - Universal Records/Motown
*2005 "The Walk of Faith" - Spellbound Records
*2008 "Cage the songbird" - EMI

cite book
first= David
last= Roberts
year= 2006
title= British Hit Singles & Albums
edition= 19th
publisher= Guinness World Records Limited
location= London
pages= p. 146-47
id= ISBN 1-904994-10-5]

ingles

*1973 "Amoureuse" - Rocket - #13 UK
*1974 "I've Got the Music in Me" - Rocket - #19 UK; #12 U.S. §
*1975 "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am" - Rocket - #32 UK §
*1976 "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" - Rocket - #1 UK; #1 U.S. †
*1976 "Loving and Free" / "Amoureuse" - Rocket - #13 UK
*1977 "First Thing in the Morning" - Rocket - #32 UK
*1977 "Chicago" - Rocket - #28 UK
*1981 "Star" - Ariola - #13
*1981 "Perfect Timing" - Ariola - #66
*1981 "Midnight Flyer"
*1981 "Loving You is Sweeter than Ever" †
*1983 "The Loser Gets to Win"
*1984 "Amourese" (re-issue) - #77
*1986 "Another Day Comes (Another Day Goes)"
*1987 "I Fall in Love too Easily"
*1987 "Stay Close to You"
*1993 "True Love" - Rocket - #2 †

§ - credited to the Kiki Dee Band; † - credited to Elton John and Kiki Dee

DVD's

*2008 - Under The Night Sky Live - New Wave Pictures ±

± Credited as Kiki Dee And Carmelo Luggeri

ee also

*List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (United States)
*List of artists by total number of UK number one singles
*List of people from Yorkshire
*List of names in English with counterintuitive pronunciations

References

External links

* [http://www.kikidee.info/ Kiki Dee fansite]
* [http://www.kikiandcarmelo.com/ Official Site]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:9ecm962o3ep6~T1 Kiki Dee Biography at AMG web page]
*imdb name|0214195|Kiki Dee