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Biography
Infobox musical artist| name = Kiki Dee| image = Kiki Dee.JPG| caption = Kiki Dee, 1975| image_size = 100| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Pauline Matthews| alias =| birth_date = birth date and age|1947|03|6|df=y| death_date =| origin = Little Horton , Bradford , West Riding of Yorkshire , England| instrument = Singing|Vocals | genre = Pop music|Pop | occupation = Singing|Singer | years_active = 1960s–present| label = Fontana Records|Fontana , Tamla Motown , Rocket Records , Columbia Graphophone Company|Columbia/EMI | associated_acts = Elton John | website = http://www.kikiandcarmelo.com/ kikiandcarmelo.com| notable_instruments = Kiki Dee (born Pauline Matthews , 6 March 1947, Little Horton , Bradford , West Riding of Yorkshire , England) is an English people|English singer with a career spanning more than 40 years.
She is best known for her 1976 duet with Elton John , entitled " Don't Go Breaking My Heart ", which went to Chart-topper|Number 1 both in the UK Singles Chart and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 record chart|chart . In 1993 she performed another duet with Elton John for his Duets (Elton John album)|Duets album, a cover version of Cole Porter 's " True Love (song)|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 well regarded by other singers but did not achieve solo success in the UK for many years. However, her 1965 release "Why Don't I Run Away From You" was a big hit on Radios Radio London|London and Radio Caroline|Caroline in 1965, and her 1968 release, "On a Magic Carpet Ride", which was originally a A-side and B-side|B-side , has remained popular with the Northern Soul circuit. Hit songwriter Mitch Murray came up with her pseudonym|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 she became the first white people|white British artist to be signed by Motown Records|Motown ,cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2003 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 16th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 085112-190-X | page= 149 releasing her first Motown single (music)|single in 1970.
In the days before BBC Radio 1 , Dee was a regular performer of cover versions 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 in January 1971, performing the Blood, Sweat and Tears hit, " You've Made Me So Very Happy ". Nevertheless, it was only after she signed with Elton John's Rocket Records that she became a household name in the UK. Her first major solo hits were " Amoureuse " (written by Véronique Sanson , with English lyrics by Gary Osborne ) (1973) and " I've Got the Music in Me " (written by Bias Boshell|Tobias Stephen Boshell ), the latter credited to the Kiki Dee Band (1974). In addition to her burgeoning career as a lead vocalist, she could sometimes be heard singing backing vocals on various Elton John recordings, such as " All the Girls Love Alice " on " Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (song)|Goodbye Yellow Brick Road " and various tracks on Rock of the Westies . Her biggest hit came when she recorded a duet with John, " Don't Go Breaking My Heart " in 1976. The single reached #1 in both the UK and US, remaining at the top for six weeks in the UK. http://www.kikidee.info/kddisc.html Kiki Dee official website
After a quiet period in the late 1970s, Dee launched a comeback in 1981, releasing one of her biggest hits, "Star" - a song written by Doreen Chanter of the Chanter Sisters . This later became the theme music to the BBC One programme Opportunity Knocks (UK TV series)|Opportunity Knocks between 1987 and 1990. Also in 1981, Dee joined forces again with Elton John, recording a cover of the Four Tops ' song " Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever ". Both of these were included on her album Perfect Timing , which became a modest hit on the album chart. In 1983, she supplied backing vocals to Elton John's album Too Low for Zero . Dee also sang the song "What Can't Speak Can't Lie" (1983), composed and recorded by the Japanese jazz fusion group Casiopea , and with lyrics by Gary Osborne. http://www.kikidee.info/l_what_cant_speak_cant_lie.html Kikidee.info http://www.discogs.com/Casiopea-Jive-Jive/release/1394145 Discogs.com In 1985 she performed at Live Aid , reprising "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" with John, and performing backing vocals on the other songs in his set. In 1992, she also contributed backing vocals on John's The One (Elton John album)|The One album, and a year later recorded " True Love (song)|True Love " with John for his 1993 Duets (Elton John album)|Duets album.
Dee has also appeared in musical theatre - notably in the lead role in Willy Russell 's West End Theatre|West End musical Blood Brothers (musical)|Blood Brothers , in which she took on the role originally played by Barbara Dickson for the 1988 production and recording. She received an Laurence Olivier Awards|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" and part of "No One Can Love You Better Than Me".
In 2008, Dee's first DVD was released. Under The Night Sky was a collaboration with guitarist Carmelo Luggeri, filmed live at the Bray Studios (UK)|Bray Studios in London, and the music was produced by Ted Carfrae. That same year, several albums from her earlier 1970s-1980s Rocket catalogue were re-released by EMI Records, including an expanded edition of Almost Naked with extra tracks, including a cover of Neil Young 's " Heart of Gold (song)|Heart of Gold ", and a new take on "Sugar on the Floor". The latter song, a Kiki Dee composition, had previously appeared as a full band version by Dee; a piano/vocal version (with slide guitar from Davey Johnstone ) by Elton John (a bonus CD track on Rock of the Westies that was the A-side and B-side|b-side to " Island Girl "), and was covered in a jazz version by Etta James .
She has released 39 single (music)|single s, three extended play|EP s and twelve albums to date. 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 David A. Stewart|Dave Stewart and guitarist Carmelo Luggeri.
Discography
Albums
cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | pages= 146–47 | isbn= 1-904994-10-5
" Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever " (with Elton John)
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1983
"The Loser Gets To Win"
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EMI
1984
"Amoureuse"
77
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Rocket
1986
"Another Day Comes (Another Day Goes)"
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Columbia Records
1987
"I Fall in Love Too Easily"
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"Stay Close to You"
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"Angel Eyes"
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1993
True Love " (with Elton John)
2
56
Rocket
DVDs
2008 - Under the Night Sky Live - New Wave Pictures (produced by Ted Carfrae) ±
± Credited as Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri
References
Reflist
External links
http://www.kikidee.info/ Kiki Dee fansite
http://www.kikiandcarmelo.com/ Official website
Allmusic|class=artist|id=p16925/biography|pure_url=yes Kiki Dee biography at Allmusic
IMDB name|0214195|Kiki Dee
Use dmy dates|date=August 2010 Persondata | NAME = Dee, Kiki | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Matthews, Pauline | SHORT DESCRIPTION = English people|English pop music|pop singer | DATE OF BIRTH = 6 March 1947 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Little Horton , Bradford , West Riding of Yorkshire , England | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Dee, Kiki Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:English songwriters Category:English female singers Category:People from Little Horton Category:Musicians from Bradford Category:Motown artists Category:Northern soul musicians Category:Rocket Records artists
de:Kiki Dee fr:Kiki Dee fy:Kiki Dee it:Kiki Dee nl:Kiki Dee pt:Kiki Dee sv:Kiki Dee
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