Kiki Dee
Kiki Dee (born March 6, 1947 in Keighley near Bradford , Yorkshire ; actually Pauline Matthews ) is a British singer and songwriter .
Life
Kiki Dee's first single was released in 1963 ( Early Night by Mitch Murray ). The second single, Don't Put Your Heart in His Hands , was composed by Jackie DeShannon and Sharon Sheeley . In February 1964, she first appeared on the British music show Ready Steady Go . In the following years she mainly covered current American soul hits. Together with Madeline Bell and Lesley Duncan she supported Dusty Springfield with live performances and recordings. Springfield, who was a fan of Dee, could be heard in the background on some of her recordings.
In January 1965 she took part with the title Aspetta domani (text: Fred Bongusto ) at the Italian Sanremo Festival and reached the final. She then recorded this title in German and Spanish. Further recordings followed in Italian, German and French. In 1966 Dee had her first film role in the British musical film Dateline Diamonds . In the same year she sang the title song of the same name for the British comedy Doctor in Clover . Many of Dee's recordings from the second half of the 1960s became classics of the Northern soul genre, especially Excuse Me (1967), On a Magic Carpet Ride (1968) and Why Don't I Run Away from You (1966) , of which she also recorded a German version ( no, I no longer know what I'm doing ).
In 1968 her debut album I'm Kiki Dee was released by Fontana Records . She was the first European artist in 1969 and only the third white artist after Debbie Dean and Chris Clark to be signed to Motown Records . There she released her second album Great Expectations in May 1970 .
However, commercial success did not materialize until she switched to Elton John's label Rocket Records. In 1973 she reached number 13 in the British charts with the ballad Amoureuse . In the following year she again reached the top 20 with the "blacker" and more rhythmic record I've Got the Music in Me , which was also successful in the USA. The LP of the same name was the only one from Dee that appeared as The Kiki Dee Band .
The singer finally had her greatest success in 1976 with the song Don't Go Breaking My Heart , which she sang in a duet with Elton John and which became a number one hit on both sides of the Atlantic . In the same year she was able to achieve another solo hit with the ballad Loving and Free , which she wrote herself and which had appeared on her first album for Rocket three years earlier.
Another duet with Elton John was created in 1981 for Dee's album Perfect Timing . It is a cover of the Motown classic Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever from the Four Tops . The track was also released as a single in the UK but flopped. The album Perfect Timing was next to the 1977 released LP Kiki Dee the only one in Dee's career that reached the UK album charts.
From 1984 Dee also tried to gain a foothold as an actress and was seen in several musicals .
In 1993 she sang again in a duet with Elton John. Their version of True Love , the track that once made Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly an evergreen , was another hit in the UK (# 2).
Since 1995 she has been working musically with the guitarist, composer and producer Carmelo Luggeri ; the two have now released three CDs.
Discography
Albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|
UK | US | |||
1974 | I've Got the Music in Me | - |
US28 (18 weeks) US |
The Kiki Dee Band
|
1977 | Kiki Dee |
UK24 (5 weeks) UK |
US159 (5 weeks) US |
|
1981 | Perfect timing |
UK47 (4 weeks) UK |
- |
More albums
|
|
Compilations
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|
UK | US | |||
1994 | The very best of |
UK62 (2 weeks) UK |
- | |
2019 | gold |
UK44 (1 week) UK |
- |
More compilations
|
|
Singles
solo
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|
UK | US | |||
1971 | Love Makes the World Go Round Great Expectations |
- |
US87 (3 weeks) US |
Author and original: Deon Jackson , 1965
|
1973 | Amoureuse Loving and Free |
UK13 (16 weeks) UK |
- |
Author and original: Véronique Sanson , 1972
|
1974 | I've Got the Music in Me I've Got the Music in Me |
UK19 (8 weeks) UK |
US12 (20 weeks) US |
The Kiki Dee Band
Author: Bias Boshell |
1975 | (You Don't Know) How Glad I Am Kiki Dee's Greatest Hits |
UK33 (4 weeks) UK |
US74 (3 weeks) US |
The Kiki Dee Band, Original: Nancy Wilson , 1964
Authors: Jimmy Williams, Larry Harrison |
1976 | Once a Fool Kiki Dee's Greatest Hits |
- |
US82 (4 weeks) US |
Authors: Brian Potter, Dennis Lambert
|
Loving and Free Loving and Free |
UK13 (8 weeks) UK |
- |
Author: Kiki Dee
|
|
1977 | First Thing in the Morning Kiki Dee |
UK32 (5 weeks) UK |
- |
Author: Bias Boshell
|
Chicago Kiki Dee |
UK28 (4 weeks) UK |
- |
Authors: Don Goodman, Jack Conrad
Original: The Bottom Line, 1976 split single , A-Side: Elton John - Bite Your Lip |
|
1981 | Star perfect timing |
UK13 (10 weeks) UK |
- |
Author: Doreen Chanter
|
Perfect timing Perfect timing |
UK66 (3 weeks) UK |
- |
Author: Kit Hain
|
More singles
|
|
Duets
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | AT | CH | UK | US | |||
1976 |
Don't Go Breaking My Heart Elton John's Greatest Hits Volume II |
DE5 (19 weeks) DE |
AT8 (8 weeks) AT |
CH4 (11 weeks) CH |
UK1
Gold + gold
(14 weeks)UK |
US1
platinum
(19 weeks)US |
|
1993 |
True Love Duets |
DE38 (10 weeks) DE |
AT22 (6 weeks) AT |
CH11 (11 weeks) CH |
UK2
silver
(10 weeks)UK |
US56 (12 weeks) US |
More duets
- 1981: Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever (with Elton John)
- 1987: Feel so Good (Tom Robinson with Kiki Dee)
swell
- ↑ a b c d Chart sources: Singles UK US
- ^ The Billboard Albums by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .
- ↑ Music Sales Awards: UK US
Web links
- Works by and about Kiki Dee in the catalog of the German National Library
- Kiki Dee at Allmusic (English)
- Kiki Dee at Discogs (English)
- Kiki & Carmelo, official site
- Fansite
- Kiki Dee on Ready Steady Girls!
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Kiki Dee |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Matthews, Pauline (real name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English singer and songwriter |
DATE OF BIRTH | March 6, 1947 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Keighley , Yorkshire , England |