Barbara Dickson
b. 27 September 1947, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. Dickson earned her initial reputation during the '60s as part of Scotland's flourishing folk scene. An accomplished singer, she tackled traditional and contemporary material and enjoyed a fruitful partnership with Archie Fisher. In the '70s she encompassed a wider repertoire and became a popular MOR artist in the wake of her contributions to Willy Russell's JOHN, PAUL, GEORGE, RINGO AND BERT, a successful London West End musical She enjoyed a UK Top 10 single in 1976 with Answer Me, while two later releases, Another Suitcase In Another Hall (1977) and January February (1980), also broached the UK Top 20. In 1983, the Dickson/Russell combination scored again when she won a Laurence Olivier Award for her portrayal of Mrs Johnstone in his widely applauded musical Blood Brothers. Dickson maintained her popularity through assiduous television and concert appearances and in 1985 scored a number 1 hit with I Know Him So Well, a duet with Elaine Paige from the London musical, Chess. Its success confirmed Barbara Dickson as one of Britain's leading MOR attractions. In 1993, Dickson received renewed critical acclaim when she recreated her original role in the current West End revival of Blood Brothers.