Celebrating Kiki

Before the month ends I want to give a shout-out to Kiki Dee, one of my all-time favorite female vocalists. The English pop/soul singer-songwriter turned 79 on March 6th.

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Kiki!

If you're unfamiliar with the phenomenal Kiki Dee, the following by Brian Penn provides a helpful introduction.

Where do I start a review for the Queen of British Rhythm ‘n’ Blues?

Kiki won her first recording contract in 1963 but, inexplicably, a run of singles missed out on the charts. She later became the first British artist ever signed to Tamla Motown. An album called Great Expectations followed but still no commercial success for Kiki.

Elton John saw her potential and signed her to his Rocket label in the mid ’70s. This proved to be her most fruitful period in the charts, duetting with Elton on “Don’t Go Breaking my Heart,” a chart topper in the U.K. and U.S. As a solo artist, she hit with “Amoureuse” and “I’ve Got the Music In Me,” both cracking the Top 20.

Following starring roles in the West End [most notably in Blood Brothers], Kiki teamed up with Carmelo Luggeri in the mid ’90s, producing [four] albums – Where Rivers Meet (1998), The Walk of Faith (2005), A Place Where I Can Go (2013), and The Long Ride Home (2022) – as well as a highly respected live show.

In celebrating Kiki’s birthday at The Wild Reed, I share Lewis Nicholls’ 40-minute interview with Kiki from 2024. It’s a great interview, one of the best out there. Here’s how Nicholls introduces it:

The legend that is Kiki Dee joins me for an episode of Life Stories to talk about her amazing career, her friendship with Elton John, performing with Queen, and being on stage at Live Aid. Plus some fab stories.

Kiki’s about to go on tour in the U.K. with her longtime musical collaborator Carmelo Luggeri. If you get the chance to see this “classy duo” in concert, go for it! By all accounts, you won’t be disappointed.

For more of Kiki Dee at The Wild Reed, see:
• Music Legend Kiki Dee: “I’m a Down-to-Earth Person”
• Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri
• “A Classy Duo”
• Celebrating the Proverbial “Soulman”
• Classic Kiki
• Elton and Kiki: Together Again
• Deeper Understandings
• The End Is Not the End
• Amoureuse
• Honoring the Darkness While Remembering the Light
• The Light of This New Year’s Day

Related Off-site Link:
Kiki Dee’s Forward Motion – The Strange Brew (August 2023).