Barbara Dickson in Pitlochry and Perth

Jan 29 2010 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

BARBARA Dickson’s remarkable career spanning more than 40 years has harvested success as a singer and actress. And now she has the luxury of being able to turn her back on acting and do what she loves best – singing.

But before embarking on a 27-date UK tour next month – which includes a welcome return to Perth Concert Hall on March 15 – Barbara is back in her native country to appear at Pitlochry Festival Theatre tonight as part of the Winter Words Festival.

From 7.30pm she’ll be in conversation with her old pal and fellow musician and Fifer, Rab Noakes, chatting about the career in British music, stage and television which has made the Dunfermline lass a household name and gained her an OBE.

“This is my final piece of publicity for my autobiography [A Short Box Full of Dreams] before I start the tour,” Barbara told PA Arts.

“I was very busy in October, November and December promoting the book and now I’m looking forward to doing what I love best, and that’s performing live.

“It’s the kernel of what I do, and I’m enjoying it even more because finally I'm now in a position where I'm entirely responsible for what I sing.”

Barbara continues to perform her chart hits like Answer Me and Caravan Song from the late 1970s/early 80s, but she is increasingly returning to her folk roots, with a mature sophistication to her performance, thanks in part to her musical collaboration with the multi-talented Troy Donockley.

At the close of the tour, Barbara will complete her new studio album which will appear on the Greentrax label.

She said: “I’ve signed up with Greentrax in Edinburgh. It’s such a suitable company for what I’m trying to do, which is to further explore the music of the British Isles and especially Scotland, as well as include songs from my ‘shirt box’ which I’ve always wanted to record.”

And Lincolnshire-based Barbara promised that her Perth Concert Hall concert, and her new album, will have a strong Scottish accent: “I am a Scot and that imbues everything I do,” stressed Barbara, whose career took off when she took a leap of faith – or did Archie Fisher push her?! – by boarding a train to London away back in the 1960s.

“The new album will be more of what we did on ‘Time and Tide’ and ‘Full Circle’ with some traditional songs which are quite Scottish this time and some contemporary ones too. We've rough recorded some ideas for about 12 songs so far and will go back to work on them once the tour is over.”

Now aged 62, Barbara described her career as “speeding up as I get older” – but only for music!

“I find acting very arduous and a real strain. It’s much more tiring than a tour, so unless a lovely part comes up in a film or for TV I will be concentrating on singing.

“I still have an audience prepared to come on a musical journey with me, for which I am very grateful.”

Tickets for the Perth Concert Hall concert are available from the Horsecross box office, telephone 01738 621031 or online www.horsecross.co.uk

For tonight’s Winter Words event at Pitlochry Festival Theatre telephone 01796 484626.