Background image and all fine art photography- Delilah Dyson
.Forces Baby- born in my Grandma's house in Hull, but lived around the world 'til settling in London aged 18. Lifelong performer and songwriter, I've played many stages, from London's Barbican to Nashville's Bluebird Cafe In the seventies,while studying Humanities at Thames Poly, I won the National Folk Contest. In '75 I met Delilah,(still the most significant event in my Life), and signed my publishing to Heath-Levy.
In '79 I lived and gigged in New York, where our son Fabian was conceived, and returned home to wait tables at the then still-funky Pizza Express in Hampstead,to keep us in nappies. While spinning plates I was represented by the legendary Phyll Rounce at International Artistes and played live on BBC's David Essex showcase with Steve Lodder and Kevin Charles Dunford. In the Eighties, I toured with Richard and Linda Thompson, being the first-ever solo performer to open on the Barbican stage, for Richard in 1981. I signed to Albion/Polar Union Music in 1985 and recorded with Jon Kelly and Pete Van Hooke. In that decade, I also first met Marc Parnell and Paul Nieman, who introduced me to Kuma Harada, after having recorded with Pete Brown and the great Dick Heckstall Smith, Ed Poole and Robert Bond. In the nineties with Kuma's help, at Barefoot, I recorded many of the tracks on Heartcore, my first album, with among others Andy Newmark, Max Middleton and Robert Ahwai and also had Alan D'Arby and John Etheridge playing on live gigs.Some of Heartcore was also recorded at Kitsch studios in Brusselles, produced by Adam Williams, the original co-producer and engineer of The Eurythmics.In '96 I formed the Dean Dyson Band which became in '97 the line-up listed on the left, and we're still together. With producer Tom Allom, we recorded SOMETIMES , featured here.
Not only are they awesome musicians, they are a lovely bunch of guys and many people say 'tis a crime we don't play together as often as we should.In 1999, I had the honour of being invited by legendary Yes-guitarist Steve Howe, to perform "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" on his "Portraits of Bob Dylan" album, which also featured such luminaries as Jon Anderson, Phoebe Snow and P.P.Arnold. In 2002 I signed toSony/ BMG as a writer, through Johnny Stirling at Musicsoundsbetter Ltd. In recent years my songs have been covered internationally with platinum success in the U.S. with Mario Frangoulis and closer to home - most notably in Poland, with Maryla Rodowicz and Krzysztof Krawczyk. In 2004, On his album To, Co W Zyciu Wazne, I wrote the music for the title track, and Lekarse Dusz, a duet with T-Love, and Przytul Mnie Zycie, a duet with Piasek, shown here below, and finally Wszystko Mam. In 2006, the great Maryla Rodowicz recorded Do Cholery and Nikt Z Nas Nie Powinien Byc Sam on her album KOCHAC In the Noughties,I've co-written with world-class writers, including Scott English, Frank Musker, Jon Cohen, Blair Mackichan, Matteo Saggese, Simon Darlow, Martin Sutton and Chris Neil. Here in the UK,I've written for Amy Nuttall and Becky Jane Taylor. The video of "No Greater Gift",which I wrote with Jon Cohen is viewable on www.amynuttall.com., the song is on her myspace page, as is "By Your Side" on Becky Jane Taylor's page. For latest publishing info, see www.musicsoundsbetter.net
Three albums recorded: Heartcore 1997; I Found You 2006; One Way Up 2007,all available via dean@solarspec.freeserve.co.uk . NOW AVAILABLE to download on i-Tunes
I now gig regularly with guitarist Chris Newland, whose sumptuous sound is featured on "Looking For A Friend" alongside the rest of the Dean Dyson Band. For bookings use same email address as above.
Currently, the publishers' share of " Heaven Help Us" is shared with The Princes Trust who are helping to promote the song. Watch this space.
Though a huge Bill Hicks fan, I've voiced major TV ad-campaigns for Perrier, Cadbury's TIME-OUT and Nokia to name but a fewMost recently I have also narrated three books by author Benjamin Benedict.
You can hear samples and download them @ www.benbenbooks.com
Live photography - Norman Craig and Graeme Harris,
Background image and all fine art photography- Delilah Dyson
If you've read all this you must be a wonderful person!<
