Dana Gillespie
Born in 1949, Dana moved from the countryside to central London during a blues revival in her mid-childhood. At 16, she began recording singles for Pye, and by 1968, she was signed by Decca, leading to two LPs, the second of which she wrote entirely herself, called Box Of Surprises.
At the turn of the decade, Dana's talent led her to become part of the original London cast of two prominent musicals – Catch My Soul and Jesus Christ Superstar. At the same time, she was part of a team of session singers that recorded soundalike versions of pop hits for Avenue Records, alongside Elton John, David Byron, and Madeline Bell. Dana and her childhood friend David Bowie were both managed by Tony Defries and his MainMan company.
In 1973, Dana released her third album, Weren’t Born A Man, produced by Bowie, Mick Ronson, Robin Cable, and Dana herself, at Trident Studios on RCA. The follow-up, Ain’t Gonna Play No Second Fiddle, came out in 1974, and Dana embarked on a US tour in support of it. However, while working on demos for her third RCA album, MainMan disbanded, and she was unable to record while still in contract. Consequently, Dana returned to the UK and pursued gigs and acting jobs, where she appeared alongside the likes of Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, and Denholm Elliott.
In 1982, Dana resumed her recording career with Blue Job, a collection of early 20th-century bawdy blues numbers. She then released Solid Romance in 1984, which spawned an international hit, ‘Move Your Body Close To Me’, before fully committing to the blues. She founded and ran the Mustique Blues Festival with Basil Charles OBE for two decades, and in 1997, she joined the UK leg of Bob Dylan’s tour as a ‘special guest’.
Today, Dana tours worldwide, including India, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Britain, and she frequently performs with the London Blues Band at venues such as the 606 Club, Chelsea, and The Temple of Art and Music, Elephant & Castle. Her latest albums include Under My Bed and Deep Pockets, both released by Ace Records in 2019 and 2021, respectively. Her Decca recordings have been anthologized as London Social Degree, while her RCA recordings were compiled as What Memories We Make.
Overall, Dana Gillespie's life and work have been full of adventure, creativity, and talent, making her a true icon in the world of music and entertainment.
Dana will be accompanied by her pianist Dino Baptiste, a previous performer at The Jubilee Hall!
It will be a great night of music.
Dana's Website
Tickets £17
Licensed bar (card or cash), with wine, beer, and soft drinks, run by the VHC.
