Barbara Dickson

Barbara Dickson was born on September 27, 1947 in Dunfermline, Scotland, the daughter of a policeman turned Rosyth dockyard worker. Barbara's mother was a housewife, and the family's strong interest in music led to Barbara taking up the piano from the tender age of five. By the age of twelve Barbara had also started to learn to play the guitar and upon leaving school at seventeen, she moved to Edinburgh combining a job in the Registrar General's office with evening spots as a folk singer in local pubs and clubs. When Barbara was offered a short-term contract singing at a club in Copenhagen, she was refused time away from her day job, and she resigned, deciding to try her luck as a professional singer. The mid-to late '60s saw Barbara "paying her dues" as a respected singer on the Scottish folk club circuit, enjoying some success, particularly with Archie Fisher and Rab Noakes. She cut three albums for Decca Records in the early 1970s, which were well-received but Barbara began to bec