KIK DEE & CARMELO LUGGARI
Folk, Blues, World, Corporate
For over two decades, Kiki and Carmelo have been touring their spellbinding acoustic live show across the UK and the World. As well as K&C compositions and Carmelo’s beautiful acoustic arrangements of ‘Kiki hits’ including I’ve Got The Music In Me, Amoureuse and their emotive slowed down version of Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, you can expect original versions of songs by great artists such as Leonard Cohen, Kate Bush with even a bit of Depeche Mode & Frank Sinatra thrown in for good measure.
Their unique sound using guitars, ethereal keys and Asian drones allows each of their exceptional talents to shine through and create a wonderful and warm sense of intimacy for the audience.
Kiki Dee – Spotted by a record company scout in 1963, Kiki Dee was signed as a solo artist to Fontana Records releasing her debut album “I’m Kiki Dee”. Kiki was a backing session singer for Dusty Springfield performing on two of Dusty’s early hits, “Little By Little” and “Some Of Your Loving”.
In 1970 Kiki became the first British artist to be signed by Tamla Motown. She worked with legendary producer Frank Wilson on tracks including “For Once In My Life”, recording in the original Motown studio in Detroit. After signing to Elton John’s Rocket Records label, Kiki scored her first UK Top 20 hit in 1973 with her version of the Véronique Sanson song “Amoureuse”. In the same year, Kiki could be heard singing backing vocals on Elton John’s global smash album “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”.
Kiki recorded two albums produced by Elton and started song writing. 1974 saw Kiki riding high on both the UK and US charts with “I’ve Got the Music in Me”. Continuing her friendship with Elton, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” topped the UK chart for six weeks in mid 1976. It also enjoyed a 4-week run at No.1 on the US charts as well as reaching No.1 in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Italy.
In 1981 “Star” from the album Perfect Timing gave Kiki another Top 20 hit and became the theme music to BBC TV show Opportunity Knocks. 1985 saw Kiki performing at the historic Live Aid concert to over 72,000 people at Wembley Stadium, reprising “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” with Elton and performing backing vocals on the other songs in his set.
In 1987 she took the lead in Willy Russell’s musical Blood Brothers. Appearing in the show for over two years, Kiki received an Olivier Award nomination in 1989 in the Best Actress in a Musical category.
In 1993 Kiki once again found herself in the charts with Elton John when their version of the Cole Porter song “True Love” reached No.2 on the UK chart.
In the early 1990’s Kiki had joined forces with songwriter, producer and guitarist Carmelo Luggeri, who had worked with Bill Wyman, Julian Lennon, Andy Williams, Paul Rodgers, Kenney Jones, Ray Cooper, Chris Rea and Ralph McTell.
Carmelo produced some bonus tracks for “The Very Best of Kiki Dee” album, and, having hit it off musically, they took on a new musical direction together, playing acoustic concerts, starting with an appearance at The Royal Albert Hall for World AIDS Day in 1994.
Kiki and Carmelo have successfully toured the UK and Europe with their unique acoustic-based show. Their first release in 1995 was the live album “Almost Naked”, which was recorded whilst on tour with violinist Vanessa-Mae.
2018 was a hugely successful year for the duo, Bob Harris wanted them as the opening act for the re-booted Old Grey Whistle Test, with a large and influential TV audience delighted to see Kiki not only looking superbly fit but her unique voice even better than they remembered.
Kiki’s 50th year as a recording artist finds her still pushing boundaries and moving forward. The title track of the new album “A Place Where I Can Go” is about the joy of music, the album includes a duet with Eddi Reader entitled “Horses”.
Live Performance: I've Got The Music In Me - Live TV Performance
Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQM5VSYCVY0