Barbara Dickson OBE

Peace Mala Endorsement

Barbara Dickson has been aware of the Peace Mala from the start. This is what she has to say about it:

I was charmed and moved by the Peace Mala. Its meaning is immediately apparent and it has huge impact in its simplicity. I wish it and all associated with its message great love and good wishes.

Singer and actress Barbara Dickson was given an OBE for services to music and drama. Barbara has also received an Olivier award which confirms her status as one of the most popular and versatile actresses and singers in British musical theatre today.

Barbara starred in the smash hit musicals "Blood Brothers" and "Spend, Spend, Spend" and television series "Band of Gold" and "The Missing Postman". She also appeared on the popular TV series "Taggart". Barbara is also well known for her string of hit singles and albums.

She was born in Dunfermline, Fife, in 1948 and started work at 16 as a civil servant in the Registrar General's Office in Edinburgh. At night she sung in the folk clubs of the Scottish capital.

After giving up the day job to concentrate on her blossoming singing career, her big break came in 1974 when she was offered a role in Willy Russell's "John, Paul, George, Ringo - and Bert". After an extended run at Liverpool's Everyman Theatre, the show transferred to London's West End for a highly successful year.

In the late 1970s, Barbara became a household name with a string of hit albums and singles. She also became a regular fixture on television shows such as "The Two Ronnies".

Barbara scored another success when she was reunited with Willy Russell to play the lead role of Mrs. Johnstone in "Blood Brothers." She made the role her own and was awarded a Society of West End Theatres Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She also undertook a host of concert tours playing sold out shows in every major town and city in the UK including the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Barbara continued her success throughout the 90s with a string of hit albums, acting roles in television series and theatre roles.

She starred in the critically-acclaimed "The 7 Ages of Woman", before taking on the role as Viv Nicholson in the hit musical "Spend, Spend, Spend".