All the songs I've written to be my children

Interview with Dana Gillespie by Zara Majidpour

Her real name is Richenda Antoinette de Winterstein Gillespie, an old family name that comes from Elizabeth Fry, the Quaker line of the family.  At the age of 11 she told her parents that she wanted to change her name to Dana because “I’m going to be famous when I’m older”. 
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Dana Gillespie was born 1949 in the United Kingdom. She released her first album at the age of 15 and after 45 years in the music industry the multi-award winning Blues Diva released over 60 albums.

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As a actress she played in number of movies like Sunday Pursuit (1990), Strapless (1989), Scrubbers (1983‫(‪The People That Time Forgot (1977), Mahler (1974), The Lost Continent (1968) and Secrets of a Windmill Girl (1966) etc.
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Dana Gillespie was recently in Texas, United States as part of her Love to Love tour. It took a few minutes for her to engage with the audience and when she performed the song Love to Love for the second time, her strong and passionate voice got the audience out of their seats and onto their feet.

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I interview Dana Gillespie recently and had the following questions:

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You have almost half a century of experience in the music industry and as an actress you played the original Mary Magdalene in the first London production of Andrew Webber and Tim Rice’s Jesus Christ superstar. You are also a songwriter. What don’t people know about Dana Gillespie?
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DG: There are many things that people don't know about me but a lot can be found on my website

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For example, I had a World Music Radio show called 'Globetrotting with Gillespie', and it ran for 11 years. My band is called The London Blues Band and they are really great musicians. I was British Junior Waterski Champion for 4 years in the 60s. I organise a charity Blues Festival on the island of Mustique in the West Indies and it is in its 18th year. I spend a lot of my time touring the world, singing and promoting good human values and brotherly love.

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How did you becoming a Blues singer?
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DG: Becoming a Blues singer was a natural progression as I was already attracted to this kind of music when I first started in the music business in the 60s, as this was what was popular then. I started out as a folk singer but as my voice got stronger and I got more of life's experience, I found it was the one style that moved my heart and soul.

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Why are you interested in Indian spirituality?
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DG: I'm interested in all kinds of spirituality, with Sufism being high on my list, but I go to India a lot and so I am exposed to this way of thinking and it suits my life style.

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In your opinion what is the relationship between the Blues and spirituality?
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DG: Both styles of music have to come from the heart and are usually not written down so that the heart, rather than the head, is used. Both styles deal with emotions and love and this subject interests me.

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How did you become a follower of the Indian spiritual guru Sri Sathya Sai Baba?
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DG: I went to India over 30 years ago and the moment I set eyes on Sai Baba I knew that I had 'come home' and my heart felt at peace, especially as I loved the music there, and in my life it has always been music that has guided me and turned me on.

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What is Dana Gillespie’s legacy?
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DG: If I should die tomorrow, I'd like to be remembered for my dedication to music and as I've made over 60 albums in my life, then I'd consider this body of music to be my legacy. I consider all the songs I've written to be my 'children' and hopefully I have touched a few hearts before I leave this earth. Doing everything with Love is the most important way to live and I hope I have managed to do this, as much as is possible, although there is always room for improvement in life!

  

This interview was translated into Persian (Farsi) and published in Shahrzadnews.